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UNIVERSITY  OF 

ILLK-^19  LIBRARY 

AT  U;.       ^CHAMPAIGN 

ILL  HIST.  SURVEY 


A   HISTORY   OF 


THE  NORWEGIANS 


OF 


ILLINOIS 


A  Concise  Record  of  the  Struggles  and  Achievements  of  the  Early 

Settlers    together    with    a    Narrative    of    what    is    now    being 

done   by    the   Norwegian-Americans  of  Illinois  in  the 

Development  of  their  Adopted  Country 


ILLUSTRATED 


WITH  THE  VALUABLE  COLLABORATION  OF 
NUMEROUS  AUTHORS   AND    CONTRIBUTORS 


COMPILED   AND    EDITED    BY 

A.    E.    STRAND 


PUBLISHED  BY 

JOHN  ANDERSON  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 
CHICAGO 


Entered  According  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1905,  by 

JOHN  ANDERSON  PUBLISHING  CO. 
in   the   Office   of  the   Librarian   of    Congress   at    Washington,    D.    C. 


_  . 


PREFACE 


In  this  work  the  reader  will  find  recorded  the  achievements  of  a 
people,  men  and  women,  who  by  their  enterprise,  industry  and  honesty 
have  helped  to  bring  those  counties,  townships,  cities,  and  villages,  where 
their  work  was  and  still  is  being  done,  to  rank  second  to  none  among 
those  comprising  this  great  and  noble  State.  From  their  own  lips  we 
have  the  story  of  their  lives  and  struggles.  In  this  volume  will  be  found 
the  names  of  many  whose  lives  are  worthy  the  imitation  of  coming  gen- 
erations. It  will  tell  how  most  of  them,  commencing  life  in  poverty,  by 
industry  and  economy  have  not  only  accumulated  wealth,  but  by  integrity 
and  sterling  character  attained  the  highest  standing  in  their  communities. 
It  will  tell  how  others,  'with  very  limited  advantages  for  securing  an  edu- 
cation, have  become  learned,  with  an  influence  extending  throughout  the 
land.  It  will  tell  of  people  in  every  walk  in  life,  who  have  striven  to 
succeed,  and  records  how  that  success  has  usually  crowned  their  efforts. 
It  also  will  tell  of  many,  very  many,  who  not  seeking  the  applause  of  the 
world,  have  pursued  the  even  tenor  of  their  way,  content  to  have  it  said 
of  them,  "They  have  done  what  they  could."  It  will  also  tell,  how  many 
left  the  plow  and  the  anvil,  left  every  trade  and  profession,  and  at  their 
adopted  country's  call  went  forth  to  do  or  to  die. 

Coming  generations  will  appreciate  this  volume  and  preserve  it  as 
a  sacred  treasure  from  the  fact  that  it  contains  much  that  else  would 
never  have  found  its  way  into  public  records.  Great  care  has  been  taken 
and  every  opportunity  possibly  given  to  those  represented  to  insure  cor- 
rectness in  what  has  been  written. 

The  faces  and  biographical  sketches  of  many  will  be  missed  in  this 
volume.  For  this  the  compiler  is  not  to  blame.  Not  having  a  proper 
conception  of  the  work,  some  refused  to  give  the  information  necessary  to 
complete  a  sketch,  while  others  were  indifferent. 

Occasionally  some  members  of  the  family  would  oppose  the  enter- 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


prise,  and  on  account  of  such  opposition  the  support  of  the  interested  one 
would  be  withheld. 

In  the  biographical  sketches  we  have  allowed  each  individual  to 
spell  his  name,  both  given  and  surname,  according  to  his  own  custom. 
We  tried  at  first  to  correct  the  spelling  of  the  Norwegian  given  names 
in  order  to  get  them  more  uniform,  but  met  with  objections,  and  were 
obliged  to  give  up  the  attempt. 

Considering  the  large  number  of  contributors  it  is  but  natural  that 
the  style  of  the  book  as  a  whole  should  be -somewhat  uneven,  and  we  do 
not  claim  much  literary  merit  for  it.  That  some  errors  and  fallacies 
will  be  found,  we  have  no  doubt.  Errare  humanum  est.  Our  solace 
is  that  we  have  done  the  best  we  could. 

In  addition  to  the  historical  part  strictly  in  conformity  with  the  ob- 
ject of  this  book  we  also  present  a  few  articles,  which  in  our  opinion  add 
greatly  to  its  historical  value,  such  for  instance  as,  "Our  ancestors," 
"Glimpses  of  Norwegian  history,"  "Beginnings  of  Chicago,"  etc.  This 
we  do  for  the  benefit  of  our.  younger  generations.  As  there  can  arise 
no  question  as  to  the  intrinsic  value  of  these  chapters,  we  did  not  hesitate 
making  them  parts  of  the  book. 

A  glance  at  the  pages  of  this  volume  will,  no  doubt,  convince  the 
reader  that  we  have  been  painstaking  in  gathering  data  and  facts.  While 
we  regret  to  say  that  in  many  instances  we  have  not  met  with  the  as- 
sistance and  encouragement  expected,  we  can  on  the  other  hand  gladly 
acknowledge  that  many  intelligent  men  have  devoted  both  time  and  labor 
in  order  to  assist  us  in  obtaining  such  information  as  we  needed  for 
the  book. 

A  most  valuable  and  complete  part  of  the  volume  will  be  found  in 
the  detailed  sketches  of  the  various  church  denominations. 


PART    I. 


HISTORY 


A  people  that  take  no  pride  in  the 
noble  achievements  of  remote  ancestors 
will  never  achieve  anything  worthy  to 
be  remembered  by  remote  generations. 

—  McCanley. 


TABLE   OF    CONTENTS 


Page 

Our  Ancestors,  by  Kristof er  Janson 17 

Glimpses  of  Norwegian  History   i 33 

The  Norwegian  Pioneer,  by  Rev.  A.  Bredesen 38 

The  First  Colony  of  Norwegian  Immigrants 40 

The  Sloop  Party 41 

The   "Sloopers"   who    came    to    Illinois 43 

Porter   C.   Olson    45 

The  First  Farm  owned  by  a  Norwegian  west  of  the  Great  Lakes 50 

Claims  and  First  Improvements  50 

In  What   Condition   did   the   First   Norwegian    Settlers    find   the   Tract 

on  which  they  settled  ? , 54 

Shabbona 55 

Kleng  Peerson 59 

Kleng    Peerson's    Dream    61 

Prairie   Fires • 62 

A  Prairie  Blizzard  (Related  by  a  Norwegian  Pioneer) 63 

A  Cloudburst  •  • 64 

The  Bandits  of  the  Prairies  64 

Indian   Character  and   Customs 65 

One  of  the  Old  Pioneers  (Wier  Sjurson  Weeks)   67 

The  Third  Norwegian  Settlement    70 

Mission  and  Miller  Townships    73 

Miller   Township 76 

Adams   Township    77 

The  Village  of  Leland    78 

Ottawa    • 79 

Norway 80 

Sheridan 81 

Big  Grove  Township    81 

Newark 83 

Nettle  Creek  Township,  Grundy  County 83 


10  A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Page 

Capron  and  Jefferson  Prairie    •  84 

Lee  County    

The  Pontiac  and  Rowe  Settlement   88 

The  Beginnings  of  Chicago,  by  Edwin  Erie  Sparks,  Ph.  D 92 


Norwegian  Churches  in  Illinois 

The  Norwegian  Synod,                                              L  Page 

by  Rev.  Alfred  O.  Johnson 98 

Our  Saviour's  Norwegian  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  of  Chicago  103 
The  Norwegian   Evangelical   Lutheran   Church  of  Lee  County,  111., 

by   Rev.   J.    Nordby    148 

The  United  Church, 

Rev.  George  Tailor  Rygh,  Editor  104 

Zion  Church,  Elgin,  111.,  by  Miss  Aagot   Rovelstad 104 

Aurora,  111.,  by  Miss  Anna  Bj^rseth   -. . . .  107 

Covenant  Church,  Chicago,  by  Rev.  C.  O.  Solberg 108 

Pontoppidan  Church,  Gardner,  111.,  by  Rev.  Chr.  Christiansen 109 

Bethania  Church,  Gardner  Prairie,  111.,  by  Rev.  Chr.  Christiansen 110 

Bethlehem  Church,  Morris,  111.,  by  Rev.  T.  Aarrestad   112 

Hauge's  Church,  Grundy  County,  111 113 

Trinity  Church,  South  Chicago,  111.,  by  Rev.  Olaus  Qualen 114 

Pontoppidan  Church  at  Gibson  City,  111.,  by  Rev.  J.  L0nne 115 

Bethel  Church,  Chicago,  111.,  by  Rev.  C.   E.  Tiller.. 115 

Freedom,  111.,  by  Rev.  P.  P.  Hagen 116 

Big  Indian  Creek,  111.,  by  Rev.  P.  P.  Hagen 119 

St.  Timothy  Church,  Chicago,  111.,  by  Rev.  Lyle  Halvorsen 121 

St.    Paul's    Lutheran    Church,    Rowe,   111.,    by    Rev.    C.    Michaelsen  537 

Zion  Church,  Chicago,  by  Rev.  C.  K.  Solberg   125 

Emmaus  Church,  Chicago,  by  Rev.  O.  N.  Nelson 126 

Bethlehem  Church,  Chicago,  by  Rev.  George  T.  Rygh 127 

Nazareth  Church,  West  Pullman,  111.,  by  Rev.  Olaus  Qualen 127 

Evanston,   111.,  by  Mr.   C.   Hendricksen 128 

Lisbon,  111.,  by  Rev.  N.  G.  Peterson ; 128 

Leland  Congregation,  Leland,  111.,  by  Rev.  Henry  I.  Noss 130 

Pleasant  View  Luther  College,  Ottawa,  111.,  by  Prof.  L.  A.  Vigness  132 

Trinity  Congregation,  Ottawa,  111.,  by  Prof.  L.  A.  Vigness 135 

The  Norwegian  Lutheran  Deaconess. Home  and  Hospital,  Chicago, 

111.,  by  Rev.  H.  B.  Kildahl   '. . .  135 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS  11 


Hauge's  Synod,  Page 

By  Rev.  K.  O.  Eittreim   140 

Trinity   Church,    Chicago 142 

Hauge's  Norwegian  Evangelical  Church,  at  Norway,  111 144 

Capron,   111 144 

The  Norwegian  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  near  Creston,  111....  144 

Rooks  Creek  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  Pontiac 145 

The  Norwegian  Evangelical  Lutheran  Congregation  of  the  Unaltered 

Augsburg   Confession,    Platteville 145 

The  Newark  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church 145 

The  Norwegian  Evangelical  Lutheran  Immanuel  Church,  in  Chicago  146 

St.  Paul's  English  Church,  Chicago 146 

St.   John's    Church,    Creston 146 

E'benezer  Church,  Chicago 147 

Elirn   Church,    Chicago    147 

Hauge's  Norwegian  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  Chicago 147 

Joliet    147 

Sandwich,  De  Kalb  County,  111 148 

Norwegian  Methodism  in  Illinois, 

By  Rev.  H.  P.  Bergh 149 

Norway 150 

Leland    151 

First  Church,  Chicago   •. 152 

Evanston    152 

Maplewood  Avenue  Church,  Chicago    152 

Bethel,   Chicago    153 

Moreland,   Chicago    ' 154 

Immanuel,  Chicago   154 

Kedzie  Avenue  Church,  Chicago  154 

Dwight,   111 154 

Emmaus,  Chicago   155 

Bethany,    Chicago    155 

The  Norwegian-Danish  City  Mission  155 

The  Camp-meeting    156 

Statistics 157 

The  Norwegian-Danish  Theological   Seminary  at   Evanston,   111....  157 

The  Norwegian-Danish  M.   E.   Book  Concern 158 

The   Young   People    159 

Doctrines     159 

The  Ministry  of  the  Church  and  Church  Government 159 

Biographies     of     Some     Prominent     Norwegian-Danish     Methodist 

Pioneers     160 

Rev.  O.  P.  Petersen,  Founder  of  Methodism  in  Norway 160 

J.    H.   Johnson 162 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Page 

H.  H.  Holland   164 

O.  J.  Sanaker   

O.  A.  Wiersen  " 164 

Norwegian   Baptists, 

By   Rev.   C.    W.    Finwall    165 

The  Theological  Seminary,  Morgan  Park,  111 167 

Brief  Sketches  of  Some  Norwegian  Teachers  at  the  Baptist  School, 

Morgan  Park,  111 16d 

Prof.  H.  Gundersen 168 

Prof.   C.  J.   Olsen    169 

Rev.    E.    L.    Myrland 160 

Prof.   Edward  Olsen,  Ph.   D 170 

Rev.    J.    A.    Ohrn    I71 

The    Congregationalists, 

By   Prof.   R.   A.   Jernberg    - 171 

The  Seventh  Day  Adventist  Church, 

By    Rev.    L.    H.    Christian    176 

The   Lutheran   Free   Church, 

By  Prof.   H.  A.  Urseth    177 

Christ   Norwegian    Lutheran    Church 178 

The  Church  of  the  Veritans, 

By    B.    C.    Peterson • 179 

The   Norwegians   in    Chicago    18° 

Early  Norwegian  Settlers  in  Chicago   181 

What  You  may  find  in  an  old  Directory  182 

The   Norwegian  Old   Settlers'  Society    •  •  184 

Early  Norwegian   Printers  in   Chicago    186 

The  Scandinavian  Typographical  Union    187 

The  Norwegian  Old  People's  Home  Society, 

By  Dr.  N.  T.  Quales  •  • 187 

The  Norwegian  Lutheran  Children's  Home, 

By   Mrs.    Sophie    Michaelsen 191 

The  Hope  Mission  and  Scandinavian  Girls'  Home, 

By  Mathilda  B.   Carse    195 

The  First  Norwegian  Total  Abstinence  Society, 

By  Mrs.  U.  F.   Bruun 196 

International  Order   of   Good  Templars, 

By    Henry    Weardahl    197 

(and  in  the  supplement). 

Scandinavian   Young  Men's  Christian  Association    199 

Scandinavian    Young    Men's    Christian    Association    of    Chicago,    West 

Division 199 

The  Norwegian  National  League, 

By   Andrew    Hummeland    .                                                                201 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS  13 


Page 

The  Nordmaendenes   Sangforening 203 

The  Sleipner  Athletic   Club    / 206 

Court  Normania  No.   174,  I.   O.  F.,   of  Illinois 207 

The  Norwegian  Sick-Benefit  Society  "Nordlyset" 209 

Scandinavian  Women's  Burial  Benefit  Association 211 

Sick  and  Aid  Society  of  the  Bethlehem  Congregation 213 

Enigheden 213 

Liberty   Band 214 

Biographical  Sketches 

of  a  few  Chicago  Norwegians  departed  from  this  world. 

Andrew    Nelson    Brekke     215 

Mrs.    Laura   Anderson    215 

Jens  Olsen  Kaasa 216 

Iver  Lawson , , . 217 

Dr.   G.   Ch.   Paoli 217 

Captain  Christian  Erickson 217 

C.    L.    B.   Stange    218 

Canute   R.   Matson    219 

(and  in  the  supplement)' 

Knud    Langland     219 

Rev.   John   Z.  Torgersen    221 

Captain  William  Johnson   221 

Christian    Jevne 222 

Bj0rn   Edwards    223 

Ole   A.    Thorp 223 

Iver    Larsen    224 

Ulrich    Daniels    225 

Albart  J.  Elvig  225 

Louis  J.  Lee   226 

Berent  M.  Wold   227 

Some  Memorable  Events  in  the  History  of  the  Norwegians  in  Chicago. 

Dr.  Fridtiof  Nansen's  Visit   228 

The  Viking  Ship  at  the  World's  Fair 231 

Norway  at  the  Chicago  World's  Fair   233 

Norway's    Pavilion    234 

Norway's  Building  at  the  World's  Fair   236 

Leif  Erikson 238 

The  Norwegian   Student  Singers    238 

Norwegians  in  the  Industrial  and  Financial  Fields. 

Johnson    Chair    Company    241 

Torris  Wold   &   Company    244 

C.  Jevne  &  Company 244 

The   Central    Manufacturing  Company    245 

A.   Petersen   &  Company  245 


u  A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Page 

Sethness   Company 

The   Independent   Cracker   Machine   Company    

Architectural  Sheet-Metal   Ornaments    248 

State   Bank   of   Chicago    '  -  - 

Ottawa  Banking  &  Trust  Company   250 

Lee  State  Bank,  Lee,  111 

The  First  National  Bank  of  Leland   250 

Farmers  &  Merchants   Bank,  Leland   250 

Lee  Advertising  Company 251 


List   of  Illustrations 

(Other  than  individual  Portraits.) 

Page 

Vikings  attacking  the  fortifications  of  Paris    19 

Vikings  landing  in  Southern  Europe    ;  . .  . .  21 

Vikings  in  action    21 

Viking  dragons  approaching  the  coast  of  Italy   25 

Emperor   Charlemagne  observing  the  Vikings    26 

Northern  Vikings  approaching  a  southern  fortress 27 

Old    Viking   castle    29 

Russians  (Slavs)  paying  hommage  to  Rurik,  the  Founder  of  the  Russian 

empire     30 

A  Bard  singing  to  the    warriors 31 

Monument  of  Col.  Porter  C.  Olson 49 

Shabbona    • 55 

Shabbona's  Daughter,  her  husband,  Chief  Kick-Kock,  and  their  Daughter  56 

Dedication  of  the  Monument  erected  in  1906  at  Freedom,  near  Ottawa,  111.  57 

W.  S.  Weeks'  homestead 68 

St.   Paul's   Church,   Chicago 102 

Our  Saviour's  Church,  Chicago   103 

Group  of  Ministers  of  the  United  Church   105 

North  Lisbon  church  at  Helmar,  111 Ill 

The  Lutheran  Church  at  Leland,  111 129 

Pleasant  View  Luther  College,  Ottawa,  111 133 

The  Norwegian  Lutheran  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital,  Chicago 136 

A   Group   of    Diaconesses    137 

Deaconesses  in  Foreign  Mission  Work 138 

Group  of  Sisters,  Norwegian  Lutheran  Deaconess  Home 139 

The   Norwegian-Danish   M.   E.   Conference    150 


PORTRAITS  IN  THE  HISTORICAL  PART  15 


Page 

First   Methodist   Church,   Chicago 151 

Maple  wood  avenue   M.   E.   Church,   Chicago 153 

The   Methodist   Tabernacle,   Desplaines,   111 156 

The  Norwegian-Danish    Theological   Seminary   at    Evanston,   111 157 

The  Norwegian-Danish  M.  E.  Book-  Concern    158 

Logan  Square  Norwegian  Baptist  Church,  Chicago 166 

The  Theological  Seminary,   Morgan   Park,   111 168 

The  Danish-Norwegian  Department  of  Chicago  Theological  Seminary..  172 

Chicago  Theological  Seminary   173 

The  Hammond  Library    175 

Interior  of  Christ   Chapel    178 

Four  generations 181 

John   Amundsen's    House    186 

The  Norwegian   Old   People's   Home   at  Norwood   Park 188 

The  Norwegian   Lutheran   Children's   Home,  Chicago 192 

Harmony    Hall     196 

Scandinavian  Young  Men's  Christian  Association  Building,  Chicago....  200 

The  Viking  Ship  at   the.  World's   Fair 232 

Norway's  Building  at  the  World's  Fair 236 

The  Artist's  Model  of  Leif  Erikson 237 

The  Leif  Erikson    Monument  in  Humboldt  Park 239 

The  Johnson   Chair  Company's  first  building 242 

The  Johnson  Chair  Company's  new  buildings 243 

C.  Jevne   &   Company's   building    244 

The  Central  Manufacturing  Company  245 

A.  Petersen  &  Company  246 

Sethness    Company     247 

The  Independent  Cracker  Machine  Company 247 

William  Thoresen's  new  building 248 

State  Bank  of  Chicago    249 

Building  of  Ottawa  Banking  &  Trust  Company 250 


Portraits  in  the  Historical  Part 


Page 

Berg,    Mrs.    Anna     . ,       212 

Christophersen,  Mrs  Christina   212 

Daniels.  Ulrich   325 

Elvig,  Albart  J 226 

Erickson,  Capt.   Christian 218 


16  A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Page 

Flage,   Anders    I.arsen    • 182 

Flage,  Mrs.  Anders  Larsen  182 

Hilleson,    Amund     87 

Hilleson,  Mrs.  Amund    •  • 87 

Jevne,    Christian 222 

Johnson,   Rev.  J.   H 163 

Johnson,    Capt.    William    222 

Kaasa,  Jens  Olsen 216 

Langland,    Knud    220 

Langland,    Mrs.    Knud    220 

Larsen,   Iver 224 

Lee,    Louis    J 226 

Matson,    Canute    R 219 

Michaelson,    Thorstein    183 

Myrland  Rev.  E.  L 170 

Nansen,    Dr.    Fridtiof    229 

Olsen,   Prof.    Edward    171 

Olson,   Col.    Porter    C 46 

Petersen,    Rev.    O.    P 161 

Thorp,    Ole    A 224 

Torgersen,    Rev.   J.    Z .....  221 


OUR  ANCESTORS 


A  Lecture,  by  Kristofer  Janson. 


I  here  speak  of  the  weather-beaten  Vikings  of 
the  North,  the  Scandinavians,  the  Germans,  the 
Anglo-Saxons;  in  short,  the  forefathers  through 
whom  we  are  mutually  related,  whether  born  on 
the  American  prairies  or  in  the  rocky  valleys  of 
Norway.  I  do  not  intend  to  boast  of  olden  times 
compared  with  modern.  I  am  one  of  those  who 
believe  in  the  eternal  progress  of  humanity,  and 
therefore  I  assert  that  man  is  happier,  more  civ- 
ilized, and  in  many  regards  better  now  than  of 
yore.  Nevertheless  I  sometimes  wish  to  revive 
some  of  the  rich  though  violent  natural  powers, 
the  strong  impulses  and  feelings,  the  energetic 
actions  of  that  time  and  of  that  proud  race. 

The  modern  comfortable  life  in  luxury  and 
amidst  all  conveniences  is  more  agreeable,  it  is 
true,  but  sometimes  it  enervates  the  race  and 
makes  the  young  people  lazy  and  sluggish.  And 
still  I  would  not  like  to  exchange  our  cozy  rooms, 
with  carpets  and  rocking  chairs,  stoves  and  crys- 
tal panes,  gas  chandeliers  or  electric  lights,  for 
our  forefathers'  dirty  shanties,  or  for  their  large 
halls  with  the  damp  earthen  floors,  without  win- 
dows, the  fire  burning  in  the  middle  of  the  room 
and  the  smoke  scorching  the  eyes.  Let  us  look 
into  their  life.  They  cook,  eat  and  sleep  in  the 
same  room;  the  warriors  and  laborers  step  in 
with  their  damp  clothes,  throw  them  off,  and 
warm  their  wet  backs  at  the  fire,  so  that  you  are 
nearly  stifled  in  the  close  air.  The  food  is  served 
in  wooden  vessels;  they  grasp  slices  of  meat 
with  their  fingers,  and  cut  it  with  the  knife  which 
always  hangs  at  their  belt.  They  spice  their 
meal  by  telling  how  many  they  have  killed  in 
the  last  slaughter.  In  the  old  Norse  sagas  we 
have  descriptions  of  festivals  at  the  royal  court; 
and  it  looks  pretty  rough  there.  The  guests  eat 
and  drink  terribly.  Intemperance  in  the  pleasures 
of  the  table  and  disgust  at  peaceful  labors  — 
these  were  the  chief  sins  of  our  ancestors.  I 
still  think  that  we  men  from  the  North  eat  too 
much.  In  Italy  I  saw  working  people  toiling  as 


hard  as  might  be  done  under  a  burning  sun,  and 
yet  they  were  satisfied  with  some  bread,  an  onion, 
and  a  glass  of  wine,  while  Scandinavian  sailors 
who  had  not  worked  at  all  stuffed  themselves 
with  pea  soup  and  corned  beef  as  much  as  they 
could.  I  have  seen  Englishmen  eat  roast  beef 
and  drink  porter,  and  I  have  wondered  how  their 
stomachs  were  constructed.  Martin  Luther  says 
of  his  countrymen,  "We  Germans  drink  till  we 
nearly  burst."  And  Misson,  in  his  travels  from 
1700,  says,  "As  you  know,  the  Germans  are  very 
fond  of  liquor;  to  drink  in  Germany  is  to  drink 
always."  An  old  poet,  who  would  tell  what  re- 
markable change  in  customs  took  place  by  the 
introduction  of  Christianity,  says,  "Then  the 
Danes  ceased  drinking."  I  do  not  think  the  old 
poet  was  right;  they  have  not  yet  ceased  — 
neither  have  the  other  Scandinavian  peoples. 

Our  ancestors  felt  a  disgust  at  peaceful  work 
because  it  was  considered  a  shame  to  till  the 
soil,  this  being  a  work  for  thralls  and  women, 
not  for  free  men.  The  only  occupation  becoming 
a  free  warrior  was  to  fight  and  ravage.  And  out 
they  dashed  in  their  boats  made  of  hides,  or  in 
their  war  galleys  with  the  gaping  dragon  head  at 
the  prow;  landed  where  it  rri5ght  happen;  burned, 
murdered,  and  dragged  along  with  them  cattle 
and  people.  The  world  belonged  to  those  who 
could  take  it  with  fist  or  sword.  Such  were  the 
common  ideas  of  that  time.  Yet  it  is  inspiring 
to  read  about  those,  old  vikings,  because  there 
breathes  such  a  defiant  courage,  such  a  vital 
power  from  each  page;  but  their  life  was  often 
horribly  wild.  Sometimes  they  raged  as  tigers 
and  lions  coming  direct  from  the  woods.  We  all 
know  the  prayer  in  the  French  Litania  of  that 
time,  "Lord,  deliver  us  from  the  fury  of  the 
Normans!" 

"Of  all  the  barbarians  these  are  the  strongest 
of  body  and  heart,  the  most  formidable,"  says 
an  old  author  (Zozimos  III.,  147).  Vikings  were 
found  "who  had  never  slept  under  the  smoky 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


rafters  of  a  roof,  nor  ever  drained  the  ale  horn 
by  an  inhabited  hearth."  They  laughed  at  wind 
and  weather,  and  sang,  "The  blast  of  the  tempest 
aids  our  oars;  the  bellowing  of  heaven,  the  howl- 
ing of  the  thunder  hurt  us  not;  the  hurricane  is 
our  servant,  and  drives  us  whither  we  wish  to 
go."  A  saga  about  King  Half  and  his  warriors 
gives  a  lively  picture  of  this  youthful,  swelling 
defiance.  The  young  king  (he  was  only  12  years 
old)  would  not  take  on  board  his  ship  anyone 
who  was  not  able  to  lift  a  certain  big  stone  in 
the  palace  yard.  Strong  men  were  searched  for 
through  the  whole  country,  but  only  twelve  were 
found  who  could  perform  that  feat.  The  king 
himself  gave  laws  for  his  party,  and  among  his 
commandments  were  the  following:  Nobody  was 
allowed  to  carry  a  sword  longer  than  two  feet, 
that  he  might  be  compelled  to  go  close  to  his 
enemy;  nobody  should  groan  with  pain;  nobody 
should  dress  his  wounds  before  the  day  after  the 
battle;  they  should  never  shorten  sail  when  in  a 
storm,  never  seek  harbor  during  a  hurricane,  never 
hurt  women  or  children,  never  attack  peaceful 
merchants.  Once  the  ship  sprung  a  leak,  and 
one  of  the  men  proposed  that  some  of  them 
should  jump  overboard  to  lighten  the  vessel. 
The  king  said  they  might  cast  lots;  but  it 
proved  unnecessary.  The  men  jumped  overboard 
with  a  merry  joke  on  their  lips.  With  such  men 
you  can  conquer.  And  they  conquered.  The 
Scandinavian  vikings  went  like  a  consuming  flame 
through  Scotland,  England,  Ireland,  France  and 
Spain.  They  burned  Bordeaux,  they  besieged 
Sevilla;  the  French  kings  were  at  last  obliged  to 
hire  some  of  them  to  defend  the  kingdom  against 
their  fellow-countrymen. 

The  idea  that  this  wild  warfare  was  the  only 
proper  occupation  for  a  free  man  had  seized  on 
their  minds  to  such  an  extent  that  the  women 
too  shared  it.  When  young  Egil,  son  of  Grim, 
will  take  a  seat  near  the  daughter  of  a  Danish 
earl,  she  repels  him  with  scorn,  saying:  "You 
can  not  sit  here  at  my  side.  Seldom  have  you 
provided  the  wolves  with  hot  meat,  nor  have  you, 
through  the  whole  autumn,  seen  raven  croaking 
over  the  carnage."  But  Egil  seized  her  and 
sang:  "I  have  walked  with  bloody  sword,  and 
the  raven  followed  me.  Furiously  we  fought;  the 
fire  passed  over  the  dwellings  of  men;  we  sent 
to  sleep  those  who  kept  the  gates."  And  then 
she  felt  satisfied.  Such  was  the  conversation  at 
table  at  that  time. 

To  die  on  the  sick-bed  was  considered  a  shame. 
Feeling  dangerously  ill,  a  man  ought  to  dedicate 
himself  to  Odin  by  "writing  blood  runes  on  his 
breast,"  i.  e.,  running  a  sword  through  his  body. 


It  was  impossible  for  them  to  thrive  by  peaceful 
labor.  Having  settled  in  foreign  countries,  they 
looked  around  for  war,  and,  unable  to  find  any, 
they  fought  among  themselves.  Christianity 
could  not  check  their  love  of  strife.  Wild  and 
cruel  deeds  took  place  as  often  after  its  intro- 
duction as  before.  And  through  the  medieval 
ages  the  gloomy  castles  with  their  loopholes  and 
moats  and  drawbridges  bear  witness  that  people 
always  were  compelled  to  live  on  a  war  footing. 
One  evil  followed  in  the  tracks  of  our  ancest- 
ors' contempt  for  peaceful  work  —  slavery.  As 
they  did  not  till  the  soil  themselves,  they  were 
compelled  to  get  others  to  do  so.  Therefore 
they  captured  or  bought  thralls.  In  a  biography 
of  Bishop  Wolstan  we  are  told  that  at  Bristol, 
at  the  time  of  the  conquest,  it  was  the  custom 
to  buy  men  and  women  from  all  parts  of  Eng- 
land, and  to  carry  them  to  Ireland  for  sale  in 
order  to  make  money.  "You  might  have  seen 
with  sorrow,"  says  the  old  author,  "long  lines  of 
young  people  of  both  sexes,  and  of  the  greatest 
beauty,  bound  with  ropes  .and  daily  exposed  for 
sale."  Many  highborn  people  were  in  that  way 
sold  as  slaves,  and  compelled  to  drag  on  their 
existence  in  a  foreign  country  as  the  meanest 
servants.  In  the  old  Norwegian  "Laxd01a  Saga" 
we  are  told  of  an  Irish  princess,  Melkorka,  who 
was  sold  to  an  Icelandic  nobleman,  and  was  made 
his  servant  and  concubine.  Ashamed  of  her  piti- 
ful fate,  she  acted  as  if  dumb,  and  only  by  chance 
was  it  discovered  that  she  was  able  to  talk. 

But  let  us  not  speak  too  loudly  of  the  dis- 
grace of  slavery  among  our  ancestors,  we  who 
have  tolerated  this  infamy  among  ourselves  up 
to  so  late  a  day,  and  made  it  lawful  in  the  name 
of  Christianity!  Let  us  not  do  our  ancestors  an 
injustice!  When  we  shudder  at  thinking  of  the 
red  stream  of  blood  unceasingly  winding  its  way 
through  the  old  sagas  we  ought  to  remember 
that  the  olden  times  were  rough;  that  the  views 
and  nerves  and  manners  of  men  were  different 
from  ours.  What  we  would  call  politeness  and 
gentleman-like  behavior  they  would  have  called 
weakness  and  cowardice;  and  when  we  read 
about  the  more  civilized  nations  of  the  same 
time,  the  Roman?  and  the  Greeks,  for  instance, 
we  find  that  they  were  not  better  at  all;  but 
cruelty  and  moral  corruption  and  vice  were  with 
them  often  hidden  under  a  cover  of  hypocrisy 
and  smoothness.  We  must  always  remember  to 
mete  the  past  with  its  own  measure,  else  we 
shall  do  injustice  toward  it.  Under  the  crude 
crust  of  raw  instincts  and  wild  actions  our  an- 
cestors possessed  many  virtues,  many  noble  dis- 
positions which  it  would  be  a  benefit  to  revive 


OUR  ANCESTORS 


1!) 


Vikings  attacking  the  fortifications  of  Paris. 


20 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


nowadays,  and  which  enabled  them  to  infuse  the 
Roman  world  with  fresh,  healthy  blood  and 
moral  strength. 

OUT  ancestors  were  trustworthy.  Their  en- 
emies said  of  them  that  they  were  reliable.  If 
they  said  "Yes"  they  meant  yes;  if  they  said 
"No"  they  meant  no.  The  moving  forces  of  their 
life  were  an  intense  desire  for  independence  and 
a  faculty  to  give  themselves  entirely  to  the  choice 
of  their  hearts  or  mind.  At  the  time  when  they, 
like  other  nomads,  still  moved  along  with  their 
wives  and  children  and  servants  and  cattle,  they 
settled  for  a  while  near  a  spring  or  a  wood  which 
struck  their  fancy,  and  where  they  felt  most  in- 
dependent. They,  hunted  the  beasts  and  defended 
their  goods  with  the  sword.  Increasing  in  num- 
ber, they  gathered  together  in  small  societies  and 
made  laws.  But  the  character  of  these  laws  is 
thus  described:  "Each  in  his  own  home,  on  his 
land  and  in  his  hut,  is  his  own  master,  upright 
and  free,  in  no  wise  restrained  or  shackled.  If 
the  common  weal  received  anything  from  him, 
it  was  because  he  gave  it.  He  gave  his  vote  in 
arms  in  all  great  conferences,  passed  judgment 
in  the  assembly,  made  alliances  and  wars  on  his 
own  account,  moved  from  place  to  place,  show- 
ing activity  and  daring.  If  he  bends,  it  is  be- 
cause he  is  quite  willing  to  bend;  he  is  no  less 
capable  of  self-denial  than  of  self-independence. 
Self-sacrifice  is  not  uncommon;  a  man  cares  not 
for  his  blood  or  his  life."  In  the  Norse  sagas 
are  preserved  some  speeches  made  by  peasants 
before  their  king,  and  all  of  them  breathe  a 
manly  frankness  and  independent  feeling.  When 
King  Hakon  the  Good  would  force  Christianity 
upon  the  Norwegian  people,  one  of  the  peasants, 
Asbj^rn  from  Medalhus,  answered  him  before 
the  whole  court:  "When  we  peasants  chose  thee 
our  ruler,  King  Hakon,  and  thou  gavest  us  back 
our  old  freedom,  we  believed  that  we  had  em- 
braced heaven;  but  now  we  do  not  know  how  it 
is:  whether  we  have  real  independence  or  thou 
wilt  try  to  make  us  thralls  again;  and  that  in  a 
peculiar  way,  proposing  that  we  shall  reject  that 
creed  which  our  parents  and  all  our  forefathers 
had  before  us.  They  were  much  stouter  than 
we,  and  still  this  creed  was  sufficient  for  them. 
We  have  bestowed  upon  thee  so  great  a  con- 
fidence that  we  have  allowed  thee  to  write  laws 
for  our  country.  Now  it  is  the  will  of  all  us 
peasants  to  keep  the  laws  thou  gave  us,  as  we 
promised;  we  will  all  of  us  follow  thee  and  retain 
thee  as  OUT  king  as  long  as  any  of  us  peasants 
here  present  are  alive,  if  thou,  king,  wilt  use 
some  moderation  and  ask  of  us  but  what  we  can 
fulfill  and  what  is  possible.  But  if  thou  wilst 


carry  this  case  through  with  such  a  vehemence, 
and  use  force  ?nd  violence  against  us,  then  we 
peasants  have  agreed  altogether  to  depart  from 
thee  and  choose  another  ruler,  who  will  assure 
u's  that  we  undisturbed  may  have  what  creed  we 
like.  Now,  king,  thou  shall  choose  either  of 
these  terms  before  the  court  is  through."  That 
is  an  independent  man's  speech.  In  the  time  of 
Olaf  the  Saint  there  was  a  conflict  between  him 
and  the  king  of  Sweden.  The  Norwegian  leaders 
applied  to  the  Swedish  peasantry  for  assistance, 
and  the  chieftain  of  the  peasants,  Thorgny,  spoke 
to  his  king  in  the  the  following  way:  "The  kings 
of  Sweden  think  otherwise  now  than  in  olden 
times.  Thorgny,  my  grandfather,  could  remem- 
ber King  Eirik  Eimundson,  and  told  me  that  he 
every  summer  went  to  war  and  conquered  many 
realms  in  eastern  countries,  but  still  he  was  not 
so  arrogant  that  he  would  not  listen  to  people 
who  had  important  matters  to  lay  before  him. 
Thorgny,  my  father,  was  for  a  long  time  at  King 
Bjfirn's  court  an'd  knew  his  way  of  behaving. 
During  his  reign  they  proved  powerful  and  suf- 
fered no  loss,  and  he  was  a  good  man  to  care 
for  the  wants  of  his  friends.  I  myself  remember 
King  Erik  the  Victorious,  and  followed  him  on 
many  war  expeditions.  He  extended  the  bound- 
aries of  Sweden,  defended  them  with  valor  and 
still  took  advice  of  us.  But  the  king  we  now 
have  will  not  allow  any  man  to  speak  to  him 
about  other  matters  than  those  pleasing  him. 
Such  questions  he  urges  with  all  his  might,  but 
loses  his  colonies  from  want  of  celerity  and  ac- 
tivity. He  desires  to  subdue  Norway,  a  feat  no 
Swedish  king  before  him  aspired  to  accomplish, 
and  all  our  troubles  are  caused  thereby.  Now  it 
is  OUT  will,  the  will  of  the  peasants,  that  thou, 
king,  shall  make  peace  with  Olaf,  the  king  of 
Norway,  and  give  him  thy  daughter,  Ingeborg, 
for  a  wife;  and  if  thou  wishest  to  re-conquer  the 
eastern  provinces  which  your  relatives  and  fore- 
fathers once  possessed,  then  all  of  us  will  help 
thee  thereto.  But  if  thou  wilt  not  agree  to 
what  we  propose,  then  we  will  attack  thee,  and 
kill  thee,  and  nut  bear  any  disturbance  or  unlaw- 
fulness from  thee.  In  a  similar  way  our  fore- 
fathers have  acted  in  times  of  yore.  They  took 
five  kings  and  plunged  them  into  a  well,  because 
they  were  too  insolent,  just  as  thou  art  at  pres- 
ent. Tell  u's  now,  on  the  spot,  which  of  these 
conditions  thou  preferest."  And  the  king  was 
obliged  to  give  way.  It  is  the  descendants  of 
those  peasants  who  now  fill  our  western  prairies 
and  forests.  I  think  that  they  must  carry  with 
them  good  materials  for  independent  republicans. 
What  our  ancestors  could  tolerate  least  of  all 


OUR  ANCESTORS 


21 


was  a  coward  or  a  man  shrinking  from  pain. 
Among  the  laws  of  King  Half  was  one  com- 
mandment that  nobody  should  keep  fellowship 
with  a  man  who  would  groan  with  pain.  There- 
fore we  find  that  parents  always  tried  to  train 
their  children  to  endurance,  and  warriors  die 
singing  and  jesting  at  their  lacerated  bodies.  In 
the  Saga  of  the  V01sung  family  (the  German 
Nibelungen-Lied)  it  is  narrated  that  Signe 
sewed  the  shirts  of  the  male  children  to  their 
bodies  and  then  tore  them  off,  bringing  the  skin 
also,  in  order  to  harden  them.  It  is  told  of  the 
bard  Tormod  that,  after  the  battle  of  Sticklastad, 
he  went  into  a  hut  where  the  wounded  had  been 


pair  of  nippers,  but  could  not,  the  body  was  so 
swollen  round  the  wound.  "You  take  the  knife 
and  cut  and  sive  me  the  pincers,"  Tormod  said. 
She  did  so,  and  Tormod  pulled  out  the  iron. 
There  were  barbs  on  the  arrow,  so  that  red  and 
white  shreds  of  flesh  hung  upon  it.  Tormod 
smiled.  "The  king  has  given  us  plenty  of  food," 
he  said;  "we  are  fat  round  the  heart,"  and  with 
these  words  he  dropped  down  dead. 

The  old  warrior  Starkad  lies  on  a  stone,  quite 
cut  to  pieces,  with  bowels  protruding  from  his 
wounds,  but  still  he  will  not  receive  help,  and 
scolds  every  passer-by  who  is  not  a  free  man  and 
can  use  weapons. 


Vikings  landing  in  Southern  Europe. 


carried,  with  an  arrow  through  his  body.  "Please 
walk  out  and  bring  an  armful  of  wood,"  said  the 
female  surgeon  who  attended  the  injured,  and 
who  had  not  observed  how  pale  he  was.  Tor- 
mod  went  out  and  came  again,  throwing  the 
wood  in  the  corner.  Then  she  looked  at  him. 
"You  are  pale,"  she  said.  "Well,"  Tormod  an- 
swered, "I  do  not  think  that  wounds  make  rosy 
cheeks."  The  woman  wished  to  give  him  some 
porridge  made  of  onions,  that  she  might  smell 
whether  the  wound  had  reached  the  hollow  of 
the  chest  or  not,  but  Tormod  answered,  "No, 
thank  you;  I  suffer  not  from  porridge  disease!" 
The  woman  then  tried  to  reach  the  iron  with  a 


In  the  old  country  I  once  spoke  with  a  physi- 
cian about  these  stories,  and  expressed  the  opin- 
ion that  such  horrible  accounts  were  exagger- 
ated. "No,"  he  said,  "I  do  not  think  so,  because 
I  have  met  similar  things  in  my  own  practice. 
There  was  a  farmer  here  who  went  to  the  forest 
to  chop  wood.  He  slipped  on  the  moss,  fell 
against  the  edge  of  his  ax,  and  cut  a  hole  in  his 
belly  so  that  his  bowels  protruded.  He  was 
many  miles  from  help,  and  alone.  He  then  crept, 
dragging  his  bowels  after  him,  to  a  hut  built  for 
woodchoppers,  and  lay  down  on  the  bench,  pati- 
ently waiting  for  somebody  to  come.  For  two 
days  and  nights  he  lay  in  that  condition.  Then 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


two  other  wooclchoppers  happened  to  come,  and 
they  immediately  sent  for  me.  I  was  obliged  to 
clean  his  wound  and  open  it  again  with  a  knife, 
and  press  the  bowels  through-  the  hole;  but  he 
did  not  utter  a  groan  of  pain.  A  month  later  I 
met  him.  He  was  all  right  and  worked  with  the 
others  in  the  field.  Such  people  are  physically 
so  strong  and  hardy  that  they  do  not  seem  to 
have  any  nerves  " 

Perhaps  those  nerves  of  steel  and  that  bodily 
strength  are  indicative  of  undeveloped  brains,  a 
sign  of  a  lower  level  nearer  to  the  animals.  Be 
that  is  it  may,  I  would  nevertheless  wish  that 
our  young  people  had  more  of  that  soundness  of 
body  which  is  the  distinguishing  mark  of  our 
Northern  race.  With  that  body  of  iron  our  an- 
cestors had  strong  and  tender  feelings.  They 
were  ardent  and  faithful  in  their  love,  as  in  their 
friendship.  There  was  none  of  the  old  nations 
that  had  such  respect  for  woman  as  the  Teutonic 
race.  She  associated  freely  with  men  at  festivals 
and  on  the  playground.  She  uttered  her  opinion, 
and  trie  men  listened  to  her.  The  woma"n  was 
among  them  a  person,  not  a  thing.  The  law  de- 
manded her  consent  to  marriage,  surrounded  her 
with  guarantees,  and  accorded  her  protection. 
Among  the  Anglo-Saxons,  at  least,  she  might  in- 
herit and  own  property,  and  bequeath  it  to  whom- 
soever she  would.  She  was  allowed  to  appear 
in  courts  of  justice,  and  to  carry  on  a  lawsuit. 
In  the  Icelandic  sagas  it  is  very  often  the  women 
who,  with  their  cold  counsels,  stir  up  their  hus- 
bands to  atrocities  and  revenge. 

Marriage  was  pure  among  our  ancestors. 
"Amongst  the  Saxons  adultery  was  punished  by 
death;  the  adulteress  was  obliged  to  hang  her- 
self, or  was  stabbed  by  the  knives  of  her  com- 
panions. The  wives  of  the  Cimbrians,  when  they 
could  not  obtain  from  Marius  assurance  of  their 
chastity,  slew  themselves  with  their  own  hands. 
The  men  thought  there  was  something  sacred  in 
a  woman.  They  married  but  one  and  kept  faith 
with  her."  When  we  read  of  King  Harald,  the 
Fairnair,  that  he  married  nine  or  ten  women,  one 
for  almost  every  province  he  conquered,  it  must 
be  considered  an  exception,  done  mostly  for 
political  reasons.  And  besides,  kings  are  never 
to  be  taken  as  a  pattern  in  this  matter.  Tacitus 
writes  about  marriage  among  the  Germans:  "The 
wife,  on  entering  her  husband's  home  is  aware 
that  she  gives  herself  altogether;  that  she  will 
have  but  one  body,  one  life  with  him;  that  she 
will  have  no  thought,  no  desire  beyond;  that  she 
will  be  the  companion  of  his  perils  and  labors; 
that  she  will  suffer  and  dare  as  much  as  he  both 
in  peace  and  war."  The  Anglo-Saxon  King  Al- 


fred portrays  a  mistress  of  the  house  in  the  fol- 
lowing way:  "Thy  wife  now  lives  for  thee  — 
for  thee  alon?.  She  has  enough  of  all  kinds  of 
wealth  for  this  present  life,  but  she  scorns  all 
for  thy  sake  alone.  She  has  forsaken  them  all 
because  she  had  not  thee  with  them.  Thy  ab- 
sence makes,  her  think  that  all  she  possesses  is 
naught.  Thus,  for  love  of  thee,  she  is  wasted 
away  and  lies  near  death  for  tears  and  grief." 

Reading  such  words  as  these,  we  can  under- 
stand the  saga  of  Hjalmar  and  Ingeborg,  of 
Sigrun  and  Helge.  Ingeborg  sits  waiting  for  her 
lover  Hjalmar  to  return  from  the  fight  with  An- 
gantyr  and  his  brothers.  She  hears  footsteps  out 
on  the  porch;  she  pulls  the  door  open  —  it  is 
his  comrade  coming  alone.  He  shows  Hjalmar's 
ring.  Then  she  understands  all,  and  drops  dead 
on  the  floor.  Or  Queen  Sigrun,  who  has  been 
married  to  the  most  glorious  of  all  kings,  Helge; 
he  is  murdered  by  his  own  brother.  She  becomes 
paralyzed  from  sorrow;  she  curses  her  brother, 
and  sits  like  a  marble  statue  in  her  palace.  Then 
one  day  her  maid  servant  comes  running  to  her, 
telling  her  that  she  has  seen  the  dead  king,  and 
that  he  waits  he;  in  his  barrow.  Sigrun  springs 
to  her  feet,  and  hurries  to  the  tomb,  where  the 
dead  husband  sits.  She  flings  her  arms  round 
his  neck  and  says:  "I  will  kiss  you,  dead  king, 
before  you1  throw  off  your  bloody  cuirass.  Your 
hair,  Helge,  is  covered  with  wine;  my  king  is 
sprinkled  all  over  with  the  dew  of  battle;  the 
hands  of  the  bold  warrior  are  cold;  how  shall  I 
repair  your  injury?"  Then  he  answers:  "You  are 
the  cause,  Sigrun  from  Seva  Mountain,  that  Hel- 
ge is  sprinkled  with  the  dew  of  grief;  when  you, 
golden-robed,  sunfair  maiden  from  the  south, 
shed  cruel  tears  before  you  go  to  bed,  every 
tear  drips  like  blood  on  my  breast,  cold  as  ice, 
heavy  with  sorrow.  But  now  nobody  shall  sing 
mourning  songs  if  he  sees  bloody  wounds  on  my 
breast,  now  women  have  come  into  the  barrow, 
daughters  of  kings  to  us  dead  men."  And  Sig- 
run leaned  her  head  upon  his  breast  and  said, 
"Now  I  will  sleep  in  your  arms  as  I  did  when 
you  were  alive."  And  she  remained  in  the  bar- 
row until  dawn.  Then  she  saw  the  king  mount 
his  shadowy  horse  and  vanish  away  in  the  sky. 
The  following  night  she  started  for  the  barrow 
and  gazed,  and  waited;  but  he  did  not  come. 
The  next  night  she  went  there  again,  and  looked 
and  looked  to  see  whether  the  pale  horses  would 
appear,  but  no  one  came.  Every  night  she 
walked  to  the  mound,  waited,  and  gazed,  but  he 
did  not  come.  One  morning  she  did  not  return 
—  she  sat  on  the  barrow  dead.  Her  heart  was 
burst  with  grief. 


OUR  ANCESTORS 


M 
I 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


We  find  the  same  violent  passion  when  they 
love  as  when  they  fight.  The  love  is  so  strong 
that  it  kills.  We  find  similar  traits  in  many  of 
the  old  sagas  —  for  instance,  in  the  story  of  Hag- 
barth  and  Signe;  of  Bendik  and  Aarolilja;  of  Tyra, 
the  queen  of  Olaf  Tryggvason,  who  mourned 
herself  to  death  after  the  battle  of  Svolder,  where 
her  hero  and  husband  fell.  The  remark  of  Taine 
is  true:  "Nothing  here  like  the  love  we  find  in 
the  primitive  poetry  of  France,  Provence,  Spain 
and  Greece.  There  is  an  absence  of  gayety,  of 
delight;  outside  of  marriage  it  is  only  a  ferocious 
appetite,  an  outbreak  of  the  instinct  of  the  beast. 
It  appears  nowhere  with  its  charm  and  its  smile; 
there  is  no  love  song  in  this  ancient  poetry.  The 
reason  is  that  with  them  love  is  not  an  amuse- 
ment and  a  pleasure,  but  a  promise  and  a  devo- 
tion. All  is  grave,  even  somber,  in  civil  rela- 
tions as  well  as  in  conjugal  society.  The  deep 
power  of  love  and  the  grand  power  .of  will  are 
the  only  ones  that  sway  and  act."  If  you  read 
the  saga  of  Gisle  Surson  you  will  find  a  picture 
of  a  woman  who  can  both  love  and  will.  She 
is  the  wife  of  the  hero;  Aud  is  her  name.  Her 
boundless  confidence  in  her  husband  is  beauti- 
fully shown  in  her  simple  words,  "I  go  to  Gisle 
with  everything  that  is  too  heavy  for  me  to  bear 
alone."  As  her  hu'sband  is  sentenced  as  an  out- 
law, she  flees  from  all  people  and  settles  down 
on  a  barren  shore  of  a  rocky  fiord,  in  order  to 
assist  him.  Only  once  in  a  while  can  he  visit 
her,  and  then  she  must  hide  him  in  a  subter- 
ranean dwelling.  In  that  way  she  lives  year 
after  year.  Once  his  persecutors  seek  to  bribe 
her  to  betray  her  husband.  She  acts  as  if  will- 
ing, and  lifts  the  bag,  heavy  with  silver  coins; 
but  suddenly  she  plants  it  straight  in  the  face 
of  the  man,  so  that  the  blood  streams  from  his 
nostrils,  and  asks  him  whether  he  believes  that 
Icelandic  women  will  betray  their  husbands.  And 
at  last,  when  they  have  found  the  homeless  fugi- 
tive and  he  fights  his  last  combat,  then  Aud 
stands  at  his  side  upon  the  mountain  top,  and, 
wanting  a  sword,  defends  him  with  a  stick. 

This  power  to  give  one's  self  entirely  up  to 
another  person  appears  not  only  in  the  relations 
between  man  and  woman;  it  seems  to  be  still 
stronger  and  more  frequent  between  man  and 
man.  There  is  ho  race  that  has  been  stronger 
in  friendship  than  the  Teutonic.  It  was  a  com- 
mon custom  for  friends  to  mix  their  blood  to- 
gether to  signify  that  the  same  fate  should  strike 
them  both,  and  when  one  died  the  other  should 
follow  him  in  death.  We  are  told  in  Vatsd01a 
saga  that  the  old  Icelandic  chief  Ingemi.'nd  had 
entered  into  friendship  with  a  man  called  Sae- 


mund.     To  this   Saemund  came  a  relative  named 
Rolleif;  but  he  behaved  so  badly  that  it  was  im- 
possible   for    Sremund   to    endure    it.      Then    Sae- 
mund went  to  his  friend  Ingemund,  and  told  him 
how  it  was,  and  begged  him  to  take  Rolleif,  "be- 
cause you  succeed  with  all  people  you  take  care 
of."      Ingemund   answered   that    he    did   not   like 
to   do   it,  because   his  sons  were   grown   up   and 
u'nruly,   "but  if  you  still   desire   it   I   will   try,   as 
you  are  my  friend."     So   he  tried;  but   his  fore- 
boding  proved   true;   there    was   a    daily   quarrel 
and   fight  between   his  sons   and  the  rascal  Rol- 
leif, and  he  used  all  occasions  to  tease  them  and 
do  them  harm.     Ingemund  built  a  house  for  Rol- 
leif and  his  mother  far  off;  but  it  was  the  same. 
There     was    a    river     belonging     to     Ingemund's 
property,  very  rich  in  salmon.     He   had  allowed 
Rolleif  to  fish  there  at  times,  when  his  own  sons 
did  not  use  their  nets;  but  Rolleif  did  not  care 
for    this    permission,     but     fished     whenever     he 
pleased.     Once   Ingemund  sent  out   his   servants 
to  spread  their  nets;  but  Rolleif  was  at  the  river 
and    hindered   them.     They   quarrelled   with   him 
about  it,  and  at  last  he  called  them  thralls  and 
rascals,  and  threw  stones  at  them,  striking   one 
of  them   senseless.     The   servants   came   running 
home  as  Ingemund  sat  at  table.     He  asked  why 
they  hurried  so.     They  told  him  how  Rolleif  had 
treated   them.     Then   Jakul,    the    second    son    of 
Ingemund,  exclaimed,  "It  seems  as  if  Rolleif  were 
the  chieftain  here  in  the  valley,  and  will  ill  treat 
us   as   he  does   all   others,  but    never    shall   that 
scoundrel  bring  us   under   the   yoke."     Torstein, 
the  oldest  son  of  Ingemuwd,  said,  "I  think  it  is 
going   too   far   now,   but    still    it   is   best   to   act 
quietly."     The  father  advised  them  to  do  so,  but 
Jakul  jumped  to  his  feet  and  said,  "I  would  like 
to   try  whether  or  not   I   am  able   to   drive    him 
from  the  coast."     Ingemund  said,  "Son  Torstein, 
please   follow   your  brother.     I    have   most   con- 
fidence  in   you."     Torstein   answered,   "I   do   not 
know  as  I  can  keep  Jakul  back,  and   I   will  not 
promise  to  stand  still  if  he  fights  with  Rolleif." 
Coming   to    the    river,   the   brothers   saw    Rolleif 
fishing  there  on  the  opposite  shore.     Jakul  cried 
at  a  distance,  "Begone,  rascal!  else  we  shall  play 
with  you  in  a  way    you   do    not    like."     Rolleif 
laughed,  "If  there  were  three  or  four  such  spar- 
rows as  you,  I  would  continue  my  work  in  spite 
of  your  piping."     "You  rely  upon  the  windcraft 
of   your   mother/'    cried   Jakul,   and"  jumped    out 
into  the  river,  but  the  water  was  too  deep  there; 
he  could  not  wade  across.     "Do  your  duty,"  said 
Torstein,  "and  let  there  not  be  any  quarrel  be- 
tween  us."     But   Jakul   cried,   "Let   us   kill    that 
wretch!"       Now     Rolleif     commenced    to    throw 


OUR  ANCESTORS 


25 


stones  at  them,  and  the  brothers  responded  in 
the  same  way.  Jakul  tried  another  ford  farther 
up.  Ingemund  sat  quietly  at  home,  when  a  man 
came  running,  telling  him  that  his  sons  and  Rol- 
leif  were  stoninsr  each  other.  Ingemii'nd  said, 
"Make  ready  my  horse;  I  will  ride  to  them."  He 
was  then  very  old  and  nearly  blind.  He  had 
cast  a  blue  cloak  over  his  dress.  One  of  his 
servants  led  the  horse.  When  Torstein  dis- 
covered him  he  said,  "There  comes  father!  let  us 
retire;  I  am  anxious  for  him  here."  Insremund 
rode  down  to  the  shore  and  cried,  "Rolleif,  go 
away  from  the  river  and  think  upon  your  duty." 
But  at  the  same  moment  Rolleif  got  a  glimpse 
of  Ingemund  he  flung  his  lance  at  him  and  hit 
him  in  the  middle  of  the  waist.  When  Ingemund 
felt  he  was  stabbed,  he  turned  his  horse  and 


light  any  candle  before  his  sons  came  home. 
The  servant  hurried  back  to  Rolleif,  and  said  to 
him:  "You  are  the  meanest  wretch  in  the  world. 
Now  you  have  killed  old  man  Ingemu'nd,  the 
best  man  in  Iceland.  He  begged  me  to  tell  you 
that  you  ought  to  leave  to-morrow,  because  his 
sons  doubtless  will  seek  your  life.  Now  I  have 
advised  you;  but  telling  the  truth,  I  should 
rather  have  seen  your  head  u'nder  the  ax  of  the 
brothers."  Rolleif  answered,  "If  you  had  not 
brought  those  tidings,  you  would  never  have 
gone  hence  alive."  When  the  brothers  entered 
the  hall  it  was  dark.  Torstein  groped  his  way 
forward,  but  suddenly  he  recoiled,  "Here  is 
something  wet!"  he  said.  The  mother  answered, 
"It  has  dripped  from  the  cloak  of  Ingemund;  I 
presume  it  rains."  Torstein  cried,  "No;  it  is  slij>- 


Viking  dragons  approaching  the  coast  of  Italy. 


said  to  his  servant,  "Lead  me  home!"  Arrived 
home,  it  was  late  in  the  evening.  Dismounting 
his  horse,  he  said,  "I  am  stiff  now;  that  is  the 
way  with  us  old  folk;  we  get  tottering  feet." 
The  servant  supported  him,  and  then  he  heard  a 
peculiar  sound,  and  he  discovered  the  lance 
through  his  master's  body.  Ingemund  saith, 
"You  have  been  a  faithful  servant;  now  do  as 
I  want.  Go  immediately  to  Rolleif,  and  tell  him 
to  leave  before  dawn,  because  to-morrow  my 
sons  will  demand  the  blood  of  their  father  on 
his  hands.  It  is  no  revenge  for  me  that  he  shall 
be  killed,  and  it  is  my  duty  to  protect  the  man 
I  have  taken  into  my  house  as  long  as  I  can." 
With  these  words  he  broke  off  the  spear  shaft, 
and  leaning  on  his  servant  he  went  in  and  sat 
himself  in  the  high  seat.  He  forbade  them  to 


pery  like  blood.  Light  the  candles!"  They  did 
so.  There  sat  Ingemund  in  his  high  seat,  dead. 
The  lance  still  pierced  his  body.  Jakul  was  first 
to  break  the  silence:  "It  is  dreadful  to  know  that 
su'ch  a  man  as  father  is  killed  by  that  rascal;  let 
us  go  and  stab  him."  But  Torstein  answered, 
"You  do  not  know  our  father,  if  you  have  any 
doubt  that  he  has  warned  the  wretch.  Where 
is  the  servant  who  followed  father?"  They  said 
he  was  not  at  home.  "Then  neither  is  Rolleif  at 
home,"  answered  Torstein;  "but  that  must  be  our 
comfort,  that  there  was  a  great  difference  be- 
tween our  father  and  Rolleif,  and  that  will  be  to 
his  benefit  before  Him  who  has  created  the  sun 
and  the  whole  world,  whosoever  it  is."  But 
Jakul  was  so  furious  that  they  cou'ld  scarcely  re- 
strain him.  Ingemund  was  laid  in  his  own  boat, 


26 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF   ILLINOIS 


Emperor  Charlemagne  observing  the  Vikings,  the  only  warriors  he  ever  feared. 


OUR  ANCESTORS 


and  there  was  made  a  mound  over  him.  But 
when  the  sad  tidings  came  to  Ingemund's  friend, 
Eyvind,  he  said  to  his  fosterson:  "Go  and  tell  my 
friend  Gant  what  I  am  doing;"  and  at  the  same 
moment  he  drew  his  sword,  threw  himself  on  the 
point,  and  died.  When  Gant  heard  of  this  he 
said,  "When  such  a  man  leaves  us  it  is  best  to 
keep  his  company,"  and  with  these  words  he 
stabbed  himself  with  his  sword. 

The  same  dovotedness  to  friends  our  ancestor 
showed  also  toward  his  chief.  "Having  chosen 
his  chief,  he  forgets  himself  in  him,  assigns  to 
him  his  own  glory,  serves  him  to  the  death." 


honest  men.  I  will  sink  down  at  the  head  of  my 
lord;  thou,  Hjalte,  lie  down  at  his  feet.  It  is 
nothing  that  ravens  and  eagles  will  peck  our 
corpses,  when  we  fall  as  bold  and  valiant  war- 
riors on  the  battle  field  beside  our  king."  To  fol- 
low their  chosen  chieftain  and  die  for  his  sake 
was  the  most  glorious  life  they  knew.  This  view 
of  life  saturates  their  whole  religion.  God  Odin 
would  not  receive  in  his  abode  of  Valhalla  other 
than  those  who  had  sunk  down  with  wounds  on 
their  breast,  and  beyond  the  grave  they  live  the 
same  wild  life  again.  They  were  to  meet  with 
their  friends  and  chiefs,  and  fight  at  their  side, 


Northern  Vikings  approaching  a  Southern  fortress. 


Tacitus  says,  "He  is  infamous  as  long  as  he  lives 
who  returns  from  the  field  of  battle  without  his 
chief."  It  was  on  this  voluntary  sirbordination 
that  feudal  society  was  based.  Man  in  this  race 
can  accept  a  superior;  can  be  capable  of  devo- 
tion and  respect.  "Old  as  I  am,"  says  one  of 
their  old  poets,  "I  will  not  budge  hence.  I  mean 
to  die  by  my  lord's  side,  near  this  man  I  have 
loved."  In  the  saga  of  Rolf  Krake,  as  it  is  told 
by  the  Danish  historian  Saxo  Grammaticus,  Bod- 
var  Bjarke,  the  Norwegian  warrior  of  the  king, 
says  to  his  Danish  champion  Hjalte,  when  they 
fight  their  last  fight:  "Let  us,  while  the  blood 
still  runs  warm  through  our  veins,  try  to  die  like 


just  as  here  on  earth.  The  Greek  heathen  put 
all  weight  upon  this  life,  and  urged  the  enjoy- 
ment and  happiness  of  earth.  But  the  Scandi- 
navian heathen  raised  the  life  of  man  from  the 
dead,  and  let  it  grow  still  stronger  and  greater 
on  the  other  side  of  the  tomb.  To  him  death 
was  only  the  entrance  gate  to  a  more  glorious 
life  than  the  present,  and,  therefore,  they  could 
die  singing;  could  laugh  at  their  wounds;  mingle 
in  the  bloodiest  fight  with  cold  contempt  of  in- 
juries and  death.  Their  harshest  enemies,  the 
Romans,  stood  in  wondering  reverence  before 
that  peculiar  trait  of  character,  and  the  Latin 
poet  Lucan  sings  of  these  barbarians:  "Where 


\ 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


we  see  only  pale  shadows  through  the  foggy  sky, 
there  the  spirit  builds  before  your  eyes  a  new 
hall.  If  we  may  reckon  after  your  songs,  death 
only  divides  the  stream  of  life,  which  in  the  next 
world  swells  with  new  powers  through  every 
limb.  Question  the  people  that  live  in  the  North; 
are  they  in  error  in  regard  to  this  matter?  They 
have  got  rid  of  the  worst  fear  on  earth,  the  fear 
of  death.  They  have  heroic  courage;  they  are 
the  conquerors  of  death;  they  deem  it  paltry  to 
chaffer  about  a  life  they  shall  regain."  And  this 
idea  of  the  warrior's  life  under  the  standard  of 
a  glorious  chieftain  as  the  most  desirable  life  of 
man  was  not  extinguished  by  Christianity. 
Rather  obtained  nobler  aims  and  stronger  vital- 
ity. Jesus  Christ  was  made  the  most  powerful 
chieftain  that  ever  lived  —  greater  than  both 
Odin  and  Thor,  but  carrying  on  the  same  fight 
as  they,  the  fight  against  the  evil  spirits,  the 
Jotuns,  Satan  and  his  angels.  He  broke  down 
the  walls  of  death  and  hell,  and  rose  as  the  glori- 
ous victor  on  the  third  day,  and  his  faithful  fol- 
lowers we  shall  be,  suffering  and  fighting  under 
his  banner,  dying  with  him  in  order  to  be  raised 
with  him.  It  was  the  same  train  of  ideas  as  in 
the  heathen  days,,  only  changed  to  a  Christian 
foundation,  with  Christian  names.  That  our  an- 
cestors preferred  to  look  at  Jesus  Christ  as  the 
valiant  hero  we  may  see  from  the  poems  of 
Caedmon,  the  oldest  religious  poems  we  have  in 
any  northern  tongue.  Caedmon  lived  in  North- 
umberland, in  the  last  part  of  the  seventh  cen- 
tury. When  he  sings  about  the  death  of  Christ 
on  the  cross,  it  is  not  the  suffering  Christ,  drag- 
ged about  the  streets  of  Jerusalem  to  Golgatha, 
powerless,  bleeding,  nearly  sinking.  No;  it  is 
Christ  as  a  young  and  vigorous  hero,  who  volun- 
tarily ascends  in  order  to  liberate  us.  He  sings 
thus;  it  is  the  holy  cross  itself  which  is  speaking: 
"The  young  hero,  God  Almighty,  bold  and  val- 
iant, girded  himself  and  ascended  the  high  gal- 
lows courageously  before  many  eyes,  because  he 
would  unbind  the  chains  of  the  world."  And  un- 
der the  same  aspect  of  vikings  who  are  on  the 
warpath  they  looked  upon  the  apostles.  In  an 
old  poem  of  Andreas  the  apostles  are  described 
in  the  following  manner:  "Once  in  olden  times 
there  lived  twelve  glorious  champions,  the  thanes 
of  the  Lord.  When  they  struck  their  helmets 
they  never  grew  tired.  They  were  famous  men, 
bold  chieftains,  courageous  in  warfare  -when  hand 
and  shield  fought  for  the  lord  on  the  battle  field." 
Nicodemus  and  Joseph  of  Arimathea  are  called 
"the  heroes  of  Hild;"  that  is,  the  goddess  of  bat- 
tle. Abraham  and  Lot  roam  about  as  vikings, 
taking  land  where  the  country  seems  to  be  most 


pleasant;  Moses  is  "the  famous  chieftain"  who 
leads  out  the  Hebrew  warriors;  their  ramblings, 
their  encounter  with  Pharao  are  described  as  one 
of  their  heathen  bards  would  describe  a  war  ex- 
pedition of  the  old  vikings.  Thus  Caedmon 
writes:  "They  encamped  and  the  tired  warriors 
threw  themselves  into  the  grass.  The  helpers  in 
the  kitchen  brought  them  food,  and  the  men  re- 
covered their  strength.  They  pitched  their  tents 
on  the  hill-slopes,  while  the  war-bugles  sounded; 
it  was  the  fourth  camp.  Round  the  Red  Sea 
rested  the  shieldbearers."  Then  Pharao  comes 
persecuting  them.  "Look  how  it  shines,  yonder 
by  the  forest!  Banners  wave,  people  march,  the 
spears  are  sharpened,  the  shields  twinkle,  war  is 
over  our  heads,  trumpets  sound.  The  coarse 
voracious  birds  of  battle,  the  black  ravens,  have 
chosen  their  field  and  cry  for  corpses;  wolves 
howl  their  ugly  evening  song;  they  expect  battle- 
food.  The  breath  of  death  blew  wildly  over  the 
people,  and  they  were  stopped."  So  the  old  poet 
describes  how  the  Egyptians  perish:  "The  folk 
were  affrighted;  the  dread  of  the  flood  seized  on 
their  sad  souls;  with  a  roaring  came  the  ocean; 
it  bellowed  death,  it  foamed  gore,  and  the  water 
spouted  blood  on  the  mountain  sides.  The  waves 
filled  with  weapons,  with  screams,  all  wrapped 
in  fogs  of  death  —  the  Egyptians  rushed  round, 
fled  trembling  from  fear  and  anguish;  but  against 
them,  like  a  cloud,  rose  the  fell  rollings  of  the 
waves;  nobody  was  saved;  from  behind  fate 
closed  the  gates  with  the  billows;  where  roads 
once  lay,  sea  raged.  The  air  was  mixed  with 
smell  of  corpses;  the  breakers  burst  and  rolled 
and  killed  in  their  embrace.  No  one  was  spared; 
not  a  single  one  of  the  numberless  thanes  re- 
turned with  the  sad  tidings  to  the  castle  to  tell 
their  wives  about  the  fall  of  their  chiefs." 

This  description  reminds  us  of  the  wild  war 
songs  which  the  Scandinavian  vikings  sang  three 
hundred  years  later,  when  they  ravaged  the 
coasts  of  Ireland  and  England: 

"Come  and  weave,  come  and  weave 

The  texture  of  battle; 
Of  entrails  of  man 

Is  taken  the  warp, 
With  the  skulls  of  man 

It  is  strongly  stretched  out. 
Bloody  spears 

Shall  become  the  shuttles, 
The  beams  are  steel, 

The  reeds  are  arrows; 
Make  thus  with  the  sword 

The  web  of  victory  tight." 

Now   we   may   understand    why   Bishop   Ulfila, 


OUR  ANCESTORS 


29 


the  first  translator  of  the  Bible  into  the  Gothic 
language,  did  not  dare  to  include  the  Books  of 
the  Kings,  because  he  feared  that  his  countrymen 
would  become  too  excited  and  too  eager  for 
war.  Now  we  may  understand  why  the  beauti- 
ful and  characteristic  story  of  Saint  Kristofer  has 
grown  among  his  race  —  the  giant  who,  strong 
himself,  would  serve  the  strongest,  and  first  ap- 
plied to  the  emperor,  but,  discovering  that  he 
feared  the  devil,  went  to  him,  and,  seeing  that  the 
devil  was  scared  by  the  cross,  went  to  the  master 
of  the  cross  and  served  him  humbly  and  patient- 


lage?  I  may  be  a  god  like  him.  Stand  by  me, 
strong  companions,  who  will  not  fail  me  in  the 
strife.  Heroes,  stern  of  mood,  they  have  chosen 
me  for  chief;  renowned  warriors!  With  su'ch  may 
one  devise  counsel,  with  such  capture  his  ad- 
herents; they  are  my  zealous  friends,  faithful  in 
their  thoughts.  I  may  be  their  chieftain,  sway 
in  this  realm;  thus  to  me  it  seemeth  not  right, 
that  I  in  aught  need  cringe  to  God  for  any  good; 
I  will  no  longer  be  his  vassal.  He  is  overcome, 
but  not  subdued.  He  does  not  repent.  He  is 
cast  into  the  place  "where  torment  they  suffer, 


Old  Viking  Castle. 


ly  till  his  death.  It  is  the  faithfulness  to  the 
chosen  chieftain  which  emerges  in  this  legend 
too;  and  they  take  with  them  into  Christianity 
all  the  heathen  terms  and  names,  so  that  they 
dare  call  Christ  the  "Frey  of  the  World,"  the 
"Loving  Balder"  and  the  "King  of  Victory." 

This  swelling  defiance  and  power,  this  endless 
desire  for  becoming  independent  and  rulers, 
which  is  characteristic  of  our  ancestors,  has  its 
strongest  poetic  expression  in  the  picture  of  Sa- 
tan, Csedmon's  masterpiece.  He  puts  the  follow- 
ing words  into  the  mouth  of  Satan:  "Why  shall 
I  for  his  favor  serve,  bend  to  him  in  such  vasal- 


burning  heat  in  the  midst  of  hell,  fire,  and  broad 
flames."  At  first  he  is  astonished;  he  despairs, 
but  it  is  a  hero's  despair.  Proud  he  looks 
around:  "Is  this  the  place  where  my  Lord  im- 
prisons me?  It  is  most  unlike  that  war  that  we 
ere  knew,  high  in  heaven's  kingdom,  which  my 
master  bestowed  on  me.  Oh,  had  I  power  of  my 
hands  and  might  one  season  be  without  —  be  one 

winter's  space  —  then  with  this  host  I! But 

around  me  lie  iron  bands;  presseth  this  cord  of 
chain.  I  am  powerless!  Me  have  so  hard  the 
clamps  of  hell  so  firmly  grasped." 

In  a  poem,  "Christ  and  Satan,"  he  depicts  Sa- 


30 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


tan  in  hell,  lamenting,  "Never  with  my  hands  I 
heaven  reach,  never  with  my  eyes  I  upward  see, 
never  with  my  ears  I  hear  the  sweet  tunes  from 
the  trumpets  of  the  angels,  never  in  all  eternity — 
never!  never!''  "As  there  is  nothing  to  be  done 
against  God,  it  is  his  new  cre'ature  man  he  must 
attack.  Vengeance  is  the  only  thing  left  him, 


This  strong,  refreshing  and  encouraging  view 
of  Christianity —  that  Jesus  Christ,  the  chieftain 
of  the  church  is  a  hero  who  has  burst  open  the 
road  to  heaven,  who  has  liberated  us  out  of  our 
chains  and  leads  us  under  his  victorious  stand- 
ard—  maintained  its  position  until  the  church  of 
the  pope  came  with  its  Latin  and  destroyed  the 


Russians  (Slavs)  paying  hommage  to  Rurik,  the  founder  of  the  Russian  empire. 


and  if  the  conquered  can  enjoy  this,  he  will  find 
himself  happy;  he  will  sleep  softly  even  under 
his  chains." 

Beside  this  old  poet  Milton  grows  pale.  But 
they  are  related  to  each  other,  and  they  have 
had  their  originals  from  the  same  race  —  Csed- 
mon  in  the  wild  obstinate  vikings  of  the  North, 
Milton  in  the  sturdy  Puritans. 


national  song  and  whipped  the  people  with  its 
dogmatic  rods.  Today  we  have  not  yet  shaken 
off  this  yoke;  orthodoxy  has  taught  the  descend- 
ants of  that  proud  race  to 'walk  along  sighing 
and  looking  at  the  dust,  dragging  along  with 
them  their  inherited  guilt.  It  has  taught  them  to 
look  at  Christ  as  bleeding,  suffering  and  dying, 
hanging  there  on  his  cross,  but  not  so  much  as 


OUR  ANCESTORS 


31 


the  risen,  victorious,  leading,  progressive  human- 
ity, moving  forward  round  the  whole  earth,  loos- 
ening the  chains  and  doing  good.  The  old, 
healthy  view  of  Christianity  is  an  inheritance 
from  our  ancestors,  and  we  have  not  yet  taken 
possession  of  it. 

What  a  singular  people  those  old  ancestors 
were!  What  a  natural  power!  What  an  imagi- 
nation! Wrhat  desire  for  adventures!  What  in- 


the  sweetness  of  enjoyment  and  the  softness  of 
pleasure?  Endeavors,  tenacious  and  mournfu'l 
endeavors  —  such  was  their  chosen  condition. 
Strife  for  strife's  sake  —  such  is  their  pleasure. 
With  what  sadness,  madness,  destruction,  such 
a  disposition  breaks  its  bonds,  we  see  in  Shake- 
speare and  Byron;  with  what  vigor  and  purpose 
it  can  limit  and  employ  itself  when  possessed  by 
moral  ideas,  we  can  see  in  the  case  of  the  Puri- 


A  Bard  singing  to  the  Warriors. 


tense  feelings!  What  a  childlike  mind!  As  the 
French  king  Clodwig  listened  to  the  story  of 
the  suffering  of  Christ  he  exclaimed,  "If  I  had 
only  been  there  with  my  Francs!" 

How  strange  to  see  them  place  their  happiness 
in  battle,  their  beauty  in  death!  Is  there  any 
people — Hindoo,  Persian,  Greek  or  Gallic  — 
which  has  formed  so  tragic  a  conception  of  life? 
Is  there  any  which  has  peopled  its  infantine 
mind  with  such  gloomy  dreams?  Is  there  any 
which  has  so  entirely  banished  from  its  dreams 


tans.  "When  we  see  traveling  English  people 
nowadays,"  says  Carlyle,  "we  know  the  race." 
"To  climb  all  the  mountain  tops  where  nobody 
else  has  been,  to  risk  their  lives  in  crawling  over 
precipices,  to  vie  with  each  other  in  walking,  in 
rowing,  in  swimming  —  yes,  in  eating  too,  —  that 
is  an  inheritance  from  their  ancestors,  the  race 
of  bodily  strength,  of  tenacious  will  and  defiance, 
of  contempt  of  death." 

There  is  one  thing  more  that  should  be  men- 
tioned in  this  connection,  and  that  is  the.'r  love 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


of  music  and  song.  The  bard  must  never  fail, 
either  under  the  banner  of  the  king,  in  the  battle 
or  at  the  table  in  the  hall,  when  the  wine  or 
mead  warmed  their  blood,  the  harp  went  round, 
and  they  sang  of  the  wild  noise  of  war  and  of 
faithful  woman's  love.  The  bard  was  a  dear 
guest.  Where  he  went  the  gates  flung  open  to 
him,  he  was  placed  in  the  high  seat  and  purple 
cloaks  and  golden  chains  were  presented  to  him. 
Before  the  battle  of  Sticklastad,  King  Olaf  asked 
the  bard  Tormod  to  awake  the  sleeping  camp 
by  an  old  war  song,  and  in  the  battle  of  Hastings 
the  bard  Toillifer  rode  before  the  army  of  Wil- 
liam the  Conqueror,  sang  and  threw  the  first 
lance  toward  the  enemy.  At  the  time  of  Charles 
the  Great  it  was  the  law  in  one  of  his  countries, 
"that  the  man  who  wounded  a  harpplayer  in  his 
hand  should  pay  one-fourth  part  more  in  fine 
than  if  he  had  hurt  another  man:"  The  preacher 
Oldhelm,  when  he  could  not  get  people  to  listen 


to  his  sermons,  dressed  himself  as  a  bard  and 
took  his  place  on  a  bridge  where  the  crowd 
passed  and  repeated  warlike  and  profane  odes, 
as  well  as  religious  poetry,  in  order  to  attract 
and  instruct  the  men  of  his  time.  The  bard  was 
the  teacher  in  religion,  in  history,  in  all  sciences. 
Even  into  the  monasteries  the  bard-song  passed. 
"In  King  Edgar's  time,"  says  an  old  historian, 
"you  heard  mu'stc,  song  and  dance  from  the  mon- 
asteries till  midnight."  They  must  have  been 
merry  monks!  This  taste  for  music  and  poetry 
gives  reconciliation  to  the  drinking  parties;  it 
breathes  spirit  into  the  rough  and  brutish  talk. 
And  we  may  proudly  say  that  a  society  where 
woman  is  respected,  where  marriage  is  holy, 
which  is  founded  on  faithfulness  and  truth,  on 
devotedness  to  what  is  held  dear,  is  a  society  fit 
for  development,  a  society  destined  to  have 
something  to  do  in  the  world. 


GLIMPSES  OF  NORWEGIAN 

HISTORY 


While  the  Norwegian  citizens  of  Illinois  have 
adapted  themselves  to  their  new  surroundings, 
and  have  become  as  much  Americanized  as  any 
of  the  State's  foreign  population,  they  all  look 
with  peculiar  fondness  on  the  land  of  their  birth. 
They  can  not  forget  that  country  toward  the 
far  North  with  its  rugged  mountains  and  deep- 
blue  fjords;  its  long,  crisp  winters  and  balmy 
summers;  its  wealth  of  poetry;  its  honest,  sturdy 
men  and  its  fair  women.  They  are  all  fond  of 
recalling  the  time  when  the  bold  and  adventurous 
Norsemen  played  an  important  role  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  world,  founding  and  destroying  great 
kingdoms. 

The  Norwegians,  like  other  Germanic  tribes, 
are  supposed  to  have  come  from  Asia,  near  the 
head  of  the  River  Oxus.  The  most  hardy  and 
adventurous  of  these  tribes  penetrated  to  the  far 
North  and  West  and  populated  Norway,  prob- 
ably several  centuries  before  the  Christian 
era.  Of  their  history  during  the  first  thousand 
years  we  know  but  little.  Each  valley  was  an 
independent  state,  with  its  own  king' or  earl  and 
with  its  own  "fylkesthing,"  or  lawmaking  as- 
sembly, in  which  every  man  capable  of  bearing 
arms  for  the  defense  of  the  community  had  the 
right  to  be  heard.  The  Norsemen,  even  in  those 
times,  recognized  the  people  themselves  as  the 
source  of  authority.  War  was  considered  the 
most  honorable  of  all  undertakings  and  the  war- 
like spirit  was  kept  alive  by  the  belief,  which 
was  the  cardinal  principle  of  their  religion,  that  a 
man  who  fell  in  honorable  battle  was  certain  of 
a  welcome  in  "Valhalla,"  the  home  of  the  gods. 
The  history  of  Norway  may  be  said  to  begin 
with  the  last  year  of  the  eighth  century,  when 
the  hordes  of  Norse  vikings  began  to  sweep  like 
•cyclones  down  upon  the  countries  of  western  Eu- 
rope. They  made  their  way  even  to  Rome  and 
to  Constantinople,  and  everywhere  the  priests 


prayed  in  their  litania,  "Deliver  us,  O  Lord,  from 
the  fury  of  the  Norsemen." 

The  first  king  of  all  Norway  was  Harald  Haar- 
fager  (the  Fairhaired),  who  in  the  years  860-872 
subdued  all  the  other  chieftains,  and  created  a 
united  Norway  to  take  her  place  among  the  na- 
tions of  the  world.  From  him  there  descended 
a  long  line  of  mighty  kings. 

*  *     * 

Harald  Haarfager  in  his  old  age  gave  each  of 
his  many  sons  a  province  to  govern  and  gave 
to  all  the  title  of  king,  with  Erik  Blod0xe  (Blood- 
Ax)  as  over-king.  He  was  a  cruel  man  who, 
spurred  on  by  his  evil-minded  wife,  slew  many 
of  his  brothers.  But  his  bloody  reign  lasted  only 
five  years.  The  people,  tiring  of  his  cruelty, 
gathered  around  Haakon,  the  youngest  son  of 
Harald,  who  ruled  for  26  years  with  great  wis- 
dom. He  restored  some  of  the  most  prized 
rights  of  the  people  that  had  been  taken  from 
them  by  his  father,  codified  the  laws  of  the  north- 
ern and  western  parts  of  the  country,  created  an 
admirable  military  system  and  introduced  many 
other  reforms.  He  made  an  attempt  to  christian- 
ize the  people,  but  failed.  He  lives  in  Norwegian 
history  as  Haakon  the  Good. 

*  *     * 

In  995  Olaf  Tryggvesson,  a  great-grandson  of 
Harald  the  Fairhaired,  became  king.  He  is  Nor- 
way's great  national  hero.  Of  him,  as  of  the 
earlier  kings,  we  have  minute  and  trustworthy 
accounts  in  "Heimskringla,"  or  the  "Sagas  of  the 
Kings  of  Norway,"  the  great  historical  work  of 
Snorre  Sturlason,  an  Icelander  of  the  thirteenth 
century.  The  deeds  of  the  heroes  of  these  times 
have  also  been  immortalized  by  contemporary 
poets  or  "skalds,"  notably  so  by  Egil  Skalla- 
grimson,  who  flourished  during  the  reigns  of 
Erik  Bloodax  and  Haakon  the  Good. 

Olaf  Tryggvesson's  youth  and  early  manhood 


(33) 


34 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


had  been  a  series  of  the  most  romantic  adven- 
tures in  Russia,  Greece,  England  and  Ireland. 
He  was  31  years  of  age  when  he  returned  to 
Norway  to  claim  his  paternal  kingdom.  He  is  said 
to  have  been  the  strongest  and  most  handsome 
man  anybody  had  seen  and  to  have  borne  a  strik- 
ing resemblance  to  Harald  the  Fairhaired.  He 
won  all  hearts  and  was  made  king  of  Norway 
without  striking  a  blow.  In  England  he  had  be- 
come a  Christian,  and  the  great  aim  of  his  life 
was  to  persuade  or  compel  his  people  to  forsake 
their  pagan  gods  and  accept  "Christ  the  White." 
In  this  he  succeeded  after  a  fashion,  although 
many  who  allowed  themselves  to  be  baptized,  be- 
cause to  refuse  was  to  be  slain,  remained  pagans 
at  heart. 

The  year  1000  is  an  eventful  one  in  Norwegian 
history.  In  this  year  Olaf  Tryggvesson  sailed 
with  sixty  ships  to  Wendland,  the  present  Baltic 
•provinces  of  Prussia,  to  claim  the  estates  of  his 
queen  Thyra.  On  his  return  he  was  attacked  by 
a  large  fleet  under  the  Danish  king  Svein  Tvse- 
skjaeg  (Fork-beard),  and  the  Swedish  king,  Olof 
supported  by  a  large  number  of  Norsemen  under 
Erik  Jarl,  who  had  been  driven  out  of  Norway 
and  had  his  possessions  confiscated.  These  allies 
lay  in  wait  for  the  Norwegian  king  behind  the 
little  island  of  Svolder. 

When  the  greater  part  of  the  Norwegian  fleet 
had  sailed  by,  the  attack  on  the  king's  ship  Or- 
men  Lange  ("The  Long  Serpent")  began.  King 
Olaf  lashed  his  eleven  ships  together  and  fought 
desperately.  The  Danes  and  the  Swedes  were 
each  in  turn  repulsed,  but  finally  Olaf  was  at- 
tacked in  the  rear  by  Erik  Jarl  and  was  over- 
powered by  his  foes.  When  the  king,  who  was 
himself  severely  wounded,  looked  over  his  ships 
and  found  but  nine  men  besides  himself  alive  he 
threw  his  last  spear  against  the  nearest  of  his 
foes  and  then  leaped  overboard  and  was  drowned. 
There  is,  however,  a  legend  according  to  which 
he  succeeded  in  swimming  ashore  and  making 
his  way  to  the  Holy  Land,  where  he  lived  many 
years  as  a  hermit. 

*    *     * 

It  was  also  in  the  year  1000  that  America  was 
discovered  by  a  Norseman.  Of  the  chieftains 
who  in  872  had  left  Norway  rather  than  submit 
to  the  rule  of  Harald  the  Fairhaired  many  had 
found  their  way  to  Iceland.  It  was  Leif  Erick- 
son,  a  descendant  of  one  of  these  men,  who  in 
the  year  1000  sailed  to  the  new  world,  which 
fourteen  years  earlier  had  been  seen  by  Bjarne 
Herjulfsson,  and  landed  on  the  coast  of  the  pres- 
ent state  of  Massachusetts. 


In  1006  a  second  expedition  was  undertaken 
and  a  number  of  Norsemen  sojourned  for  three 
years  in  "Vinland  the  Good." 

*    *     * 

Another  chieftain  who  left  Norway  during 
the  reign  of  Harald  the  Fairhaired  was  Gange 
Rolf  (Rollo  the  Walker), 'who  became  duke  of 
Normandy,  and  one  of  whose  descendants,  Wil- 
liam the  Conqueror,  in  1066  became  king  of  Eng- 
land after  having  vanquished  the  last  Saxon  king, 

Harold. 

*  *     * 

After   Olaf  Tryggvesson's   death   the   work    of 
christianizing   Norway   was   continued   and   com- 
pleted by  Olaf  den  Hellige  (the  Saint).    He  was 
a  strong  but  rather  arbitrary  ruler  and  did  much    '', 
to  strengthen  the  crown  and  decreed  that  there 
should  be  no  more  petty  kings  in  Norway.     He 
founded  cities,  improved    the    administration    of 
justice  and   organized  the  church.     But   he  won 
hosts  of  enemies  at  home  and  abroad  and    was 
compelled  to   leave  the  country.     In  an  attempt 
to  regain  his  crown  he  fell  at  Stiklestad  July  29, 
1030.     The  people  soon  came  to  regret  that  they 
had    slain   the   great   king,   and    legends   wove   a 
saintly  halo  about  his  name.     Around  his  shrine    1 
in   Nidaros    (Trondhjem)  .rose  the   mighty  cath-  I 
edral,  and  churches   were  built  in   his    honor    in  I 
Sweden,  Denmark,  England,  and  other  countries.   I 
He  was   canonized,  and   great  pilgrimages    were   I 
made  to  his  shrine  on  Olaf  Mass  Day  (July  29),  I 
raising  Nidaros  to  the  most  important  religious  I 
center  in  the  northern  lands. 

His  son,  Magnus  the  Good,  ruled  also  over  I 
Denmark  until  his  death  and  repelled  an  attack  I 
on  Denmark  by  the  Wends  defeating  them  in  the 
great  battle  of  Lyrskog  Heath  in  Schlesvig. 

*  *     * 

The  youngest  brother  of  Magnus,  Harald 
Haardraade,  the  founder  of  Oslo  (Christiania), 
was  a  giant  of  will  and  body.  He  had  won  fame 
and  power  as  a  viking  chieftain  in  wars  in  the 
Mediterranean  countries,  and  his  reign  as  ruler 
was  stormy  and  warlike.  He  tried  to  hold  Den- 
mark, but  failed,  although  he  always  won  in  bat- 
tle. In  1066  he  set  out  to  conquer  England,  and 
had  all  but  defeated  the  English  king  Harold  at 
Stamford  bridge  when  his  army,  too  eager  to 
pursue,  broke  their  formation  and  was  defeated, 
and  there  fell  Harald,  "the  last  of  the  vikings." 

Olaf  Kyrre  (the  Peaceful),  the  founder  of 
Bjcfrgvin  (Bergen),  made  improvements  in  the 
houses  and  social  customs  of  the  people;  stoves 
(of  stone)  came  into  use  in  Norway  during  his 
reign.  Magnus  Barefoot  conquered  the  isle  of 


GLIMPSES   OF   NORWEGIAN   HISTORY 


35 


Man.  Sigurd  Torsalafar  went  to  the  Mediterran- 
ean with  a  strong  fleet,  destroyed  heathen  rob- 
ber fleets  galore,  captured  the  city  of  Sidon,  and 
visited  Jerusalem  and  Constantinople.  Upon  his 
death  followed  a  long  period  of  tumult  and  in- 
cessant wars  between  rival  pretenders  to  the 
crown.  *  *  * 

One  of  the  greatest  of  the  kings  of  Norway 
was  Sverre  Sigurdson,  who  died  in  1203.  He  de- 
feated rival  claimants  to  the  throne  and,  leaning 
upon  the  common  people,  curtailed  the  privileges 
of  the  barons.  He  gave  Norway  many  wise  laws, 
and  broke  the  power  of  the  priesthood,  which 
had  become  paramount.  He  was  excommunicated 
by  the  Church  of  Rome,  but  was  a  brave  and  wise 
man,  and  defied  all  public  opinion  of  his  time. 
He  also  distinguished  himself  by  his  work  for 
the  promotion  of  temperance,  a  virtue  which  at 
that  time  was  almost  unknown.  Sverre  was  at 
his  death  50  years  old,  and  it  is  a  rather  sig- 
nificant fact  that  but  one  other  Norwegian  king 
after  Harald  Haarfager  had  reached  so  great 

an  age. 

*  *    * 

Haakon  Haakonson  (the  Old),  a  grandson  of 
Sverre,  reigned  46  years  (1217-1263).  He  was  a 
wise  and  progressive  ruler,  loved  at  home  and 
respected  abroad.  He  wrought  many  reforms 
and  brought  Iceland  and  Greenland  under  Nor- 
way. The  pope  tendered  him  the  crown  of  the 
Holy  Roman  empire,  but  he  declined  it.  His 
reign  is  the  golden  age  of  Old  Norway. 

His  son,  Magnus  Lagabjzfter  (Law-mender),  in- 
troduced a  common  code  of  laws  for  the  whole 
country,  which  remained  in  force  for  300  years. 
Erik  Magnusson,  the  Priesthater,  curbed  the 
bishops,  fought  the  Hanseatic  league  to  a  stand- 
still and  made  long  wars  upon  Denmark.  Mag- 
nus Eriksson  was  elected  king  of  Sweden  in  1319, 
and  then  Sweden  and  Norway  became  united; 
the  union  was  dissolved  in  1363.  In  1349  Nor- 
way was  ravaged  by  the  Black  Death,  which  de- 
stroyed over  one-third  of  the  population  and 
crippled  the  country  for  centuries  to  come. 

*  *     *   . 

Haakon  Magnusson  (died  1380)  was  married  to 
Margrete  of  Denmark;  their  son,  Olaf,  inherited 
the  crowns  of  both  countries,  and  then  Norway 
and  Denmark  became  united.  Olaf  died  1387  and 
was  succeeded  by  his  able  mother,  who  defeated 
king  Albrecht  of  Sweden  in  1397,  and  united  all 
three  of  the  Scandinavian  countries  by  the  so- 
called  Kalmar  union.  By  the  terms  of  the  union 
each  country  was  to  constitute  a  separate  king- 
dom; but  Denmark,  as  the  seat  of  the  union  gov- 


ernment, soon  came  to  exercise  a  leading  influence, 
especially  after  Sweden  cut  lose  from  the  union. 

In  1537  Christian  III  abolished  the  Norwegian 
council  of  regency  and  abridged  the  liberties  of 
the  people.  His  reign  was  notable  as  marking 
the  time  when  the  Lutheran  reformation  was  in- 
troduced. The  union  with  Denmark  exposed 
Norway  to  many  needless  and  bloody  wars  with 
Sweden.  Apart  from  these  regrettable  wars  there 
is  not  much  to  say  about  this  period  of  the  his- 
tory of  Norway.  Yet  the  people  grew  in  strength 
during  their  apparent  sleep,  and  when  a  new  day 
dawned  they  were  ready  to  face  its  problems  and 
take  full  advantage  of  its  opportunities. 
*  *  * 

As  one  of  the  results  of  the  Napoleonic  wars, 
the  French  Marshal  Bernadotte  was  elected  heir 
to  the  Swedish  throne,  and  by  the  treaty  of  Kiel, 
Jan.  12,  1814,  Denmark  was  obliged  to  cede  Nor- 
way to  Sweden.  This  roused  the  old  independ- 
ent spirit  of  the  Norwegians.  They  admitted 
that  the  union  king  could  lawfully  surrender  his 
own  rights  to  the  crown  of  Norway;  but  main- 
tained that  his  attempt  to  transfer  the  country 
and  its  people  to  another  power  was  a  clear  vio- 
lation of  the  law  of  nations  and  hence  of  no 
effect.  The  vice-king,  Prince  Christian  Fredrik, 
seconded  their  protest  and  called  a  council  at 
Eidsvold  to  consider  a  plan  of  action.  He 
claimed  that  he  was  the  rightful  heir  to  the 
throne,  but  finally,  on  advice  of  Prof.  Sverdrup, 
waived  all  claims. 

On  May  17,  1814,  the  council  at  Eidsvold,  re- 
presenting the  people  of  Norway,  adopted  a  wise 
and  liberal  constitution,  which  is  still  in  force, 
elected  Prince  Christian  Fredrik  king  of  Norway, 
and  prepared  for  war  with  Sweden,  which  they 
foresaw  was  imminent.  Bernadotte  invaded  Nor- 
wav  but  after  a  few  unimportant  skirmishes  an 
armistice  was  concluded  at  Moss,  Aug.  4.  The 
storthing  or  parliament  was  called  together  and 
negotiated  a  peace,  by  the  terms  of  which  Swe- 
den and  Norway  should  form  a  union  under  a 
common  king.  The  king  of  Sweden,  Charles 
XIII,  was  chosen  king  of  Norway  as  well,  on 
condition  that  he  recognize  the  independence  of 
the  country  and  agree  to  respect  the  constitution 
which  the  Norwegians  had  given  themselves  at 
Eidsvold.  The  relations  between  the  two  coun- 
tries were  defined  and  regulated  by  the  "Act  of 
Union"  of  1815,  which  states  that  the  union  was 
brought  about  not  by  force  of  arms,  but  by  mu- 
tual good  will  for  the  purposes  of  safeguarding 
the  crowns  of  the  united  countries,  and  that  the 
union  should  be  for  all  time. 

Since  -this    date,     Nov.    4,   1814,    Norway    has 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


steadily  progressed  by  even  stages  of  orderly 
development.  All  titles  of  nobility  were  abol- 
ished in  1821,  notwithstanding  the  vigorous  op- 
position of  the  king,  and  the  liberties  of  the  peo- 
ple were  gradually  enlarged,  and  the  Norwegians 
are  to-day  the  most  democratic  of  all  peoples. 

The  political  development  of  Norway  during 
the  union  with  Sweden  was,  however,  marked  by 
stress  and  struggles.  The  people  were  deter- 
mined to  make  their  liberal  constitution  a  living 
reality;  at  every  stage  their  efforts  were  stub- 
bornly resisted  by  the  crown;  but  by  courage, 
wisdom  and  patience  the  storthing  always  won 
out.  There  were  also  many  disputes  between  the 
united  countries,  but  such  controversies  were 
gradually  adjusted  and  the  relations  between  the 
"brother  peoples"  were  constantly  improving. 

In  1886  Sweden  made  a  change  in  her  constitu- 
tion, which  brought  the  so-called  "consular  ques- 
tion" to  the  fore.  By  the  Act  of  Union  the  man- 
agement of  all  foreign  relations  was  left  in  the 
hands  of  the  union  king;  as  he  was  as  much  the 
king  of  Norway  as  the  king  of  Sweden,  Norway, 
by  this  arrangement,  had  an  equal  influence  with 
Sweden,  at  least  in  law,  upon  the  administration 
of  foreign  affairs.  But  in  1886  Sweden,  without 
consulting  Norway,  changed  the  character  of  the 
minister  of  foreign  affairs  from  being  a  mere 
clerk  to  the  union  king  to  a  constitutional  officer 
responsible  to  the  parliament  of  Sweden.  This 
important  step,  however  justified  from  a  Swed- 
ish point  of  view,  deprived  Norway  of  any  con- 
stitutional voice  regarding  the  administration  of 
the  common  foreign  relations  of  the  two  coun- 
tries. This  injustice  was  especially  felt  within 
the  field  of  the  consular  department,  which  deals 
mainly  with  shipping  and  trade.  Inasmuch  as 
the  merchant  marine  of  Norway  was  about  four 
times  larger  than  that  of  Sweden,  and  Norway 
consequently  contributed  much  the  larger  share 
for  the  support  of  the  common  consular  service, 
Norway  with  growing  unanimity  and  force  de- 
manded a  "new  deal." 

Sweden  did  not  deny  the  justice  of  the  Nor- 
wegian view;  on  the  contrary,  it  was  freely  ad- 
mitted by  the  official  spokesmen  of  Sweden  that 
Norway  had  just  cause  for  complaint.  But  the 
Swedish  government  held  that  the  remedy  pro- 
posed by  the  Norwegian  government,  separate 
consular  services,  would  dangerously  weaken  the 
bond  of  union,  and  insisted  that  other  changes  in 
the  Act  of  Union  must  be  made  at  the  same  time. 
It  is  not  necessary  to  follow  these  negotiations 
in  detail;  the  position  of  the  union  king  was,  of 
course,  extremely  difficult,  as  he  was  required  to 


agree  with  both  sides.  Finally  the  task  of  work- 
ing out  a  settlement  was  intrusted  to  a  union 
committee,  of  which  Dr.  Sigurd  Ibsen  and  the 
Swedish  minister  of  foreign  affairs,  Lagerheim, 
were  alternating  chairmen.  The  committee 
worked  earnestly  and  well  and  agreed  upon  a 
new  arrangement  which  received  the  support  of 
both  the  Swedish  and  the  Norwegian  govern- 
ments. The  people  of  the  two  countries  hailed 
these  tidings  with  joy,  as  the  end  of  all  unpleas- 
ant bickerings  was  now  in  sight. 

In  the  fall  of  1904  Lagerheim  was  forced  to 
resign  by  Prime  Minister  BostrcSm  and  replaced 
by  Count  Gyldenstolpe.  The  Swedish  ministry,' 
as  reconstructed,  repudiated  the  joint  consular 
agreement  and  submitted  a  new  proposition  that 
was  altogether  unacceptable  to  Norway;  and  the 
negotiations  were  discontinued.  The  Hagerup 
ministry,  which  had  fathered  the  conciliatory  pol- 
icy, resigned  and  was  followed  by  the  Michelsen- 
L0vland  cabinet.  The  storthing  selected  a  spe- 
cial committee,  which  drafted  a  consular  law  for 
Norway.  This  bill  met  with  the  unanimous  ap- 
proval of  the  storthing  and  of  the  enthusiastic 
people,  whose  demand  was  immediate  action. 

When  the  king  stated  that  he  would  have  to 
veto  the  bill,  the  cabinet  immediately  resigned. 
The  king  tried  to  form  another  cabinet  but  found 
the'  task  was  impossible  and  so  stated.  The 
country  being  then  left  without  a  responsible 
government  it  became  the  duty  of  the  storthing 
to  act;  and  on  June  7th,  1905,  the  storthing  unan- 
imously adopted  the  following  historic  resolu- 
tion: 

Whereas,  all  the  members  of  the  government 
(cabinet)  have  resigned  their  offices;  and 

Whereas,  his  majesty  the  king  has  declared 
himself  unable  to  provide  another  government 
for  the  country;  and 

Whereas,  the  constitutional  royal  power  thus 
has  ceased  to  exist;  be  it 

Resolved,  that  the  storthing  hereby  empowers 
the  members  of  the  government  that  resigned 
to-day  to  assume,  until  further,  as  the  Norwegian 
Government,  the  powers  vested  in  the  king  by 
the  constitution  of  Norway  and  laws  now  in 
force  —  with  such  modifications'  as  are  made 
necessary  by  the  fact  that  the  union  with  Sweden 
under  one  king  is  dissolved  in  consequence  of 
the  king  having  ceased  to  function  as  king  of 
Norway." 

What  followed  later,  the  meeting  of  the  Swed- 
ish and  Norwegian  delegations  at  Karlstad,  the 
final  agreement  concerning  the  dissolution  of  the 
union,  the  ratification  of  the  Norwegian  peoplft 


GLIMPSES   OF   NORWEGIAN   HISTORY 


37 


of  the  action  of  the  storthing  on  Aug.  13,  1905, 
and  the  election  of  Prince  Carl  of  Denmark  as 
king  under  the  name  of  Haakon  VII,  his  accept- 
ance, the  coronation  ceremonies  in  Trondhjem, 
etc.,  are  so  recent  events  that  we  do  not  deem  it 
necessary  to  describe  them  in  detail  in  this  lim- 
ited space. 

Throughout  the  whole  controversy  Sweden  as 
well  as  Norway  exhibited  remarkable  calmness 
and  self-restraint,  and  both  nations  won  the 
esteem  and  applause  of  the  whole  civilized  world 
for  their  success  in  settling  so  grave  differences 
without  a  resort  to  war. 


Norway  has  of  late  years  contributed  much  to 
science  and  literature  and  has  won  new  laurels 
in  this  for  her  comparatively  new  field.  One 
need  only  mention  the  historians,  Munch,  Key- 
ser  and  Sars;  the  philologists,  Ivar  Aasen  and 
Sofus  Bugge;  the  astronomer,  Hansteen;  the  mu- 
sicians, Ole  Bull  and  Grieg;  the  painters,  Tide- 
mand,  Gude  and  Thaulow;  the  mathematicians, 
Abel  and  Lie;  and  the  explorers,  Nansen,  Sverd- 
rup  and  Amundsen,  who  recently  relocated  the 
magnetic  north-pole  and  cleared  the  northwest 
passage;  and  the  poets  Bj^rnson  and  Jonas  Lie, 


and  notably  Henrik  Ibsen,  who  was  by  some  con- 
sidered the  foremost  literary  man  and  intellect- 
ual giant  of  the  age. 

The  valleys  of  Norway  seemed  during  the  past 
century  to  become  too  narrow  for  the  increasing 
population,  and  many  Norwegians  have  found 
homes  in  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  Iowa,  Minnesota, 
the  Dakotas,  and  other  states.  It  was  on  July  4, 
1825,  that  the  first  party  of  Norwegian  emi- 
grants left  the  city  of  Stavanger  for  the  United 
States.  Hosts  of  others  have  followed  these 
pioneers,  until  now  the  Norwegians  in  America 
and  their  children  must  number  about  1,000,000 
souls.  Nearly  all  of  them  belonged  in  Norway 
to  the  poorer  class,  and  they  emigrated  with  the 
purpose  of  bettering  their  condition.  The  hard 
struggle  for  existence  had  taught  them  habits  of 
industry  and  rigid  economy,  and  this  has  been 
of  immense  benefit  to  them  in  their  new  home. 
Many  of  them  have  become  wealthy,  and  nearly 
all  of  them  have  won  at  least  a  comfortable 
competency.  They  have  built  a  large  number  of 
churches  and  higher  institutions  of  learning,  and 
they  teach  their  children  to  fear  God,  respect  all 
rightful  authority,  cherish  the  memory  of  the 
dear  old  fatherland,  and  love  liberty  as  the  most 
priceless  earthly  boon. 


THE  NORWEGIAN  PIONEER 


By   Rev.   A.    Bredesen. 


I  have  not  the  honor  to  have  written  the  his- 
tory of  the  Norwegian  pioneers,  but  I  may  say 
that  I  have  lived  that  history.  My  earliest  rec- 
ollections cluster  around  men  and  things  in  a 
struggling  frontier  settlement  in  central  Wis- 
consin, more  than  fifty  years  ago.  I  have  known 
the  Norwegian  pioneer  long  and  well,  and  -in  my 
appreciation  of  him  and  regard  for  him  I  yield 
to  no  one. 

It  is  meet  and  proper  that  the  Norwegian 
pioneer  have  recognition.  _  We  all  owe  him  a 
great  debt  of  honor  and  gratitude.  Who  was  it, 
for  instance,  that  forty-five  years  ago,  in  a 
frontier  hamlet,  called  our  alma  mater,  the 
Luther  College,  into  existence?  Not,  I  trow, 
some  multi-millionaire  in  the  East,  some  mer- 
chant prince,  coal  baron  or  oil  king,  but  the 
horny-handed  Norwegian  pioneer  on  the  prairies 
and  in  the  backwoods  of  Wisconsin,  Iowa  and 
Minnesota.  And  who  but  the  Norwegian  pio- 
neer has  been  the  best  friend  and  patron  that 
our  alma  mater  ever  had?  His  good  will  was 
for  many  years  her  only  endowment.  Very 
little  of  material  or  moral  support  did  the  strug- 
gling college  receive  from  any  other  source.  The 
Norwegian  pioneer  of  the  past  and  the  present 
has  contributed  cheerfully  and  liberally  from  his 
hard  earnings  to  establish,  equip  and  support  our 
alma  mater,  and  has  sent  hundreds  and  thou- 
sands of  his  brightest  boys  to  fill  her  classes. 
Luther  College  is  the  college  of  the  Norwegian 
pioneer,  and  stands  today,  and  will  ever  stand, 
a  noble  monument  to  his  sincere  devotion  and 
heroic  endeavor  in  the  cause  of  scientia  vera  et 
fides  pura  (true  science  and  pure  faith). 

The  Norwegian  pioneer  deserves  honorable 
recognition,  and  at  the  hand  of  the  whole  Amer- 
ican people,  for  the  splendid  service  which  he 
has  done  in  the  advancement  of  civilization 
throughout  the  Northwest.  If  there  is  anything 


to    which    Americans     of     Norwegian    birth   may 
well    "point   with   pride"    it    is     the     Norwegian 
pioneer   and   his   achievements.     I    do   not   know 
that   the    Norwegian-American    has   been   a   con- 
spicuous  and  dismal  failure   in   any  respect — un- 
less   it    be    as    a    democratic    campaign    shouter. 
His   record  as   a   thrifty,   law-abiding,   intelligent 
and  patriotic  American  citizen  is  very  good.    His 
percentages    of    pauperism   and  illiteracy  are   as 
low  as  the  lowest.     In  the  trades,  in  the  learned 
professions,   in   business   and    in   politics    he    has 
been   reasonably  successful.     He   has   dotted  the 
whole  Northwest  with  his  churches,  schools  and 
charitable  institutions.  He  is  an  excellent  farmer. 
He  is  "the  American  sailor"  of  today,  and  when- 
ever Uncle  Sam  wants  to  beat  the  Britishers  in 
a  sailing  match  he  calls  on  his  Norwegian  sailor 
boys  to  do  it  for  him.     If,  perhaps,  in  some  re- 
spects   the    Norwegian-American    has    done    only 
passably  well,  as  a  pioneer  he   has  certainly,  as 
was    to   be    expected,    been     a     splendid   success. 
The  typical  Norwegian  is  a  born  pioneer.     With 
his   passion   for   ownership   of   land   and  a   home 
and   his -decided   liking  for   adventure,   combined 
with    physical    stamina,    courage    and    endurance, 
he  is  the  stuff  that  pioneers  are  made  of.     And 
of   this    he    has    given    abundant   proof.      Eighty 
years   ago    when   immigration   from   Norway   set 
in     Chicago   and   Milwaukee  were   rough  frontier 
towns,  and  the  great  Northwest  was  an   almost 
unbroken   wilderness,   the   haunts   of  wild  beasts 
and  wilder  men.     As  by  a  miracle,  in  the  brief 
space   of  eighty  years,   this  vast  wilderness   has 
been     transformed     into     a     splendid    galaxy    of 
wealthy,  enlightened   and   progressive  states.    In 
the    face    of    bloodthirsty    savages    and    prowling 
beasts  and  blizzards,  and  droughts,  and  dangers, 
and   difficulties,   and   hardships   of   every  descrip- 
tion, a  grand  army  of  brave  and  sturdy  pioneers, 
men  and  women,   has  advanced  civilization  from 


(38) 


THE   NORWEGIAN   PIONEER 


the  shores  of  the  great  lakes  to  the  Puget  Sound. 
To  that  noble  army  the  Norwegian-American 
has  fu'rnished  far  more  than  his  quota  of  men 
and  women,  and  they  have  not  been  camp-fol- 
lowers, but  have  marched  in  the  forefront  and 
borne  more  than  their  just  share  of  toil,  hard- 
ships and  dangers.  On  our  western  and  north- 
ern frontiers,  after  the  fur-trader,  with  his  "In- 
dian goods,"  or  the  prospector,  the  timber  thief 
and  the  cowboy,  the  first  settlers  to  come,  as  the 
harbingers  of  civilization,  were  usually  some 
brawny  descendant  of  the  Vikings,  with  his 
worthy  helpmate  and  half  a  dozen  tow-headed 
children.  The  history  of  every  state  from  Illi- 
nois and  Wisconsin  to  Washington  will  bear 
me  out  in  this;  and  the  last  national  census 
shows  that  the  Norwegians  have  been  least 
given  to  huddling  together  in  villages  and  in  the 
greater  centers  of  population,  and  that,  though 
newcomers  compared  with  other  nationalities, 
as  owners  of  farms  and  homes  they  already  out- 
rank all  other  elements  of  the  population,  the 
native  American  included. 

In  1890,  according  to  the  national  census,  more 
than  322,000  natives  of  the  kingdom  of  Norway 
were  then  living  in  the  United  States.  To-day 
the  Americans  of  Norwegian  birth  or  parentage 
number  probably  not  far  from  750,000,  or  nearly 
one  per  cent  of  the  total  population.  Half  a 
century  ago  the  number  was  probably  somewhat 
more  than  5,000,  of  whom  about  four-fifths  had 
domiciled  in  southern  Wisconsin  and  northern 
Illinois.  The  oldest  of  these  settlements  was 
that  on  Fox  River,  near  Ottawa,  111.,  dating  from 
1834.  The  first  Norwegian  settlement  in  Wis- 
consin was  doubtless  Jefferson  Prairie,  in  Rock 
county,  and  Ole  Nattestad,  who  settled  there  in 
1838,  seems  to  have  been  the  first  Norwegian 
settler  in  Wisconsin.  The  Koshkonong,  Muske- 
go  and  Rock  Prairie  settlements  all  seem  to  have 
had  their  inception  in  1839.  The  three  strong- 
holds of  our  people  fifty  years  ago  were  Kosh- 
konong, with  700  or  800  souls;  Muskego,  in  Ra- 
cine county,  with  about  600,  and  the  Fox  River 
settlement,  with  about  450.  Wisconsin,  now 
populous  and  wealthy,  was  in  those  early  days 
still  a  territory  and  almost  an  unbroken  wilder- 
ness, the  happy  hunting  ground  of  the  Red  Men. 
There  was  not  a  mile  of  railway  within  its  bor- 
ders, and  even  passable  wagon  roads  were  few 
and  far  between.  Horses  were  scarce.  I  am 
told  that  the  seven  or  eight  hundred  Norwegians 
on  the  Koshkonong  prairies  had  one  horse  among 
them,  and  that  a  poor  one.  "Buck  and  Bright" 
and  a  Kubberulle  or  other  primitive  wagon  were 
about  the  only  means  of  transportation,  and  Mil- 


waukee or  Chicago  was  the  nearest  market.  Mil- 
waukee was  a  city  of  about  7,000  inhabitants,  and 
Madison,  the  beautiful  capital  of  Wisconsin,  was 
an  ambitious  village  of  700,  while  the  total  popu- 
lation of  the  state  was  about  35,000. 

Our  Norwegian  pioneers  were  poor,  but  they 
were  not  paupers.  They  had  not  come  here  to 
beg  or  steal,  ncr  to  sponge  on  their  neighbors. 
It  was  not  their  ambition  to  be  organ  grinders, 
peanut  venders  or  ragpickers.  They  had  come 
to  make  by  the  sweat  of  their  brows  an  honest 
living,  and  they  were  amply  able  to  do  so.  They 
possessed  stout  hearts,  willing  hands  and  robust 
health,  and  nearly  all  had  learned  at  least  the 
rudiments  of  some  useful  trade.  And  the  women, 
our  mothers  and  grandmothers,  God  bless  them! 
were  worthy  consorts  of  the  men  who  laid  low 
the  giants  of  the  forest  and  made  the  wilderness 
blossom  as  the  rose.  They  girded  their  loins 
with  strength.  They  were  able  to  stand  almost 
any  amount  of  privation  and  toil.  They  were 
not  afraid  of  a  mouse.  They  were  in  blissful 
ignorance  of  the  fact  that  they  had  nerves.  They 
knew  nothing  of  "that  tired  feeling,"  and  did  not 
need  the  services  of  the  dentist  every  other 
week.  They  did  not  have  soft,  velvety  hands, 
as  some  of  us  who  were  bad  boys  had  reason 
to  know;  but  for  all  that  they  had  tender,  moth- 
erly hearts.  They  could  not  paint  on  china,  or 
pound  "The  Mocking  Bird"  on  the  piano,  but 
they  could  spin,  knit  and  weave.  The  dear  souls 
could  not  drive  a  nail  any  better  than  their 
granddaughters  can,  but  they  could  drive  a  yoke 
of  oxen,  and  handle  the  pitchfork  and  the  rake 
almost  as  well  as  the  broom  and  the  mop.  Our 
mothers  and  grandmothers  did  not  ruin  our  di- 
gestion with  mince  pie  and  chicken  salad,  but 
gave  us  wholesome  and  toothsome  flatbrpd  and 
mylsa  and  brim  and  prim  and  bresta,  the  kind 
of  food  on  which  a  hundred  generations  of  Nor- 
way seamen  and  mountaineers  have  been  raised. 

Our  Norwegian  pioneers  were  ignorant  of  the 
language,  the  laws  and  the  institutions  of  their 
adopted  country,  and  in  this  respect  were  indeed 
heavily  handicapped.  They  had  not  a  single 
newspaper,  and,  outside  of  a  few  struggling 
frontier  settlements,  there  was  not  a  soul  with 
whom  they  could  communicate.  But  though  our 
pioneers  were  ignorant  of  the  English  language, 
they  were  not  illiterates.  They  had  books,  and 
could  read  them,  and  by  and  by  astonished  na- 
tives were  forced  to  confess,  that  "Them  'ere 
Norwegians  are  almost  as  white  as  we  are,  and 
they  kin  read  too,  they  kin."  If  in  those  early 
Norwegian  settlements  books  were  few,  a  family 
Bible  and  some  of  Luther's  writings  were  rarely 


40 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


wanting,  even  in  the  humblest  homes.  If  the 
people  were  not  versed  in  some  of  the  branches 
now  taught  in  almost  every  common  school,  they 
were  as  well  grounded  in  the  Catechism,  the 
Forklaring  and  the  Bible  History  as  all  their 
bright  and  good  grandchildren  are  to-day. 

The  houses  of  our  pioneers  of  seventy  years 
ago  were  log  cabins,  shanties  and  dugouts.  Men 
and  women  alike  were  dressed  in  blue  drilling 
or  in  coarse  homespun  brought  over  from  the 
old  country  in  those  large,  bright-painted  chests. 
In  1844,  I  am  told,  not  a  woman  on  Koshkonong 
prairie  was  the  proud  possessor  of  a  hat.  Some 
of  the  good  wives  and  daughters  of  those  days 


sported  home-made  sunbonnets,  but  the  majority 
contented  themselves  with  the  old-country  ker- 
chief. Carpets,  kerosene  lamps,  coal  stoves  or 
sewing  machines,  reapers,  threshing  machines, 
top-buggies  and  Stoughton  wagons  were  things 
not  dreamed  of. 

Among  these  pioneers  of  Norwegian  immigra- 
tion were  also  the  pioneers  of  our  Norwegian 
Lutheran  Church. 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  this  country  never  saw, 
and  never  will  see,  more  hardy,  pushing,  plucky 
and  successful  pioneers  than  the  sons  and  daugh- 
ters of  old  Norway. 


The  First  Colony  of  Norwegian  Immigrants 


Just  as  the  Puritans  had  their  Mayflower,  in 
1620,  and  the  Swedes  their  Kalmar  Nyckel,  in 
1638,  so  the  Norwegians  had  their  little  sloop, 
called  Restaurationen,  in  1825,  in  which  the  first 
party  of  emigrants  was  carried  to  America. 

Lars  Larson  of  Jeilane  was  born  near  Stavan- 
ger,  Norway,  Sept.  24,  1787.  He  became  a  ship 
carpenter,  and  during  the  Napoleonic  wars,  in 
1807,  the  Norwegian  ship  on  which  he  was  em- 
ployed was  captured  by  the  English,  and  he  and 
the  rest  of  the  crew  remained  prisoners  of  war 
for  seven  years.  Together  with  the  other  prison- 
ers he  was  released  in  1814,  whereupon  he  spent 
a  year  in  London,  stopping  with  a  prominent 
Quaker  widow,  Mrs.  Margaret  Allen,  whose  two 
sons  held  positions  at  the  English  court.  During 
his  sojourn  in  England  Lars  Larson  acquired  a 
good  knowledge  of  the  English  language  and 
became  converted  to  the  Quaker  faith.  Some  of 
his  Norwegian  fellow-prisoners  also  joined  the 
Quakers.  Having  returned  to  Norway  in  1816, 
they  all  immediately  proceeded  to  make  propa- 
ganda for  Quakerism  and  to  organize  a  society 
of  Friends.  Two  of  them,  Halvor  Halvorson  and 
Enoch  Jacobson,  went  to  Christiania  and  made 
an  unsuccessful  attempt  at  starting  a  Quaker  so- 


ciety there.  Lars  Larson  returned  to  his  native 
city,  Stavanger,  and  there  he  and  Elias  Tastad, 
and  Thomas  and  Metta  Hille  became  the  founders 
of  the  Society  of  Friends  in  Norway.  This  so- 
ciety is  still  in  existence,  and,  according  to  the 
latest  statistics,  numbers  about  250  adult  mem- 
bers. The  first  Quaker  meeting  in  Norway  was 
held  in  Lars  Larson's  home,  in  1816.  He  was 
not  a  married  man  at  the  time,  but  his  sister 
Sara,  who  was  a  deaf-mute,  kept  house  for  him. 
In  1824,  at  Christmas-time,  he  married  Martha 
Georgiana  Persson,  who  was  born  on  Oct.  19, 
1803,  on  Fogn,  a  small  island  near  Stavanger. 

At  that  time  religious  tolerance  could  not  be 
counted  among  the  characteristics  of  Norway, 
where  also  some  separatism  from  the  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church  began  to  show  itself.  In  Stav- 
anger amt  the  Haugeans  were  numerous,  and  also 
the  Quakers  had  quite  a  few  followers.  The  lat- 
ter differed  so  much  from  the  teachings  of  the 
established  State  Church  that  its  officials  began 
a  persecution  of  the  dissenters.  On  complaint  of 
the  Lutheran  ministers  the  sheriff  (Lensmand) 
would  come  with  his  men  and  take  the  Quakers' 
children  by  force,  bring  them  to  the  regularly  or- 
dained minister,  and  have  them  baptized  or  con- 


THE  FIRST  COLONY  OF  NORWEGIAN  IMMIGRANTS 


41 


firmed,  as  the  case  might  be.  They  even  went 
so  far  as  to  exhume  the  dead  in  order  that  they 
might  be  buried  according  to  the  Lutheran  ritual, 
and  if  the  Quakers  did  not  partake  of  holy  com- 
munion as  did  the  regular  members  of  the  church 
they  were  fined;  and  they  were  assessed  taxes  to 
the  support  of  the  State  Church,  whether  they 
visited  it  or  not. 

These  cruel  facts  are  perfectly  authenticated, 
and  there  is  not  a  shadow  of  doubt  that  this  dis- 
graceful intolerance  on  the  part  of  the  officials  in 
Norway,  as  in  the  case  of  the  Puritans  in  Eng- 
land, was  the  primary  cause  of  the  first  large  ex- 
odus to  America.  Of  course  there  were  eco- 
nomic reasons  also;  the  emigrants  hoped  to  bet- 
ter their  material  as  well  as  their  religious  con- 
ditions. 

It  should  also  be  remembered  that  the  common 
people  in  Norway  were  displeased  with  and  sus- 
picious of  the  office-holding  class.  There  were 
many  unprincipled  officials,  who  exacted  exorbi- 
tant, not  to  say  unlawful,  fees  for  their  services, 
and  with  such  officials  ordinary  politeness  to  the 
common  man  was  out  of  question.  They  were, 
on  the  contrary,  intolerably  arbitrary  and  over- 
bearing. Thus  poverty,  oppression  and  religious 
persecution  co-operated  in  turning  the  minds  of 
the  people  in  Stavanger  amt  toward  the  land  of 
freedom,  equality  and  abundance  in  the  far  West. 

The  man  who  gave  the  first  impetus  to  the 
emigration  of  Norwegians  to  America  was,  ac- 
cording to  all  evidence,  verbal  and  written,  Kleng 
Peerson  from  Tysvaer  parish,  of  Skj^ld's  preste- 
gjeld,  Stavanger  amt,  Norway.  In  the  year  1821 
he  and  his  bosom  friend,  Knud  Olson  Eie,  from 
the  same  parish,  left  Norway  and  went  by  the 
way  of  Gothenborg,  Sweden,  to  New  York  to 
make  an  investigation  of  conditions  and  oppor- 
tunities in  America.  There  is  every  reason  to 
believe  that  they  were  practically  sent  on  this 
mission  by  the  Quakers.  It  is  nowhere  stated 
that  they  were  Quakers  themselves,  but  it  seems 
to  be  established  that  they  were  dissenters  from 
the  State  Church.  After  a  sojourn  of  three  years 
in  America,  which  time  they  presumably  spent  in 
the  city  of  New  York  and  in  New  York  state, 
they  returned  to  Norway  in  1824. 

When  Kleng  Peerson's  report  about  the  new 
country  became  known,  many  were  caught  by  a 
desire  to  emigrate.  Lars  Larson  in  Jeilane,  the 
man  in  whose  house  the  first  Quaker  meetings 
had  been  held  in  1816,  at  once  started  to  organ- 
ize a  party  of  emigrants.  Being  successful  in 
finding  a  number  of  people  who  were  ready  and 
willing  to  join  him,  six  heads  of  families  con- 
verted their  worldly  possessions  into  money  and 


purchased  a  sloop,  built  in  Hardanger,  which 
they  loaded  with  a  cargo  of  iron.  Also  the  skip- 
per and  mate  were  interested  in  this  speculation. 
Besides  iron,  they  also  carried  whiskey. 

The  largest  share  in  the  enterprise  was  held  by 
Lars  Larson,  who  with  his  thorough  knowledge 
of  the  English  language  became  in  all  respects 
the  leader  and  had  the  general  supervision  of  the 
preparations  for  the  voyage  in  his  skillful  hands. 
The  captain  (Lars  Olson)  and  the  mate  (Erick- 
son)  were  engaged  by  him. 

This  little  Norwegian  "Mayflower"  of  the  nine- 
teenth century  was  named  "Restaurationen"  (the 
Restoration),  and  on  the  American  day  of  inde- 
pendence, July  4,  1825,  this  brave  little  company 
of  emigrants  sailed  out  of  the  harbor  of  the  an- 
cient city  of  Stavanger.  The  company  consisted 
of  the  following  fifty-two  persons,  chiefly  from 
Tysvaer  parish,  near  Stavanger,  as  mentioned 
above: 

The  Sloop  Party. 

Lars   Olson,   the  captain. 
Nels  Erickson,  the  mate. 

The  following  six  families  were  the  owners  of 
the  sloop: 

Lars   Larson,   from   Jeilane,   with   wife.     (Dtir- 

ing  the  voyage  a  daughter,  Margaret  Allen, 

was  born  to  them,  Sept.  2,  1825.) 
Cornelius  Nelson.  Hersdal,  with  wife  and  four 

children. 

Thomas  Madland,  with  wife  and  three  children. 
Johannes  Stene,  with  wife  and  two  children. 
Oyen  Thompson  (Thorson),  with  wife  and  three 

children. 
Daniel    Stenson    Rossadal,    with   wife    and    five 

children. 

The  other  passengers  were: 
Knud  Anderson  Slogvig. 
Simon  Lima,  with  wife  and  three  children. 
Jacob  Anderson  Slogvig. 
Nels  Nelson  Hersdal  and  wife  (Bertha). 
Sara  Larson,  a  deaf-mute  sister  of  Lars  Larson. 
Henrik  Christopherson  Harvig  and  wife. 
Ole  Johnson. 
George  Johnson. 
Gudmund  Haukaas. 
Thorstein   Olson   Bjaadland. 
Endre  (Andrew)  Dahl,  the  cook. 
Halvor  Iverson. 
Nels  Thompson  (Thorson),  a  brother  of  Oyen 

Thompson. 

Ole  Olson  Hetletvedt. 
Andrew  Stangeland. 

When  they  landed  in  New  York,  at  10  o'clock 
in  the  forenoon  on  the  second  Sunday  in  October 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


(Oct.  9),  they  numbered  fifty-three,  Mrs.  Lars 
Larson  having  given  birth  to  a  girl  baby  on  the 
2d  day  of  September. 

Their  fourteen  weeks'  journey  across  the  ocean 
was  both  romantic  and  perilous.  When  they 
passed  through  the  English  Channel  they  ran  in- 
to a  small  port,  Lisett,  on  the  English  coast, 
where  they  took  in  fresh  drinking  water  and 
started  to  sell  whiskey,  which  it  was  then  pro- 
hibited to  import  there.  When  they  found  out 
how  dangerous  a  business  they  had  engaged  in, 
they  speedily  set  sail  and  escaped.  Either  through 
the  ignorance  of  the  captain  or  adverse  winds  we 
next  find  them  altogether  out  of  their  course,  as 
far  south  as  the  Madeira  Islands.  Here  they 
picked  up  a  cask  containing  Madeira  wine,  which 
was  floating  in  the  sea.  They  commenced  to 
pump  and  drink  of  its  contents.  The  whole  com- 
pany was  pretty  well  filled  up,  nobody  steered  the 
sloop,  and  it  came  driving  into  the  harbor  like  a 
plague-smitten  ship  without  commander  and 
without  any  flag  hoisted.  A  skipper  of  Bremen, 
whose  ship  was  anchored  in  the  harbor,  advised 
them  to  hoist  the  flag  instantly,  or  they  would 
have  the  guns  of  the  fort  trained  on  them.  Those 
were  in  fact  already  made  ready  for  action.  One 
of  the  passengers,  Thorstein  Olson  Bjaadland, 
got  hold  of  the  flag,  and  with  the  assistance  of 
others,  ran  it  up  to.  the  top  of  the  mast,  thus 
averting  the  danger.  Two  custom-house  officers 
then  came  on  board  the  sloop  and  made  an  in- 
vestigation, finding  everything  in  good  order. 
Much  attention  was  paid  to  the  sloop  party  in 
Madeira.  The  American  consul  increased  their 
store  of  provisions  and  gave  them  also  an  abund- 
ance of  grapes,  and  before  their  departure  he  in- 
vited the  whole  party  to  a  grand  dinner.  They 
arrived  in  Madeira  on  a  Thursday  and  left  on  the 
following  Sunday,  July  31,  and  as  they  sailed  out 
of  the  harbor,  the  fortress  fired  a  salute  in  their 
honor.  Having  experienced  the  above  and  many 
other  perils,  they  finally  reached  New  York  on 
October  9.  The  voyage  had  lasted  fourteen  weeks 
from  Stavanger.  However,  all  were  in  good 
health  when  they  landed.  It  caused  a  sensation 
in  New  York  when  it  became  known,  that  the 
Norsemen  had  risked  their  lives  in  so  small  a 
vessel.  Through  ignorance  or  misunderstanding 
the  sloop  carried  more  people  for  its  tonnage 
than  the  American  laws  permitted,  and  on  that 
account  the  skipper,  Lars  Olson,  was  arrested 
and  the  vessel  and  its  cargo  of  iron  confiscated. 

Whether  the  government  officials  out  of  con- 
sideration for  our  good  countrymen's  ignorance 
and  childish  behavior  raised  the  embargo  and  re- 
leased the  captain  from  arrest  is  not  known.  More 


likely  their  American  co-religionists,  the  Quakers, 
exercised  their  influence  in  their  behalf.  The  fact 
is  that  the  skipper  was  liberated  from  prison  and 
the  owners  got  back  their  ship  and  cargo.  In 
the  sale  of  the  cargo  they  were  unfortunate,  as 
the  ship  and  cargo  did  not  bring  more  than  $400. 
The  New  York  Quakers  took  up  a  collection  with 
which  to  help  them  on  their  way  farther  into  the 
country.  Two  families  settled  in  Rochester;  the 
others  bought  land  five  miles  northwest  of  Ro- 
chester, in  Morris  county.  Land  there  was  held  at 
$5  per  acre,  but  as  they  had  no  money  with  which 
to  buy,  they  got  it  on  the  installment  plan,  to  be 
paid  in  ten  years.  Each  one  got  forty  acres.  The 
land  was  heavily  wooded  and  hard  to  clear  up, 
wherefore  they  had  a  very  hard  time  of  it  during 
the  first  four  or  five  years.  Not  seldom  they 
were  in  real  want  and  wished  to  be  back  in  Nor- 
way. But  there  was  no  means  of  getting  there 
except  by  sacrificing  their  last  penny,  and  they 
did  not  want  to  get  back  as  beggars.  Liberal- 
•  minded  neighbors,  however,  lent  them  a  helping 
hand  and  through  their  own  diligence  and  fru- 
gality they  finally  conquered  their  land  and  got 
it  in  such  a  shape  that  they  could  make  a  living 
—  indeed  much  better  than  they  ever  could  in 
the  old  country.  Kleng  Peerson,  instead  of  com- 
ing in  the  sloop,  had  again  gone  by  the  way  of 
Gothenborg  and  was  already  in  New  York  ready 
to  receive  his  friends.  He  had  doubtless  found 
Quakers  in  New  York,  who  were  prepared  to  give 
our  Norwegian  pilgrims  a  welcome  and  such  as- 
sistance as  they  needed.  These  Quakers  showed 
themselves  in  this  case,  as  everywhere  in  history, 
to  be  friends  indeed. 

The  captain,  Lars  Olson,  remained  in  New 
York,  while  the  mate,  Nels  Erickson,  returned  to 
Norway.  The  leader  of  the  party,  Lars  Larson, 
also  remained  in  New  York  to  dispose  of  the  sloop 
and  its  cargo.  Having  been  a  ship  carpenter  in 
Norway,  he  moved  with  his  wife  and  daughter 
to  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  where  he  settled  as  a  builder 
of  canal  boats.  He  prospered,  and  when  he  died 
in  1845  he  left  a  handsome  fortune.  Thousands 
of  Norwegians  on  their  way  to  Illinois  and  Wis- 
consin during  the  following  years,  1836-1845, 
called  at  his  hospitable  home,  bringing  him  news 
from  Norway  and  getting  valuable  advice  in  re- 
turn. He  went  into  business  for  himself,  and 
already  in  1827  he  was  able  to  build  a  house  in 
Rochester,  which  house  still  stands  on  the  origi- 
nal site,  and  which  probably  is  the  oldest  house 
now  in  existence  in  America  built  by  a  Nor- 
wegian. 

(From  R.  B.  Anderson's  "First  Chapter  of  Nor- 
wegian Immigration.") 


"THE    SLOOPERS"   WHO    CAME   TO    ILLINOIS 


43 


The  "Sloopers"  Who  Came  to  Illinois 


Lars  Larson  had  eight  children  by  his  wife 
Martha  Georgiana.  Their  oldest  child  was  born 
on  the  sloop  "Restaurationen"  in  the  middle  of 
the  Atlantic  Ocean,  Sept.  2,  1825.  This  was  a 
girl,  whom  they  named  Margaret  Allen,  after  the 
Quaker  widow  with  whom  Lars  Larson  had 
lived  in  London,  and  through  whose  influence 
he  had  been  converted  to  the  Quaker  faith. 
Margaret  Allen  was  in  1875  married  to  Mr.  John 
Atwater,  at  Rochester,  with  whom  she  afterward 
moved  to  Chicago,  where  her  husband  became 
a  prominent  lawyer  and  died  in  the  '80's.  The 
famous  "sloop-girl",  Mrs.  Atwater,  who  is  now 
in  her  82nd  year,  is  still  alive  and  resides  at 
Western  Springs,  Cook  county,  111.,  surrounded 
by  her  family.  Her  son  John  has  a  printing 
plant,  and  also  serves  as  pastor  of  one  of  the 
churches  at  Western  Sorings. 

Another  daughter  of  Lars  Larson,  Martha 
Jane,  was  married  to  Mr.  Elias  C.  Patterson,  who 
died  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  in  1879.  She  thereupon 
moved  to  Western  Springs,  111.,  where  she  is 
still  living.  To  Martha  Jane  Patterson  belongs 
the  honor  of  being  one  of  the  first  Norwegians 
to  teach  in  America's  public  schools.  After  hav- 
ing taught  school  several  years  in  the  state  of 
New  York,  she  came  west  in  1857,  and  became 
a  teacher  in  the  public  schools  oi  Chicago. 

As  we  have  to  deal  only  with'  jlhose  of  the 
sloop  party  who  came  to  Illinois,  we  do  not 
mention  Lars  Larson's  other  children. 

Cornelius  Nelson  Hersdal,  born  1789,  and  his 
wife  Caroline  (Kari),  a  sister  of  Kleng  Peerson, 
both  from  Tysvaer,  Skjp"ld,  Stavanger  amt,  set- 
tled in  Kendall,  N.  Y.,  where  he  died  in  1833. 
They  had  seven  children:  Ann,  Nels,  Inger  and 
Martha,  born  in  Norway  and  passengers  on  the 
sloop;  and  Sarah,  Peter  C.  and  Amelia,  who  were 
born  in  Kendall.  In  May,  1836,  the  widow,  Kari, 
came  with  her  children  to  Mission  township, 
La  Salle  county,  Illinois.  She  died  there  July 
24.  1848.  — The  oldest  daughter,  Ann,  died  ten 
years  later.  —  The  oldest  son,  Nels,  was  born 
1816,  and  became  a  farmer  in  La  Salle  county. 
He  married  Knud  Iverson's  daughter,  Catharine, 
and  they  had  twelve  children,  of  which  seven 
reached  maturity.  Nels  died  Aug.  29,  1893,  at 
Sheridan,  111.,  and  was  the  last  male  survivor  of 
the  sloop  party.  Inger  was  born  in  Norway, 
Dec.  11.  1819,  and  was  married  in  1836  to  Mr. 
John  S.  Mitchell,  of  Ottawa.  111.  On  another 


page  we  present  a  portrait  and  biography  of  her 
son,  Mr.  Harley  B.  Mitchell,  the  prominent  pub- 
lisher, of  Chicago. — Martha  was  born  in  Norway, 
1823.  She  was  married  to  Beach  Fellows,  who 
in  1855  was  elected  county  treasurer;  afterward  he 
moved  to  Ottawa,  where  both  of  them  died. — 
Sarah  was  born  in  Kendall,  N.  Y.,  in  1827.  In 
1849  she  was  married  to  Canute  Peterson  Mar- 
sett,  who  came  from  Norway  in  1837  and  later 
became  a  Mormon.  She  seems  to  have  been  the 
first  one  of  Norwegian  immigrants  and  their 
descendants  to  teach  public  schools  in  America. 
During  the  years  1845  and  1846  she  taught  district 
school  in  the  Fox  River  Settlement. — Peter  C. 
Nelson,  the  youngest  son,  was  born  in  Kendall, 
N.  Y.,  in  1833.  He  moved  from  Illinois  to 
Larned,  Kan.,  where  he  became  a  farmer,  and 
had  nine  children.  One  of  his  daughters,  Carrie 
Nelson,  whose  portrait  and  biographical  data 
appear  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  is  the  wife  of 
Ex-Judge  Henry  W.  Johnson,  of  Ottawa,  111. 
Another  daughter  is  married  to  Banker  J.  A. 
Quam,  of  Sheridan,  111. 

Oyen  Thompson  vyas  born  near  Stavanger  in 
1795  and  died  in  Rochester,  N.  Y.,  1825.  His  wife, 
Bertha  Caroline,  was  born  near  Stavanger  in 
1790.  The  year  following  her  first  husband's 
death  she  married  his  brother,  Nels  Thompson, 
also  a  "Slooper,"  and  in  1828  they  moved  to  Ken- 
dall, N.  Y.  In  1835  they  came  to  Mission,  La 
Salle  county,  111.,  where  she  died  in  1844  in  the 
village  of  Norway.  With  him  in  the  sloop  Oyen 
Thompson  had  three  daughters.  The  oldest, 
Sarah,  was  born  1818.  With  her  family  she  came 
to  La  Salle  county,  where  her  parents  settled. 
In  1837  she  was  married  to  Mr.  G.  Olmstead, 
who  died  in  1849  from  cholera.  Until  1855  she 
remained  in  Ottawa,  111.,  and  was  then  married 
to  Wm.  W.  Richey,  her  sister  Anna  Maria's 
widower.  They  moved  to  the  neighborhood  of 
Marseilles,  111.,  and  after  eighteen  years  bought 
a  farm  in  Brookfield  township,  from  where  they 
nine  years  later  moved  to  Iowa.  She  was  finally 
divorced  from  Mr.  Richey.  She  had  eight  chil- 
dren— four  boys  and  four  girls;  five  by  her  first 
husband  and  three  by  her  second.  One  of  Oyen 
Thompson's  daughters,  Caroline,  died  in  Ro- 
chester. Another,  Anna  Maria,  born  1819,  was 
married  to  the  above-mentioned  William  W. 
Richey,  and  departed  this  life  in  Mission,  La 
Salle  county,  in  1842. 


44 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Nels  Thompson  and  Berthe  Caroline  had  three 
children — a  daughter,  Serena,  died  in  Mission,  III., 
1850;  a  son,  Abraham,  died  at  Marseilles,  111., 
1866;  and  a  daughter,  Caroline,  died  in  the  same 
township,  1858.  Nels  Thompson  died  in  1863. 

Daniel  Rosadal  (Rosdal)  with  wife  and  children 
came  first  to  Kendall,  N.  Y.,  and  in  1835  moved 
to  Fox  River  Settlement,  where  both  he  and  his 
»  wife  died  in  1854.  They  had  five  children  with 
them  in  the  sloop — Ellen,  Ove,  Lars,  John  and 
Hulda.  In  Kendall  one  child,  Caroline,  was  born 
to  them.  The  son,  Lars,  was  the  first  Norwegian 
buried  in  the  Fox  River  Settlement.  This  hap- 
pened in  1837.  One  daughter,  Ellen,  was  mar- 
ried to  Cornelius  Cothrien.  Ove  died  in  Iowa, 
but  his  remains  were  buried  in  Mission,  La  Salle 
county.  In  the  same  township  John  died  in  1893. 
Ellen,  Caroline  and  Hulda  are  also  dead.  Hulda 
was  married  to  Rasmus  Olson,  who  died  in 
Sheridan  in  1893.  Caroline  was  married  to  Jens 
Jacobs.  They  moved  in  1865  to  Rowe,  near 
Pontiac,  in  Livingston  county,  111.,  where  Jacobs 
had  bought  240  acres  of  land.  He  died  in  the 
fall  of  the  same  year,  and  his  widow  in  1894. 
They  had  six  children — five  sons  and  one 
daughter.  The  Rosadal  families  were  Quakers. 

Thomas  Madland  was  born  in  Stavanger,  Nor- 
Norway,  in  1778,  and  died  the  year  after  he  came 
to  America,  in  1826.  He  left  three  children  in 
Norway  and  brought  his  wife  and  three  daugh- 
ters with  him  in  the  sloop.  These  daughters  were 
Rachel,  Julia  and  Serena.  Julia,  born  in  1810, 
married  Gudmund  Haukaas  in  Kendall,  N.  Y., 
and  died  in  Mission,  La  Salle  county,  111.,  in  1846. 
Serena  was  born  in  1814.  She  was  married  to 
Jacob  Anderson  Slogvig,  in  1831,  in  Kendall.  She 
came  first  to  the  Fox  River  Settlement  and  later 
moved  to  San  Diego,  Cal.  Both  she  and  her 
husband  are  dead. 

Nels  Nelson  Hersdal  stayed  in  Kendall  from 
1825  to  1835,  when  he  went  out  to  the  Fox  River 
Settlement.  He  did  not  take  his  family  there, 
however,  until  1846.  Nels  Nelson  was  known  in 
the  Fox  River  Settlement  as  Big  Nels.  A  number 
of  stories  are  related  about  his  enormous 
strength,  and  his  language  and  manners  are  said 
to  have  been  somewhat  lacking  in  refinement. 

Jacob  Anderson  Slogvig  and  Knut  Anderson 
Slogvig  were  brothers.  Jacob  Slogvig  came 
from  Kendall  to  the  Fox  River  Settlement  in 
1835.  He  married  a  daughter  of  Thomas  Mad- 
land,  and  during  the  gold  fever  went  to  Cali- 
fornia, 1850,  where  he  became  rich  and  died. 

Knud  Anderson  Slogvig  went  back  to  Norway 
in  1835  and  married  a  sister  of  Ole  Olson  Hetlet- 
vedt.  He  was  instrumental  in  bringing  about 


the  great  emigration  from  Norway  in  1836.  He 
returned  from  Stavanger  in  that  year  and  in  1837 
he  is  said  to  have  gone  with  Kleng  Peerson  to 
Missouri,  where  the  latter  tried  to  form  a  Nor- 
wegian settlement,  but  things  down  there  do  not 
seem  to  have  pleased  Slogvig,  so  he  returned  to 
Fox  River  immediately.  He  later  settled  in  Lee 
county,  Illinois,  where  he  and  his  wife  both  died. 
Gudmund  Haukaas  came  to  Kendall  in  1825. 
There  he  married  Thomas  Madland's  daughter 
Julia.  They  went  to  the  Fox  River  Settlement 
in  1834.  He  was  a  man  of  more  than  average 
education  and  intelligence.  The  couple  had  ten 
children.  The  wife  died  in  1846,  and  later  Gud- 
mund was  married  to  Miss  Caroline  Hervig.  In 
Illinois  he  joined  the  Mormons  and  became  an 
elder  of  the  Latter-Day  Saints.  He  was  also  a 
self-made  physician  and  is  said  to  have  been  of 
great  help  to  his  countrymen  who  were  suffering. 
He  died  on  his  farm,  near  Norway,  111.,  from 
cholera,  in  1849.  One  son,  Thomas,  became  a 
minister  in  the  Mormon  Church  in  La  Salle 
county,  and  Caroline,  a  daughter  by  his  second 
wife,  is  married  to  Dr.  R.  W.  Bower,  of  Sheridan, 
III.  This  couple  had  a  son,  Dr.  G.  S.  Bower,  who 
was  a  physician  in  Ransom,  about  ten  miles 
northeast  from  Streator,  La  Salle  county.  Mrs. 
Isabel  Lewis,  of  Emington,  Livingston  county, 
111.,  was  a  daughter  of  Gudmund  Haukaas. 

•Thorstein  Olson  Bjaadland  was  born  in  Haa, 
south  of  Stavanger,  Norway,  about  1795.  He 
lived  five  years  in  Kendall,  N.  Y.;  went  to  Michi- 
gan, where  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  shoemaker; 
returned  to  Kendall,  and  in  1834  joined  the  party 
that  went  to  the  Fox  River  Settlement  with 
Kleng  Peerson.  Here  he  bought  a  few  acres, 
built  a  small  loghouse,  and  prospered  until  the 
Indians  set  fire  to  the  prairie  grass.  The  fire 
consumed  his  loghouse  together  with  all  its 
contents.  He  built  another  log  house  and  re- 
mained in  Illinois  until  he  moved  to  Dane  county, 
Wisconsin,  in  1840,  where  he  died  a  poor  man 
in  1874. 

George  Johnson  came  from  Kendall  to  the 
Fox  River  Settlement  in  1835.  He  died  from 
cholera  in  1849.  He  was  married  to  a  daughter 
of  "Dr."  Johan  Nordboe,  who  had  taken  up  a 
claim  in  De  Kalb  county,  not  far  from  Sycamore, 
and  which  is  still  called  Norwegian  Grove  after 
him.  George  Johnson  left  four  children. 

The  cook  on  the  sloop,  Andrew  (Endre)  Dahl, 
first  settled  in  Kendall,  N.  Y.,  and  in  1835  came 
to  Mission,  La  Salle  county,  111.  There  he  mar- 
ried Sven  Aasen's  widow.  Later  he  went  to 
Utah,  where  he  died. 


"THE  SLOOPERS"  WHO   CAME  TO    ILLINOIS 


45 


Ole  Olson  Hetletvedt  was  born  north  of  Stav- 
anger.  He  went  first  to  Kendall,  thence  to 
Niagara  Falls,  N.  Y.  He  dropped  his  surname 
Hetletvedt  in  this  country,  and  became  plain  Ole 
Olson.  When  he  came  west  he  settled  in  La 
Salle  county,  and  about  1841  in  Newark,  Kendall 
county,  111.,  where  he  died  in  1849.  He  was  the 
first  Norwegian  settler  in  Newark.  The  next 
ones  were  Knud  Williamson  and  Herman  Os- 
monsen.  He  was  an  ardent  Haugian  and  success- 
ful lay  missionary.  Two  of  his  brothers  came 
to  America  in  1836.  One  of  them,  Knud  Olson 
Hetletvedt,  settled  as  a  farmer  in  Mission  town- 
ship and  died  there  from  cholera  in  1849.  His 
other  brother,  Jacob  Olson  Hetletvedt,  went  to 
Iowa,  where  he  died  in  1875.  His  widow  was 


married  to  Sven  Kjylaa,  and  with  him  she  moved 
to  La  Salle  county,  Illinois. 

Ole  Olson  had  four  children,  three  sons  and 
one  daughter.  The  sons  were  Porter  C.,  S0ren 
L.  and  James  Webster.  The  daughter's  name  was 
Bertha.  When  the  Thirty-sixth  Regiment  of  the 
Illinois  Volunteers  was  formed,  Porter  C.  got 
together  Company  F.,  consisting  mostly  of  Nor- 
wegians. His  two  brothers  enlisted  in  same,  and 
Porter  C.  Olson  became  its  captain.  He  soon 
advanced  to  the  colonelcy  of  the  regiment,  and 
at  the  time  when  he  was  killed  in  the  battle  of 
Franklin,  Tenn.,  he  was  acting  brigadier-general. 
His  brother,  S0ren  L.  Olson,  was  killed  by  a 
shell  at  the  battle  of  Murfreesboro.  Their  young- 
est brother  James  came  through  the  war  scot  free. 


Porter  C.  Olson 


Porter  C.  Olson,  having  been  the  most  remark- 
able soldier  from  Illinois  of  Norwegian  descent 
during  the  Civil  War,  we  are  going  to  give  a 
more  explicit  account  of  him.  . 

As  already  mentioned,  he  was  the  oldest  son 
of  Ole  Olsen,  the  Slooper,  and  was  born  at 
Manchester,  near  Niagara  Falls,  in  1831.  His 
mother  was  an  American.  When  Porter  C.  was 
a  lad,  his  parents  moved  to  Newark,  Kendall 
county,  this  state.  His  education  was  advanced 
in  the  county  schools,  and  he  attended  Beloit 
College,  Wis.,  during  two  years,  1856-58. 

He  then  became  a  teacher  of  the  district  school 
at  Lisbon,  111.,  but  when  the  war  broke  out,  he  ex- 
changed the  quiet  of  the  county  school  house  for 
the  strenuous  life  of  the  military  camp.  Through 
his  efforts  a  company  was  recruited  among 
the  Norwegians  around  Newark,  Helmar,  Lisbon, 
Norway,  Sheridan  and  other  places.  A  few  of 
the  survivors  are  still  living,  among  whom  are 
B.  Thompson,  a  merchant  at  Sheridan,  and  Tor- 
ris  Johnson,  a  retired  farmer  at  Newark.  Arn- 
old Schlanbusch  died  in  March,  1906.  The  bi- 
ographies of  the  latter  two  appear  elsewhere  in 
this  volume.  The  company  was  designated  as 
F  and  incorporated  in  the  Thirty-sixth  Regiment 
of  the  Illinois  Volunteers.  They  first  camped  on 
the  west  side  of  Fox  River,  about  two  miles  from 
Aurora,  at  Camp  Hammond,  and  started  for  the 


seat  of  war  on  the  24th  day  of  September,  1861. 
Porter  C.  Olson  followed  his  regiment  and  partic- 
ipated in  all  of  its  bloody  battles  to  the  fatal  one 
at  Franklin,  Tennessee. 

The  above-named  members  of  his  company 
were  unanimous  in  expressing  their  appreciation 
of  and  affection  for  their  captain.  They  say  he 
was  a  modest  and  unassuming  man  of  excellent 
character.  Major  L.  G.  Bennett,  who  has  written 
the  history  of  the  Thirty-sixth  Regiment,  testifies 
that  "next  after  the  lamented  Miller  none  stood 
higher  or  had  a  warmer  place  in  the  affections 
of  the  men  than  Lieutenant-colonel  Porter  C. 
Olson." 

The  records  of  this  regiment  state  that  Mr. 
Olson  commanded  the  regiment  with  great  brav- 
ery in  the  battle  of  Stone  River,  in  December, 
1862,  and  in  January,  1863.  In  this  battle  General 
Sill  was  killed,  on  Dec.  31,  1862.  Colonel  Greusel, 
of  the  Thirty-sixth  Illinois,  took  command  of  the 
brigade,  and  Major  Miller  of  the  Thirty-sixth  hav- 
ing been  wounded,  the  command  of  the  regiment 
devolved  on  Porter  C.  Olson.  Captain  Olson 
made  a  full  official  report  of  the  movements  of 
the  regiment  during  those  eventful  days,  and  we 
deem  it  both  proper  and  interesting  enough  to 
be  preserved  among  the  records  of  our  early 
Norwegian  settlers,  inasmuch  as  both  Major 
Bennett's  history  of  the  Thirty-sixth  Illinois  and 


46 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Prof.  R.  B.  Anderson's  First  Chapter  of  Nor- 
wegian Immigration,  in  which  work  the  report 
is  copied,  are  out  of  print  and  consequently  not 
available  for  the  present  generation  of  descend- 
ants of  Norwegians.  Captain  Olson's  report  is 
certainly  a  most  precious  historical  document  for 
Norwegian-Americans.  It  reads  as  follows: 


Col.  Porter  C.  Olson. 

"Headquarters  36th  111.  Vols., 

Jan.   9,   1863. 

"The  36th  Illinois  regiment,  Col.  N.  Greusel 
commanding,  was  called  into  line  at  four  o'clock 
on  Tuesday  morning,  December  30th,  1862,  and 
stood  under  arms  until  daylight,  to  the  left  of 
the  Wilkinson  pike,  our  right  resting  upon  it, 
five  miles  from  Murfreesboro.  At  nine  o'clock 
a.  m.  we  moved  forward  to  Murfreesboro.  Two 
companies  were  deployed  as  skirmishers  to  the 
right  of  the  road  and  were  soon  engaged  with 
the  enemy's  skirmishers.  When  two  miles  from 
Murfreesboro,  the  regiment  was  deployed  in  a 
cornfield  to  the  right  of  the  pike  and  two  com- 
panies were  sent  forward  as  skirmishers,  as 
ordered  by  Gen.  Sill.  The  regiment  lay  in  line 
in  this  field  until  2  o'clock  p.  m.  at  which  time 
the  whole  line  was  ordered  to  advance.  The 
skirmishers  kept  up  a  sharp  fire — the  enemy's 
line  retreating  and  ours  advancing.  We  drove 


the  enemy  through  the  timber  and  across  the 
cotton  field,  a  low,  narrow  strip  stretching  to  the 
right  into  the  timber.  A  rebel  battery,  directly 
in  front  of  the  36th,  opened  a  heavy  fire  upon 
us.  Our  skirmishers  advanced  to  the  foot  of  the 
hill  near  the  cotton  field  and  here  kept  up  a 
well  directed  fire.  We  were  ordered  to  support 
Capt.  Bush's  battery,  which  was  brought  into 
position  in  the  point  of  timber  where  our  right 
rested,  and  opened  fire  with  terrible  effect  upon 
the  enemy.  We  remained  as  a  support  until 
nearly  dark,  when  Capt.  Bush  went  to  the  rear, 
the  enemy's  battery,  or  rather  its  disabled  frag- 
ments, having  been  dragged  from  the  field.  In 
this  day's  engagement  the  regiment  lost  three 
killed  and  fifteen  wounded;  total  eighteen.  We 
occupied  the  hill  during  the  night,  and  our 
skirmishers  were  in  line  at  the  edge  of  the  cotton 
field. 

"On  the  morning  of  December  31st,  soon  after 
daylight,    the    enemy    advanced    in    strong    force 
from  the  timber  beyond  the  cotton  field  opposite 
our  right.    They  came  diagonally  across  the  field 
and  upon  reaching  the   foot  of  the   hill  made  a 
left   half  wheel,   coming  up   directly   in   front   ofj 
us.     When  the  enemy  had  advanced  up  the   hill 
sufficiently  to   be   in  sight,   Col.   Greusel  ordered 
the  regiment  to  fire,  which  was  promptly  obeyed. 
We  engaged  the  enemy  at  short  range,  the  lines  j 
being    not    over    ten    rods    apart.      After    a    few] 
rounds,  the  regiment  supporting  us  on  the  right 
gave  way.     In  this  manner  we  fought  for  nearly 
half  an  hour,  when  Col.  Greusel  ordered  the  regi-  ' 
ment  to  charge.     The  enemy  fled  in  great  confu- 
sion across  the  cotton  field  into  the  woods  op- 
posite our  left,  leaving  many  of  their  dead  and 
wounded  upon  the  field.     We  poured  a  destruc- 
tive fire  upon  them  as  they  retreated  until  they' 
were  beyond  range. 

"The  36th  again  took  position  upon  the  hill 
and  the  support  'for  our  right  came  forward. 
At  this  time  Gen.  Sill  was  killed,  and  Col.  Greusel 
took  command  of  the  brigade.  A  fresh  brigade 
of  the  enemy  advanced  from  the  direction  that! 
the  first  had  come  and  in  splendid  order.  We  I 
opened  fire  on  them  with  terrific  effect.  Again 
the  regiment  on  our  right  gave  way  and  we  were 
again  left  without  support.  In,  this  condition 
we  fought  until  our  ammunition  was  exhausted 
and  the  enemy  had  entirely  flanked  us  on  our: 
right.  At  this  juncture  Major  Miller  ordered 
the  regiment  to  fall  back.  While  retreating, 
Major  Miller  was  wounded  and  the  command 
devolved  on  me.  We  moved  back  of  the  corn 
field  to  the  edge  of  the  timber  a  hundred  rods 
to  the  right  of  the  Wilkinson  pike  and  two  milei 


PORTER  C.  OLSON 


from  Murfreesboro,  at  eight  o'clock  a.  m.  Here 
I  met  Gen.  Sheridan  and  reported  to  him  that 
the  regiment  was  out  of  ammunition  and  that 
I  would  be  ready  for  action  as  soon  as  I  could 
obtain  it.  We  had  suffered  severely  in  resisting 
the  attack  of  superior  numbers.  I  had  now  only 
one  hundred  and  forty  men.  The  regiment 
fought  with  great  obstinacy  and  much  is  due  to 
Col.  N.  Greusel  for  his  bravery  in  conducting 
the  regiment  before  being  called  away.  Adjutant 
Biddulph  went  to  find  the  ammunition,  but  did 
not  succeed.  I  then  informed  Quartermaster 
Bouton,  that  I  needed  cartridges,  but  he  failed 
to  find  any  except  size  fifty-eight,  the  caliber  of 
most  of  the  arms  being  sixty-nine.  I  was  ordered 
by  Major  General  McCook  to  fall  back  to  the 
rear  of  Gen.  Crittenden's  corps.  I  arrived  there 
about  ten  o'clock  a.  m.  I  here  obtained  ammu- 
nition, and  disoatched  the  adjutant  to  report  to 
Col.  Greusel  the  condition  and  whereabouts  of 
the  regiment.  He  returned  without  seeing  the 
Colonel.  lieutenant  Watkins  soon  rode  up  and 
volunteered  to  take  a  message  to  Col.  Greusel, 
or  Gen.  Sheridan.  He  also  returned  without  find- 
ing either  officer.  I  now  went  in  search  of  Gen. 
Sheridan  myself;  found  him  at  12  o'clock,  and 
reported  to  him  the  regiment  (what  there  was 
left  of  it)  ready  to  move  to  the  front.  He  or- 
dered that  I  should  hold  the  regiment  in  readi- 
ness and  await  his  commands. 

"At  2  o'clock  p.  m.  I  received  orders  from 
Gen.  Sheridan  to  advance  to  the  front  to  the  left 
of  the  railroad  and  connect  my  command  tem- 
porarily with  Col.  Leibold's  brigade.  We  were 
here  subject  to  a  very  severe  artillery  fire.  A 
twelve-pound  shell  struck  in  the  right  of  the 
regiment  and  killed  Lieutenant  Sdren  L.  Olson, 
[a  brave  and  faithful  officer,  commanding  Com- 
pany F  and  a  brother  of  Col.  Porter  C.  Olson], 
Corporal  Riggs,  and  wounding  three  others.  At 
dark  we  were  moved  by  Liut.  Denning  one 
quarter  of  a  mile  to  the  rear,  where  we  remained 
for  the  night.  At  three  o'clock  in  the  morning 
of  the  first  of  January,  1863,  by  order  of  Gen. 
Sheridan,  we  marched  to  his  headquarters  on 
the  Nashville  pike,  a  distance  of  half  a  mile, 
where  at  daylight  I  reported  to  Col.  Greusel. 
As  ordered  by  him  we  took  position  to  the  right 
of  Capt.  Bush's  battery,  fronting  west.  We  built 
a  barricade  of  logs  and  stone  and  remained 
through  the  day  ready  to  receive  the  enemy,  but 
no  attack  was  made.  On  the  morning  of  the 
second,  the  regiment  was  in  line  at  four  o'clock; 
stood  under  arms  until  daylight.  We  remained 
ready  for  action  through  the  day  until  four 
o'clock  p.  m.,  when,  by  order  of  Col.  Greusel, 


we  moved  to  the  right  on  the  line  formerly  oc- 
cupied by  Gen.  Davis.  During  the  night  con- 
siderable skirmishing  occurred  on  our  front.  On 
the  morning  of  that  3rd  instant  the  regiment 
stood  under  arms  from  four  o'clock  until  day- 
light. At  eight  o'clock  a.  m.,  by  order  of  Col. 
Greusel,  we  changed  position  to  the  right  and 
somewhat  to  the  rear,  letting  our  right  rest  upon 
the  Nashville  pike.  On  the  morning  of  the 
fourth  we  were  under  arms  at  four  o'clock.  No 
fighting  occurred  on  our  part  of  the  line  during 
the  day.  In  the  action  throughout,  the  regiment 
behaved  in  the  most  gallant  manner.  The  offi- 
cers, with  only  a  single  exception,  distinguished 
themselves  for  bravery  and  coolness.  The  men 
with  unflinching  courage  were  always  ready, 
and  met  the  enemy  with  determination  to  con- 
quer. I  tender  my  thanks  to  Adjutant  (George 
G.)  Biddulph  for  the  gallant  and  efficient  man- 
ner in  which  he  assisted  me,  and  also  to  the 
other  officers  for  their  gallant  action  through- 
out the  strong  conflict,  which  resulted  in  victory. 
I  append  to  this  report  a  list  of  casualties. 

(Signed)  Porter  C.  Olson. 

"Captain,  Commanding  36th  Illinois  Volunteers." 

General  Rosecrans  writes  in  his  report  of  the 
battle:  "The  firing  was  terrific,  and  the  havoc 
terrible.  The  enemy  retreated  more  rapidly  than 
they  had  advanced.  In  forty  minutes  they  lost 
two  thousand  men."  And  General  P.  H.  Sheridan 
writes  of  this  bloody  engagement:  "I  refer  with 
pride  to  the  splendid  conduct,  bravery  and  ef- 
ficiency of  the  following  regimental  command- 
ers, and  the  officers  and  men  of  their  respective 
commands:  Major  Silas  Miller,  36th  Illinois, 
wounded  and  a  prisoner;  Capt.  P.  C.  Olson, 
36th  111."  This  regiment  suffered  more  than 
any  other  in  that  battle,  and  the  list  of  the  dead 
and  wounded  fills  two  whole  closely  printed 
pages  in  Bennett's  History  of  the  Thirty-sixth 
Illinois. 

From  the  condition  of  his  health,  Colonel  N. 
Greusel,  on  Feb.  9,  1863,  felt  constrained  to 
tender  his  resignation,  and  Captain  Jenks,  of 
Company  A,  Cavalry,  was  promoted  to  take  his 
place.  "He  was  a  man  of  excellent  abilities,  of 
fine  taste  and  culture,  a  man  whom  to  know  was 
to  esteem,"  says  Mr.  Bennett;  "but  unfortunately 
he  found  himself  in  a  position  equally  unpleasant 
for  himself  and  the  regiment.  It  was  felt  that  the 
two  companies  of  cavalry  attached  to  the  36th 
Illinois,  being  so  distinct  in  organization  and 
service,  ought  not  to  be  reckoned  in  the  line  of 
promotion,  but  that  the  regiment  officers  should 
be  taken  from  the  regiment  itself.  This  feeling 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


was  so  intense  that  neither  kindness  nor  discipline 
could  overcome  it.  At  one  time  it  seemed  so 
high  that  it  almost  threatened  mutiny,  when 
Colonel  Jenks  wisely  resigned  and  returned  to 
his  profession,  in  which  he  proved  himself  so 
successful."  The  result  was  that  Captain  Porter 
C.  Olson  again  took  command  of  the  regiment. 

On  the  llth  of  May,  1863,  Olson  was  regularly 
appointed  lieutenant-colonel,  and  took  command 
of  the  regiment  for  Silas  Miller,  who  had  re- 
ceived a  commission  as  colonel,  but  was  still  a 
prisoner  at  Libby  and  did  not  return  till  May 
22.  "The  promotion  of  Olson  was,"  says  Ben- 
nett, "highly  honorable  to  that  worthy  officer, 
whose  fidelity 'and  courage,  tested  both  in  camp 
and  field,  had  won  the  confidence  of  the  regi- 
ment. The  appointment,  too,  will  never  cease 
to  be  equally  honorable  to  Major  George  D. 
Sherman,  who,  though  himself  a  ranking  officer 
and  entitled  to  the  position,  recommended  Capt. 
Olson." 

In  the  battle  of  Chickamauga  the  Thirty-sixth 
Illinois  also  suffered  terribly.  It  was  in  that 
battle  that  the  gallant  Colonel  Hans  E.  Heg  was 
shot  on  the  19th  of  September  and  died  on  the 
following  day.  We  again  quote  in  regard  to 
Olson  from  Bennett's  History:  "In  the  mean- 
time the  fiery  conflict  grew  more  desperate  and 
deadly.  Col.  Miller,  on  whom  the  command  of 
the  brigade  devolved,  gallant  as  ever;  Lieut.-Col. 
Olson,  brave  to  a  fault,  and  Major  Sherman, 
true  and  unflinching,  were  everywhere  conspicu- 
ous, encouraging  the  men  by  their  example  to 
wring  from  unwilling  hands  of  fate  the  victory 
which  was  denied." 

At  the  battle  of  Mission  Ridge  Colonel  Olson 
again  commanded  the  regiment  and  led  it  into 
the  thickest  of  the  fight. 

On  Feb.  2,  1864,  the  regiment  returned  to 
Chicago,  and  a  few  days  later  to  Aurora,  where 
it  was  reorganized  and  started  for  the  South 
again  on  the  19th  of  March,  with  Miller  as 
colonel  and  Porter  C.  Olson  as  lieutenant-colonel. 

How  popular  Olson  was  may  be  gained  from 
the  fact  that  the  ground  on  which  his  regiment 
camped  near  Cowan,  Tenn.,  was  called-  Camp 
Olson.  From  June  until  August  24  Olson  was 
absent  from  the  regiment  on  account  of  sick- 
ness, but  upon  the  death  of  Colonel  Silas  Mil- 
ler he  returned  and  resumed  command.  On  the 
23d  day  of  September,  1864,  one  hundred  and 
twenty-seven  men  and  one  officer,  whose  three 
years  of  service  had  expired,  were  mustered  out 
and  took  leave  of  their  comrades.  Being  drawn 
up  in  line,  they  were  addressed  in  a  speech  by 
Colonel  Olson  who  "reviewed  their  connection 


with  the  regiment,  honored  their  fidelity,  and 
exhorted  them  to  be  true  to  the  country,  as 
citizens  at  home,  while  their  comrades  continued 
to  bear  the  hardships  of  camp  and  field." 

The  bloody  fight  and  slaughter  at  Franklin, 
Tenn.,  occurred  on  Nov.  30.  For  his  successful 
resistance  and  victory  in  this  battle  General 
Scofield  was  in  a  large  measure  indebted  to  the 
unflinching  courage  of  Colonel  Olson  and  the 
gallant  Thirty-sixth  in  checking  and  delaying 
the  march  of  Hood's  army  until  the  works  at 
Franklin  were  strengthened.  It  was  a  delicate 
and  dangerous  duty  to  clear  the  pike  and  hold 
it  open  to  enable  the  troops  from  Columbia  to 
pass  without  interruption,  and  Colonel  Olson 
with  his  regiment  was  selected  to  do  this. 

In  the  battle  of  Franklin  Colonel  Olson  was 
everywhere  among  his  men  with  words  of  cheer 
and  encouragement,  and  utterly  regardless  of 
his  own  life  and  safety.  Shortly  after  reaching 
the  works  he  was  struck  by  a  musket  ball,  which 
entered  his  breast  and  passed  through  his  body 
in  the  region  of  the  heart.  He  fell  instantly, 
but  in  falling  he  requested  Lieutenant  Hall  of 
Company  E  to  take  him  to  the  rear.  Assisted 
by  Sergeant  Yarnell  of  Company  G,  they  carried 
him  to  the  shelter  of  a  brick  house  standing 
near  the  works,  when,  perceiving  that  he  was 
failing  fast,  the  lieutenant  called  to  Captain  Bid- 
dulph  to  attend  to  the  regiment  as  the  colonel's 
wound  was  mortal.  Yarnell  wrenched  a  window 
shutter  from  the  house,  and  on  this  the  bleed- 
ing body  of  their  commander  was  placed  and 
hurriedly  borne  to  the  rear,  while  musket  balls 
and  cannon  shot  were  striking  around  them  in 
fearful  quantities. 

They  were  none  too  soon  in  reaching  the  river 
to  secure  the  last  vacant  place  in  an  ambulance 
in  which  he  was  tenderly  placed  by  the  side  of 
the  wounded  color-bearer,  Mr.  Zimmer.  Then 
taking  a  last  look  at  their  dying  chief,  they  hur- 
ried back  to  the  trenches,  resumed  their  position 
in  the  line  and  fought  bravely  to  the  end.  The 
colonel's  life  ebbed  rapidly  away  and  in  a  half- 
conscious  state  the  pious,  God-fearing  soldier 
feebly  whispered:  "Oh,  help  me,  Lord!"  These 
were  his  last  words,  and  his  heart  was  still.  His 
noble  spirit  had  taken  its  flight  to  rest.  L.  G. 
Bennett  closes  the  chapter  on  Colonel  Porter 
Olson's  death  with  these  eloquent  and  striking 
words:  "When  brave  Olson  fell,  a  cold  tremor 
thrilled  along  the  line.  At  any  other  time  than 
in  the  face  of  the  enemy  and  under  a  murderous 
fire  the  men  would  have  sat  down  and  cried  like 
children  over  his  untimely  fate.  Brave,  generous, 


PORTER  C.  OLSON 


49 


earnest  and  faithful,  none  had  stood  more  honest- 
ly by  the  men  or  been  more  true  to  the  country 
than  he.  Always  present  in  the  perils  and  hard- 
ships of  the  36th,  he  had  shared  them  all  and 
won  his  way  into  the  hearts  and  affections  of 
the  men,  making  a  record  of  glory  that  will 
never  be  closed  up  or  forgotten,  though  his 


mild,  intelligent  and  thoughtful  face.  This  grand 
life  resulted  from  the  immigration  of  his  father, 
Ole  Olson  Hetletvedt,  in  the  Sloop,  in  1825,  and 
the  first  settler  in  what  is  now  the  village  of 
Newark. 

Colonel     Olson's     remains     rest    in    the     little 
cemetery  on  the  ridge  near  Millington,  a  station 


Monument  of  Col.  Porter  C. 

mangled  remains  may  moulder  and  lay  hidden 
from  sight  in  an  unknown  and  unmarked  grave. 
The  name  of  Porter  C.  Olson  will  live  forever, 
and  be  handed  down  along  the  imperishable 
ages,  indissolubly  linked  with  the  fame  of  the 
immortal  Thirty-Sixth." 

Colonel    Olson's    portrait    shows    a    peculiarly 


Olson,  Millington  Cemetery,   111. 

on  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  Railroad's  Fox  River  Branch, 
between  Yorkville  and  Sheridan.  Through  the 
courtesy  of  one  of  the  men  who  fought  by  his 
side,  Mr.  Torris  Johnson  of  Newark,  we  are 
enabled  to  present  a  picture  of  the  monument 
erected  on  Porter  C.  Olson's  grave  as  well  as 
an  image  of  the  Colonel  himself. 


50  A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 

The  First  Farm  Owned  by  a  Norwegian  West  of 

the  Great  Lakes 


The  last  couple  to  survive  of  those  who  em- 
barked in  the  sloop  on  July  4,  1825,  were  Nels 
Nelson  Hersdal  and  his  wife  Bertha.  Mrs.  Nel- 
son died  in  1882  and  Mr.  Nelson  in  1886.  The 
last  male  survivor  was  Nels  Nelson,  Jr.,  a  son  of 
Cornelius  Nelson  and  nephew  of  Kleng  Peerson. 
He  was  born  in  Tysvaer  parish,  Norway,  June 
29,  1816,  and  died  at  Sheridan,  111.,  Aug.  29,  1893. 
His  wife,  Catherine  Evenson,  died  in  Sheridan, 
July  24,  1906.  Mr.  J.  A.  Quam  is  now  adminis- 
tering her  estate,  and  her  son,  Cornelius,  is  liv- 
ing on  and  owns  the  old  homestead.  Her  father, 
Knut  Evenson,  came  to  America  in  1831.  He  set- 
tled in  Kendall,  N.  Y.,  and  both  he  and  his  wife 
died  there.  Catherine  came  with  friends  to  La 
Salle  county,  Illinois,  in  1839.  Nels  Nelson  was 
usually  styled  Jr.,  to  distinguish  him  from  Nels 
Nelson  Hersdal,  Sr.  Nels  Nelson,  Jr.,  and  his 
wife  Catherine  had  ten  children,  four  of  whom 
are  now  living,  three  daughters  and  a  son.  The 
son,  whose  name  is  Cornelius,  lives  on  the  farm 
in  Mission  township,  La  Salle  county,  purchased 
for  his  grandmother,  Carrie  (Kari)  Nelson,  the 
widow  of  Cornelius  Nelson,  by  Kleng  Peerson, 


before  she  moved  to  Illinois  in  1836.  On  this 
farm  —  which  is  the  W.  half  S.  W.  quarter  S.  33, 
T.  35,  R.  5  E.,  3  P.  M.  —  she  built  a  log  house 
shortly  after  her  arrival  and  made  her  home 
there  until  she  died,  July  24,  1848.  This  farm  be- 
came the  property  of  her  son,  Nels  Nelson,  Jr., 
the  last  male  survivor  of  the  sloop  party,  and 
now  his  son,  Cornelius,  has  it.  The  original  log 
house  still  stands,  but  has  been  sided  over  and 
a  larger  frame  building;  has  been  added  to  it;  it 
still  serves  as  a  home  for  a  grandchild  of  a 
Slooper.  We  speak  thus  fully  of  this  farm  because 
it  is  beyond  all  doubt  the  first  farm  selected  by 
a  Norwegian  in  America  west  of  the  Great 
Lakes,  and  it  would  not  be  out  of  place  to  com- 
memorate the  event  by  a  small  monument  in 
honor  of  Mrs.  Carrie  Nelson's  brother,  Kleng 
Peerson,  of  Hesthammer,  Tysvaer  parish,  Skjjzild 
district,  Stavanger  county,  Norway.  Perhaps  it 
was  on  this  land  he  lay  down  and  rested  and  had 
his  memorable  dream,  mentioned  on  another 
page.  At  all  events  this  is  the  first  piece  of  land 
selected  by  a  Norwegian  in  the  great  North- 
west. 


Claims  and  First  Improvements 


Future  generations  will  inquire  not  only  how 
this  country  appeared  before  the  hand  of  civilized 
man  had  marred  its  virgin  beauty,  but  how  the 
first  comers  managed  to  live,  to  protect  them- 
selves from  the  elements  and  to  procure  the 
means  of  subsistence;  how  they  met  the  varied 
requirements  of  civilization  to  which  they  had 
been  accustomed,  and  with  what  resignation  they 
dispensed  with  such  as  could  not  be  had. 

If  correctly  told,  it  would  be  a  tale  of  intense 
interest;  but  it  would  require  a  master  hand  to 
draw  a  picture  that  would  show  the  scene  in  all 


of  its  details  —  personal  experience  alone  could 
fully  unfold  the  tale.  When  a  new-comer  ar- 
rived, he  first  selected  a  location  where  he  could 
make  his  future  home;  and  the  question  natural- 
ly arises,  of  whom  did  he  get  permission  to  oc- 
cupy it?  The  answer  might  be  given  in  the  lan- 
guage usually  used  when  defining  political  or 
civil  rights  —  everyone  was  free  to  do  as  he 
pleased  so  he  did  not  interfere  with  his  neigh- 
bor. When  the  government  had  extinguished  the 
Indian  title  the  land  was  subject  to  settlement, 
either  before  or  after  survey.  The  settler  had 


CLAIMS   AND    FIRST    IMPROVEMENTS 


51 


no  paper  title,  but  simply  the  right  of  possession, 
which  he  got  by  moving  onto  and  occupying  it; 
this  gave  him  the  right  to  hold  it  against  all  others 
till  some  one  came  with  a  better  title,  which  bet- 
ter title  could  only  be  got  by  purchasing  the  fee 
of  the  government,  when  surveyed  and  brought 
into  market.  The  right  of  possession  thus  ob- 
tained constituted  what  was  called  a  claim.  These 
were  regarded  as  valid  titles  by  the  settlers,  and 
were  often  sold,  in  some  instances  for  large 
amounts.  Pre-emption  laws  were  passed  at  dif- 
ferent times  by  Congress,  giving  to  claimants 
who  had  made  certain  specified  improvements 
the  exclusive  right  to  purchase  the  premises,  at 
the  minimum  price  of  $1.25  per  acre;  provided, 
they  would  prove  their  pre-emption,  and  pay  for 
the  same  before  they  were  offered  for  sale  by 
the  government.  The  conditions  required  were 
possession  or  cultivation,  and  raising  a  crop,  the 
amount  of  the  crop  not  being  specified.  A  rail 
fence  of  four  lengths  was  often  seen  on  the  prai- 
rie, the  ground  inclosed  spaded  over  and  sown 
with  wheat. 

When  settlers,  by  mistake,  got  a  pre-emption 
on  the  same  quarter  section,  they  were  entitled 
to  a  claim  on  eighty  acres  more,  to  be  selected 
by  themselves;  they  received  a  certificate  of  such 
claim,  it  being  called  a  float,  and  was  frequently 
laid  on  improvements,  doing  great  injustice. 

But  there  was  always  an  understanding  among 
the  settlers  that  each  claimant  should  be  pro- 
tected in  his  claim  if  he  had  no  pre-emption,  pro- 
vided he  wouid  attend  the  sale  when  advertised, 
by  proclamation  of  the  President,  bid  the  mini- 
mum price,  and  pay  for  it.  The  settlers  usually 
attended  the  sale  in  a  body,  and  although  any 
person  had  a  legal  right  to  bid  on  any  claim  not 
pre-empted,  and  it  had  to  be  sold  to  the  highest 
bidder,  it  was  not  considered  a  safe  thing  to  bid 
on  a  settler's  claim,  and  it  was  seldom  done. 
When  attempted,  the  bidding  speculator  usually 
got  roughly  handled,  and  found  discretion  the 
better  part  of  valor.  Eastern  speculators  often 
complained  of  this,  claiming  that  they  were  de- 
prived of  their  legal  right  to  compete  in  the  open 
market  for  the  purchase  of  these  lands;  but  the 
settlers  replied  that  they  had  left  the  comforts 
and  luxuries  of  their  Eastern  homes,  braved  the 
dangers  and  privations  of  a  new  country,  and 
here  made  their  homes,  cultivating  and  reclaim- 
ing these  wild  lands  and  preparing  the  way  for 
advancing  civilization,  and  that  they  had  a  sacred 
right  to  the  improvements,  and  the  right  to  pur- 
chase the  fee  of  the  land,  as  the  land  and  im- 
provements must  go  together.  And  they  were 
right. 


The  fault  lay  in  the  government  ever  selling 
the  land  in  any  way  except  by  pre-emption  and 
to  actual  settlers.  The  government  gained  noth- 
ing by  offering  it  at  public  sale,  as  the  average 
price  obtained,  during  a  long  term  of  years,  was 
only  $1.27  per  acre,  only  two  cents  over  the  mini- 
mum price  which  would  have  been  paid  by  ac- 
tual settlers,  not  enough  to  pay  the  additional 
cost;  and  the  purchase  by  speculators  enhanced 
the  price  and  retarded  the  settlement  of  the 
country,  forcing  the  settler  to  live  isolated,  with- 
out society,  schools  and  churches;  and  it  made 
the  honest  immigrant  pay  from  $300  to  $1,000 
more  for  each  eighty  acres  than  the  government 
price,  and  this  went  to  the  man  who  did  noth- 
ing for  the  country,  but  sat  in  his  Eastern  home 
and  pocketed  the  amount. 

The  claim  question  had  a  morality  of  its  own, 
and  while  at  a  distance,  and  from  a  certain  stand- 
point, it  had  the  appearance  of  mob  law,  and  was 
so  stigmatized,  here  where  it  could  be  properly 
understood  and  appreciated  it  was  sustained  by 
the  purest  and  best  of  men;  not  only  so,  but  an 
actual  settler  was  never  known  to  oppose  it.  If 
ever  an  equitable  and  just  right  existed,  it  was 
that  of  the  claimant  pioneer  to  the  land  he  occu- 
pied. 

The  nomenclature  was  peculiar  and  expressive. 
When  a  man  made  a  claim  he  was  said  to  squat, 
and  was  called  a  squatter,  and  from  that  came 
the  phrase  "squatter  sovereignty."  When  the 
claimant  left  his  claim  the  first  occupant  could 
have  it.  If  he  left  it  temporarily  to  visit  his 
friends,  or  on  business,  and  another  embraced 
the  opportunity  to  possess  it,  the  latter  was  said 
to  jump  the  claim.  Each  settlement  usually  had 
an  association  where  such  disputes  were  settled; 
and  the  state  enacted  laws  making  claims  trans- 
ferable, notes  given  for  claims  valid,  for  protect- 
ing the  claimant  from  encroachment  of  others, 
and  ousting  jumpers.  A  claim  jumper  often 
fou'nd  his  way  a  hard  road  to  travel. 

This  nomenclature  was  often  expressively  ap- 
plied to  other  matters.  If  a  young  man  paid 
marked  attention  to  a  young  lady  he  was  said 
to  have  made  :i  claim;  if  it  was  understood  they 
were  engaged  he  was  said  to  have  a  pre-emp- 
tion and  if  another  cut  him  out  he  was  said  to 
have  jumped  his  claim. 

When  the  settler  had  selected  his  location,  or 
made  his  claim,  his  first  attention  was  directed 
to  procuring  a  shelter  for  himself  and  family. 
If  in  the  vicinity  of  others  already  provided  he 
was  readily  welcomed  to  share  their  scanty  ac- 
commodations, two  and  frequently  three  families 
together  occupying  a  cabin  with  one  room,  per- 


52 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


haps   12x14  feet,  more   or   less.     But   if  far  re- 
moved from  neighbors  he  had  to  occupy  his  cov- 
ered  wagon   in   which    he    came,   sleeping   in   or 
under  it,  and  cooking  and  eating  in  the  open  air, 
or  some  other  rude  contrivance,  frequently  a  tent 
made  of  blankets,  till  a  shelter  could  be  provided. 
This    was    usually    a    log    cabin,    for    raising    of 
which   help  was  needed.     When    help    was    not 
available,  his  cabin  must  be  built  of  such  logs  or 
poles   as   could   be   handled   with   the   aid   of   his 
family.     In  raising  a  log  cabin  strength  as  much 
as   skill  is  required.     What   were   termed   corner 
hands  —  one  at  each  corner,  or  where  hands  were 
scarce,  one  for  two  corners  —  should  have  some 
experience.     The  bottom  log  must  be  saddled  or 
cut  to  a  sloping  edge,  or   angle,   to   receive   the 
cross  log,  which  must  be  notched  to  fit  the  sad- 
dle.    A  failure,  requiring  the  log  to  be  taken  out 
to  be  refitted,  was  SUTC  to  bring  some   pleasant 
raillery  on  the  culprit.     If  well  done,  a  door  or 
window  can  be  cut,  and  the  parts  of  the  logs  will 
remain  firm  in  their  place,  but  if  not  a  perfect 
fit,  when  a  space  is  cut  for  the  door,  the  accumu- 
lated weight  from  above  will  bring  the  logs  not  to 
fit  at  the  corner  and  throw  the  ends  at  the  cut- 
ting wide  from  their  place.    When  the  walls  were 
completed,   or   about   ten   feet   high,    the    gables 
were  carried   up  by  laying  on  logs,  each  short- 
ened in  succession,  to  give  the  proper  slope  for 
the  roof,  and    held    by    straight    logs,    or    large 
poles,  placed  about  three  feet  from  and  parallel 
with  the  plate,  rising  upward  to  receive  the  shin- 
gles, resting  on  and  holding  the  short  logs  at  the 
gables,  and  terminating  with  a  ridge  pole  at  the 
center  of  the  building  and  top  of  the  roof.     On 
these  were  placed  long  shingles  or  boards,  four 
feet   long,   laid   double,  so  the   top   course  broke 
joints  with  the  first,  on  which  was  laid  another 
log.  or  pole,  held  by  a  pin  at  each  end;  this  pole 
held   the   shingles   in  place   without   nailing,   and 
each  succeeding  course  was  laid  and  fastened  in 
the  same  way.    The  floor  was  made  of  split  logs, 
hewn   on  the   split  side,    and   spotted    onto    the 
sleepers  on  the  round  side,  so  as  to  make  a  tol- 
erably smooth  surface;    these  were  called  punch- 
eons. 

The  chimney  was  built  outside  the  building  at 
one  end.  A  hole  was  cut  through  the  logs  for  a 
fireplace.  This  was  made  ,of  timber,  lined  with 
stone  or  clay  for  four  .or  five  fe.et,  and  then  with 
a  crib  of  sticks  plastered  inside  with  clay  mor- 
tar. The  spaces  between  the  logs  were  filled 
with  pieces  of  split  timber,  called  .chinking,  and 
plastered  inside  and  out  with  clay  mortar,  mak- 
ing a  warm  and  comfortable  house;  but  .snow 
and  rain,  when  falling  with  ,a  high  wind,  would 


get  inside  through  the  clapboard  roof  —  and 
where  leisure  and  means  justified,  a  roof  of 
boards  and  short  shingles  was  substituted. 

A  one-post  bedstead  was  made  as  follows: 
Bore  a  hole  in  a  log  four  feet  from  the  corner  of 
the  room,  and  insert  a  rail  six  feet  long;  then 
bore  a  hole  in  the  log  on  the  other  side  o{  the 
room  six  feet  from  the  same  corner,  and  insert 
the  opposite  ends  of  these  rails  where  they  meet, 
in  a  post,  which  completes  the  frame;  then  lay 
slats  crosswise  from  the  side  to  the  log  opposite, 
or  to  a  rail  pinned  on  the  log  at  the  proper 
height,  and  the  one-post  bedstead  is  complete, 
on  which  the  weary  pioneer  slept  as  sweetly  as 
on  the  most  costly  one. 

These  rough  buildings  were  quite  comfortable, 
and,  as  most  of  our  old  settlers  could  testify, 
witnessed  much  of  real  enjoyment.  Some  of 
America's  greatest  men  were  born  and  raised  in 
such  a  dwelling. 

A  shelter  provided,  the  next  thing  was  to  pre- 
pare to  raise  whereon  to  su'bsist.  The  prairie 
region  offered  advantages  for  an  occupant  far 
superior  to  a  timbered  country;  in  the  latter  an 
immense  amount  of  labor  had  to  be  done  to  clear 
the  timber,  and  for  years  the  stumps  prevented 
free  cultivation;  while  on  the  prairie  the  sod  had 
to  be  turned,  and  the  crop  put  in. 

At  an  early  day  the  sod  was  turned  by  an  ox 
team  of  six  to  ten  yoke,  with  a  plow  that  cut  a 
furrow  from  two  to  three  feet  wide.  The  plow 
beam,  which  was  from  eight  to  twelve  feet  long, 
was  framed  into  an  axle,  on  each  end  of  which 
was  a  wheel  sawed  from  an  oak  log;  this  held 
the  plow  upright.  It  was  a  heavy,  unwieldy- 
looking  apparatus,  but  it  did  good  work;  and  the 
broad  black  fu'rrow,  as  it  rolled  from  the  plow, 
was  a  sight  worth  seeing. 

The  nice  adjustment  and  filing  of  the  coulter 
and  broad  snare  required  a  practised  hand,  as  aj 
slight  deviation  in  the  tip  of  the  share,  or  even 
filing  the  coulter,  would  throw  the  plow  on  a 
twist  and  require  a  strong  man  to  hold  it  in 
place;  but  if  nicely  done  the  plow  would  run  a 
long  distance  without  support. 

This  was  the  primitive  American  plow,  but 
Yankee  ingenuity  soon  found  that  a  smaller  plow 
and  less  team  did  cheaper  and  better  work. 

It  was  found  that  the  best  time  to  break  the 
sod  was  when  the  grass  was  rapidly  growing,  as 
it  would  then  decay  quickly,  and  the  soil  soon 
be  mellow  and  kind;  but  if  broken  too  early  or 
top  late  in  the  season,  it  would  require  two  or 
three  years  to  become  as  mellow  as  it  would  be 
in  three  months  when  broken  at  the  right  time. 


CLAIMS  AND  FIRST  IMPROVEMENTS 


58 


Very   shallow   plowing    required    less   team,    and 
would  mellow  much  sooner  than  deep  breaking. 

The  first  crop  was  mostly  corn,  planted  by 
cutting  a  gash  with  an  ax  into  the  inverted  sod, 
dropping  the  corn,  and  closing  it  by  another 
blow  alongside  the  first.  Or  it  was  dropped  in 
every  third  furrow  and  the  furrow  turned  on;  if 
the  corn  was  so  placed  as  to  find  the  space  be- 
tween the  furrows,  it  would  find  daylight;  if  not, 
it  was  doubtful  Corn  so  planted  would,  as  cul- 
tivation was  impossible,  produce  a  partial  crop, 
sometimes  a  full  one.  Prairie  sod  turned  in  June 
would  be  in  condition  to  sow  with  wheat  in  Sep- 
tember, or  to  put  in  with  corn  or  oats  the  spring 
following.  Vines  of  all  kinds  grew  well  on  the 
fresh-turned  sod,  melons  especially,  though  the 
wolves  usually  took  their  full  share  of  these. 
After  the  first  crop  the  soil  was  kind,  and  pro- 
duced any  crop  suited  to  the  climate.  But  when' 
his  crops  were  growing  the  settler  was  not  re- 
lieved from  toil.  His  chickens  mu'st  have  shelter 
and  Ee  closed  at  night  to  protect  them  from  the 
owls  and  wolves;  his  pigs  required  equal  protec- 
tion; and  although  his  cows  and  oxen  roamed 
on  the  wide  prairie  in  a  profusion  of  the  richest 
pasture,  still  a  yard  must  be  made  for  his  cows 
at  night,  and  hit*  calves  by  day.  The  cows  were 
turned  in  with  the  calves  for  a  short  time  at 
night,  and  then  the  calves  turned  on  the  prairies 
to  feed  during  the  night.  In  the  morning  the 
calves  were  turned  in  and  the  cows  turned  out 
for  their  day's  pasture;  this  was  necessary  to  in- 
duce the  cows  to  come  up  at  night,  for  if  the 
calves  were  weaned  the  cows  would  fail  to  come. 
And  the  stock  all  heeded  some  protection  from 
the  fierce  wintry  blast,  though  sometimes  they 
got  but  little.  Add  to  this  the  fencing  of  the 
farm,  the  outbreedings,  hunting  the  oxen  and 
cows  on  the  limitless  prairies  through  the  heavy 
dews  of  late  evening  and  early  morning,  going 
long  distances  to  market  and  to  mill,  aiding  a 
newcomer  to  build  his  cabin,  fighting  the  prairie 
fires  which  swept  over  the  country  yearly,  and 
with  his  family  encountering  that  pest  of  a  new 
country,  the  fever  and  ague  and  other  malarious 
diseases,  and  the  toil  and  endurance  of  a  settler 
in  a  new  country  may  be  partially,  but  not  fully 
appreciated. 

A  visitor  from  the  Eastern  states  has  often 
taunted  the  toiling  pioneers  with  such  remarks 
as  these:  "Why  do  you  stack  out  your  hay  and 
grain?"  "Why  don't  you  have  barns,  comfortable 
houses,  stables  for  your  cattle,  and  other  con- 
veniences as  we  have?"  He  should  have  been  an- 
swered: "You  are  enjoying  the  fruits  of  the  la- 
bor of  generations  of  your  ancestors,  while  we 


have  to  create  all  we  have.  We  have  made  nec- 
essarily rude  and  cheap  shelters  for  ourselves 
and  animals,  have  fenced  our  farms,  dug  our 
wells,  have  to  make  OUT  roads,  bridge  our 
streams,  build  our  schoolhouses,  churches,  court- 
houses and  jails,  and  when  one  improvement  is 
complete  another  want  stares  us  in  the  face." 
All  this  taxed  the  energies  of  the  new  settler  to 
the  extent  of  human  endurance,  and  many  fell 
by  the  way,  unable  to  meet  the  demands  upon 
their  energies. 

The  wonder  is  that  so  much  has  been  accom- 
plished; that  so  many  comforts,  conveniences  and 
luxuries  have  crowned  the  efforts  of  our  people; 
that  we  have  reached  a  point  for  which  two  cen- 
tu'ries  of  effort  might  well  have  been  allowed. 
Political  and  financial  theorists  have  tauntingly 
told  the  farmers  of  Illinois  that  they  know  noth- 
ing of  finance  except  what  wiser  heads  have  told 
them;  that  they  have  made  nothing  by  farming, 
and  would  be  poor  except  for  the  advance  in 
price  of  their  farms. 

These  Solons  should  be  told  that  it  is  the  toil 
of  those  farmers  that  has  made  their  farms  in- 
crease in  price;  their  toil  has  clothed  them  with 
valuable  improvements,  planted  orchards  and 
fruit  gardens,  made  roads  and  bridges,  converted 
a  wilderness  into  a  land  of  beauty,  and  made  it 
the  happy  abode  of  intelligent  men.  All  this  had 
to  be  done  to  make  these  farms  advance  in  price, 
and  those  who  have  done  this  and  raised  and 
educated  their  families  have  done  well;  and  if 
the  advance  in  the  price  of  their  farms  has  given 
them  a  competence  it  is  what  they  anticipated 
and  nothing  but  the  most  persevering  industry 
and  frugality  would  have  accomplished  it. 

In  addition  to  the  labor  and  multitude  of  cares 
that  beset  the  newcomer  he  had  to  accomplish 
all  of  it  under  disadvantages,  and  to  encounter 
dangers  that  of  themselves  were  sufficient  to  dis- 
courage men  not  of  stern  resolve.  Traveling  un- 
worked  roads  and  crossing  streams  without 
bridges  was  often  a  perilous  adventure.  Many 
were  the  hairbreadth  escapes  which  most  of  the 
early  settlers  can  recall  and  which  in  later  years 
were  never  referred  to  without  a  thrill  of  emo- 
tion. Up  to  the  time  of  building  the  first  bridge 
over  the  Vermillion  there  was  a  record  of  twen- 
ty-five persons  drowned  in  that  treacherous 
stream  within  a  distance  of  ten  miles  —  all 
drowned  In  attempting  to  ford  the  stream.  It 
was  a  common  remark  that  when  a  man  left 
home  in  the  morning  it  was  very  uncertain 
whether  his  wife's  next  dress  would  be  a  black 
one  or  of  some  other  color. 

Crossing  the   wide   prairie   at   night    with   not 


54 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


even  the  winds  or  stars  for  guides,  was  a  very 
uncertain  adventure,  and  often  the  •  wayfarer 
traveled  till  exhausted  and  encamped  till  the 
morning  light  came  to  guide  him  on  his  way. 
In  warm  weather,  although  an  unpleasant  ex- 
posure, this  was  not  a  dangerous  one;  and  al- 
though the  sensation  of  being  lost  is  more  irk- 
some and  the  lonely  silence  in  the  middle  of  a 
prairie,  broken  only  by  the  howl  of  the  wolves, 
is  more  unpleasant  than  one  inexperienced  would 
imagine,  and  the  gnawing  of  a  stomach  innocent 
of  supper  adds  much  to  the  discomfort,  it  all 
passes  with  the  night  and  a  brighter  view  and 
happier  feeling  dawns  with  the  breaking  morn. 
But  crossing  the  trackless  prairie  when  covered 
with  a  dreary  expanse  of  snow,  with  the  fierce, 
unbroken  wintry  blasts  sweeping  over  its  glis- 
tening surface,  penetrating  to  the  very  marrow, 
was  sometimes  a  fearful  and  dangerous  experi- 
ence. No  condition  could  inspire  a  more  per- 
fect idea  of  lonely  desolation,  of  entire  discom- 
fort, of  helplessness  and  of  dismal  forebodings, 
than  to  find  one's  self  lost  on  the  snow-covered 
prairie,  with  no  object  in  sight  in  any  direction 


but  the  cold,  undulating  snow  wreaths,  and  a 
dark  and  tempestuous  winter  night  fast  closing 
around  his  chilled  and  exhausted  frame.  His  sa- 
gacious horse,  by  spasmodic  efforts  and  continu- 
ous neighing,  shows  that,  with  his  .master,  he 
appreciates  the  danger,  and  shares  his  fearful 
anticipations.  With  what  longing  the  lost  one 
reflects  on  the  cosy  fireside  of  his  warm  cabin, 
surrounded  by  his  loved  ones,  which  he  fears  he 
may  never  see;  and  when  the  dark  shadow  of 
night  has  closed  around  and  shut  in  the  land- 
scape, and  chance  alone  can  bring  relief,  ?  joy- 
ous neigh  and  a  powerful  spring  from  his  noble 
horse  calls  his  eye  in  the  direction  he  has  taken, 
he  sees  over  the  bleak  expanse  a  faint  light  in 
the  distance,  toward  which  his  horse  is  bounding 
with  accelerated  speed,  equally  with  his  master 
cheered  and  exhilarated  by  the  beacon  light, 
which  the  hand  of  affection  has  placed  at  the 
window  to  lead  the  lost  one  to  his  home.  Nearly 
every  early  settler  had  some  such  experience, 
while  some  never  reached  the  home  they  sought, 
but,  chilled  to  a  painless  slumber,  found  the 
sleep  that  knows  no  waking. 


IN   WHAT    CONDITION    DID    THE    FIRST    NORWEGIAN    SETTLERS    FIND    THE 
TRACT,  ON  WHICH  THEY  SETTLED? 


The  close  of  the  Black  Hawk  war  in  1832 
found  the  settlers  in  embarrassed  circumstances. 
In  the  north  part  of  La  Salle  county  the  crops 
had  been  destroyed  by  the  Indians,  and  all  the 
farms  had  necessarily  been  neglected,  while  the 
owners  were  in  the  army,  or  seeking  shelter  in 
the  fort.  Still  some  raised  tolerable  crops,  and 
there  was  not  much  suffering.  In  1833,  the  year 
before  the  first  Norwegians  under  the  leadership 
of  Kleng  Peerson  arrived,  as  it  was  understood 
that  the  Indian  troubles  were  fully  settled,  im- 
migrants came  in  rapidly.  The  demand  for  pro- 
visions of  all  kinds,  and  for  everything  raised  by 
the  settlers  was  fully  equal  to  the  supply,  and 
for  some  articles  in  excess,  the  deficiency  being 
supplied  by  the  boats  in  the  river  trade.  Prices 
were  high  as  they  always  are  where  the  demand 
exceeds  the  supply,  and  were  everywhere  becom- 
ing inflated  as  the  speculative  times  of  1835-37 
were  approached. 

The  farmers  of  Illinois  have  hardly  seen  more 
prosperous  times,  excepting  for  the  last  few 
years,  than  the  settlers  enjoyed  from  the  close 
of  the  Black  Hawk  war  to  1837  —  that  is,  those 
who  had  farms  under  improvement,  and  produce 
to  sell.  Those  who  were  making  improvements 
had  to  buy  at  such  prices  as  the  older  settlers 


saw  fit  to  ask.  This  fact  throws  light  upon  the 
easiness  with  which  our  Norwegian  newcomers 
could  secure  work.  Wheat  was  about  $2.00  a 
bushel;  corn  and  oats,  $1.50;  though  the  prices 
varied  in  different  neighborhoods,  as  the  propor- 
tion of  old  and  newcomers  preponderated. 

All  newcomers  were  consumers,  and  not  pro- 
ducers for  the  first  year  or  two,  unless  they 
could  buy  an  improved  farm,  and  that  reduced 
their  dependence  upon  the  means  they  brought 
with  them.  But  a  poor  man  could  always  find 
employment,  and  if  he  arrived  without  money 
he  could  get  provisions  for  his  family  and  pay 
in  labor,  as  labor  was  the  great  need  of  the  coun- 
try. He  could  buy  anything  the  country  con- 
tained with  labor.  Building  houses,  stables,  pens 
and  yards,  making  rails,  fencing,  and  breaking 
prairie,  called  for  stout  and  willing  hands.  A 
good  worker,  such  as  our  Norwegians,  was  a 
great  acquisition,  but  a  drone  had  no  place 
among  the  hardy  pioneers. 

Many  subjects  connected  with  the  occupancy 
and  settlement  of  a  new  country  are  not  con- 
tained in  the  narrative  of  passing  events.  In  the 
next  chapter  we  narrate  the  deeds  of  that  great 
"White  Man's  Friend,"  the  Indian  chief  Shab- 
bona. 


SHABBONA 


Shabbona 


Shabbona  shares  with  Shakespeare  the  distinc- 
tion of.  having  his  name  spelled  in  an  endless 
number  of  ways.  We  intend  to  accept  the  one  in 
which  it  is  spelled  in  the  official  records  of  today, 
where  places  are  named  after  the  great  chief,  as 
for  instance  Shabbona  Grove,  a  station  on  the 
Chicago  &  Northwestern  Railway,  and  Shab- 


of  his  life  in  La  Salle  county,  and  often  visited 
Ottawa  and  other  parts  of  the  county.  He  was 
a  chief  of  the  Pottawatomie  Indians,  whrt  lived 
in  the  vicinity,  and  was  well  known  to  the  early 
settlers.  His  kindness  and  friendship  for  the 
whites,  and  the  timely  warning  he  gave  them  to 
escape  from  the  murderous  fury  of  Black  Hawk 


Shabbona. 


bona,  a  village  of  1,000  inhabitants  with  a  station 
on  the  Chicago.  Burlington  &  Quincy  Railway. 

Most  of  the  early  Norwegian  settlers  and 
many  of  their  descendants  in  La  Salle  and 
Grundy  counties  remember  the  large  and  manly 
form  of  Shabbona.  He  spent  the  last  few  years 


and  his  tribe,  endeared  his  memory  to  the  early 
pioneers  and  their  descendants.  And  it  is  but 
fitting  that  the  history  that  perpetuates  the  mem- 
ory of  the  whites  of  that  day  should  carry  with 
it  some  recollection  of  their  Indian  friend. 

Shabbona  was  physically  a  noble  specimen  of 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


his   race  —  over  six   feet   in   height  and   large   in      great    Algonguin    family,    which    embraces    the 
proportion;  erect,  and  commanding  in   his  bear-      Winn'ebagos,      Chippewas,      Pottawatomies     and 


ing,  he  at  once  inspired  respect. 

He    had    been     a     distinguished     warrior,    but 
evidently  was   disposed   to   the  more   quiet   pur- 


others    who   had   a  common    origin    and  similar 
language. 
When  a  young  man  Shabbona  emigrated  with 


Shabbona's   Daughter,  her  husband,  Chief  Kick-Kock,  and    their  daughter. 


suits  of  peace.  He  was  honest,  truthful  and 
trustworthy,  and  exhibited  most  of  the  virtues 
and  a  few  of  the  vices  of  the  red  man  when 
brought  in  contact  with  civilization.  He  was 
of  the  Ottawa  tribe,  and  was  born  on  the  banks 
of  the  Ottawa  River,  in  Canada,  about  1775. 
The  Ottawas  were  the  leading  tribe  of  the 


a  part  of  his  tribe  to  Michigan;  was  a  friend  and 
companion  of  the  great  Tecumseh,  was  his  aid, 
and  was  fighting  by  his  side  when  that  great 
warrior  was  killed  at  the  battle  of  the  Thames, 
in  3813.  Shabbona  said  that  when  Tecumseh 
fell  he  looked  about  and  saw  the  British  all  run- 
ning, the  Indians  all  running,  and  then  he  ran 


SHABBONA 


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A   HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


too.  From  that  time  he  forsook  the  alliance  of 
the  British  and  became  the  friend  of  the  United 
States. 

All  of  the  Algonguin  tribes  were  under  French 
influence,  and  took  sides  with  them  in  all  their 
wars  with  Great  Britain  and  her  colonies,  and 
when  the  French  possessions,  by  the  treaty  of 
1763,  passed  into  the  hands  of  Great  Britain,  they 
mostly  took  sides  with  Great  Britain  against  the 
United  States,  and  their  defeat  at  the  battle  of 
the  Thames  partially,  at  least,  separated  the 
Northwestern  Indians  from  British  influence. 

Shabbona  became  peace  chief  of  the  Potta- 
watomies,  from  which  tribe  he  is  said  to  have 
procured  his  wife.  He  opposed  Black  Hawk's 
proposed  war  on  the  whites,  and  prevented  the 
Pottawatomies  from  joining  the  Sauks;  and  when 
he  found  the  war  inevitable  he  lost  no  time  in 
warning  the  settlers  of  La  Salle  and  adjoining 
counties  of  their  danger,  and  thus  saved  many 
valuable  lives.  The  settlers  at  Indian  Creek  were 
warned  by  Shabbona  in  ample  time  to  reach  a 
place  of  safety,  but  his  advice  was  unheeded,  and 
they  paid  the  penalty  with  their  lives.  He  ef- 
fectually aided  the  whites  in  that  contest,  and 
in  consideration  of  his  services  the  government 
reserved  a  tract  of  land  for  his  use  at  Shabbona's 
Grove,  in  what  is  now  De  Kalb  county,  and  gave 
him  a  pension  of  $200. 

In  1837,  when  the  last  of  his  tribe  moved  onto 
a  reservation  west  of  the  Mississippi,  Shabbona 
went  with  them,  but  was  not  satisfied,  and  re- 
turned with  his  family  —  children  and  grand- 
children, thirty  persons  in  all  —  to  his  reserva- 
tion. At  the  solicitation  of  his  tribe  he  again 
went  west;  but  his  residence  there  was  an  un- 
quiet one.  His  favorite  son  was  killed  in  a  dif- 
ficulty with  some  of  the  Sauks,  who  had  a  res- 
ervation in  the  vicinity.  The  difficulty  is  said 
to  have  grown  out  of  the  aid  Shabbona  rendered 
the  whites,  in  the  Black  Hawk  war,  which  was 
remembered  by  the  Sauks  in  true  Indian  fashion. 

With  his  family  he  returned  to  Illinois  in  1855, 
and  remained  till  his  death,  in  1859,  aged  84 
years. 

During  Shabbona's  absence  some  speculators 
represented  to  the  government  that  he  had  aban- 
doned his  reservation,  and  it  was  sold.  He  felt 
hurt  at  this  injustice  and  said:  "Shabbona  has 
nothing  now."  George  E.  Walker,  an  old  friend, 
and  his  companion  in  the  Black  Hawk  war,  said 
to  him:  "Shabbona,  while  I  have  a  bed  and  a 
crust  you  shall  share  them  with  me;"  and  Shab- 


bona always  made  Walker's  home  his  home, 
when  in  Ottawa.  The  citizens  of  Ottawa  raised 
by  subscription  an  amount  sufficient  to  purchase 
twenty  acres  of  land  near  Seneca,  in  Grundy 
county,  and  erected  comfortable  buildings  on  the 
same,  where  Shabbona  and  his  family  lived  till 
his  death,  July  17,  1859.*)  His  squaw,  Poka- 
moca,  who  was  enormously  fleshy,  weighing 
about  400  pounds,  was  drowned  in  Mazon  creek, 
Nov.  20,  1864,  aged  86  years  and  was  buried  by 
his  side.  She  was  born,  where  Chicago  now  is, 
about  1778. 

In  1861  subscriptions  were  taken  up  in  many 
of  the  river  towns,  to  erect  a  monument  over  the 
remains  of  Shabbona,  but,  the  war  breaking  out, 
the  enterprise  was  abandoned.  Only  a  large 
stone  marks  the  resting  place  of  this  friend  of 
the  white  man. 

Over  the  victims  who  were  massacred  on 
the  Indian  Creek  in  1832,  during  the  "Black 
Hawk"  war,  the  state  of  Illinois  caused  a  fine 
granite  monument  to  be  erected,  which  was  ded- 
icated on  Aug.  27,  1906.  We  present  here  a 
picture  of  the  monument  taken  on  the  day  of 
dedication.  It  is  located  in  a  little  park  between 
Ottawa  and  Freedom  which,  in  honor  of  the 
"White  Man's  Friend,"  has  been  named  Shab- 
bona Park. 

The  persistent  friendship  of  the  old  Indian  for 
the  whites,  under  injustice  from  the  government, 
shows  strongly  the  firmness  of  the  Indian  char- 
acter; while  their  hates  are  bitter,  vindictive  and 
cruel,  their  love  and  gratitude  are  equally  last- 
ing. 

The  story  of  Shabbona  is  a  severe  commentary 
on  the  barbarism  of  civilized  man,  who  would 
sweep  the  Red  Man  from  existence,  and  who  says 
"there  are  no  good  Indians  but  dead  ones."  That 
vindictive  cruelty  which  characterizes  the  savage 
under  real  or  fancied  provocation  actuates,  with 
increased  intensity,  those  pretended  sharers  of 
our  boasted  Christian  civilization  who  would 
strike  with  remorseless  effect  a  fallen  race,  and 
extinguish  at  a  blow  the  sad  and  melancholy 
remnant  of  a  once  powerful  people,  brought  to 
the  verge  of  extinction  by  the  diseases,  vices  and 
wrongs  of  a  pretended  Christian  people. 


*)  Shabbona's  remains  were  laid  in  lot  59,  block 
7,  in  the  Morris  cemetery  with  elaborate  ceremony 
and  grateful  regard  of  the  whole  county.  Here 
rest  also  eight  of  his  family,  five  of  whom  were 
his  children  or  grandchildren. 


KLENG  PEERSON 


59 


Klcng  Pccrson 


We  will  now  consider  the  career  of  that  re- 
markable man,  Kleng  Peerson  Hesthammer.  He 
was  born  on  a  farm  called  Hesthammer,  in  Tys- 
ver  parish,  Skjold  district,  Stavanger  amt,  Nor- 
way, May  17,  1782.  That  date  thirty-two  years 
later  became  remarkable  in  the  history  of  Nor- 
way, as  it  was  on  May  17,  1814,  that  that  country 
adopted  its  constitution  as  a  free  and  independ- 
ent kingdom.  In  his  earlier  years  he  became  a 
dissenter  and  inspired  the  organization  of  the 
sloop  party  in  1825.  With  the  aid  of  Jos.  Fellows 
and  other  American  Quakers  he  selected  Kendall, 
Orleans  county,  N.  Y.,  as  the  location  of  the  first 
Norwegian  settlement.  From  1825  to  1833  there 
is  no  record  of  his  whereabouts,  but  he  probably 
spent  much  of  the  time  in  Kendall  and  Rochester, 
N.  Y.  In  1833  we  find  him  in  company  with  a 
Quaker  from  Tysver,  Ingebret  Larson  Narvig, 
who  had  come  from  Norway  in  1831,  and  another 
man,  whose  name  we  do  not  know,  on  his  way 
to  the  far  West.  Ingebret  Larson  Narvig  left 
him  at  Detroit  and  went  to  work  for  a  farmer  in 
Michigan.  Kleng  continued  the  journey  west- 
ward until  he  reached  La  Salle  county,  Illinois, 
and  there  selected  the  location  of  the  second 
Norwegian  settlement.  The  Kendall  and  Fox 
River  settlements  are  his  everlasting  glory.  But 
he  was  a  restless  fellow.  The  records  of  La 
Salle  county  show  that  he  bought  160  acres  of 
land  (of  which  80  acres  were  for  his  sister),  but 
he  never  settled  on  it.  Many  of  the  early  set- 
tlers in  La  Salle  county  were  his  relatives.  He 
did  not  care  to  work.  But  little  he  needed  for 
his  support,  and  this  he  got  largely  from  his  rel- 
atives and  friends.  He  was  a  man  of  strict  in- 
tegrity and  performed  any  matter  entrusted  to 
him  with  scrupulous  honesty.  He  considered 
himself  as  the  pathfinder  and  father  of  the  Nor- 
wegian immigration.  At  the  homes  where  he  vis- 
ited he  would  ask  the  housewife  for  her  knitting 
work  and  request  her  to  make  coffee.  He  would 
then  lie  down  on  the  bed  and  knit  and  drink 
coffee  and  talk  about  his  extensive  travels.  He 
was  an  excellent  storyteller  and  consequently  a 
welcome  visitor  everywhere. 

In  his  domestic  relations  he  had  been  unfortu- 


*)  The  compiler  gladly  takes  this  opportunity  of 
acknowledging  his  obligations  to  Professor  Rasmus 
B.  Anderson's  remarkable  book,  "The  First  Chapter 
of  Norwegian  Immigration",  both  for  this  chapter  In 
toto  and  other  valuable  extracts  and  quotations. 


nate.  A  veil  is  spread  over  the  details,  because 
the  ones  who  knew  did  not  wish  to  tell.  It  is 
known,  however,  that  he  was  married  in  Norway 
to  a  woman  by  the  name  of  Cathanne,  before  he 
went  to  America  in  1821.  She  was  much  older 
than  he  and  had  considerable  property,  but  they 
did  not  pull  together  well  under  the  marital  yoke. 
At  any  event,  he  abandoned  her,  and  Catharine 
probably  did  not  lose  her  sleep  on  account  of  his 
departure.  In  1847  we  find  him  in  the  well  known 
Swedish  Bishop  Hill  Colony,  in  Henry  county, 
Illinois,  where  he  married  a  Swedish  woman  by 
the  name  of  Charlotte  Marie,  belonging  to  Eric 
Janson's  colony.  In  the  same  colony  lived  at  the 
same  time  Lars  Tallakson,  whose  hat  Kleng  bor- 
rowed for  the  wedding.  It  is,  however,  due  to 
Kleng  to  add  that  he  stated  before  marrying 
Charlotte  Marie,  in  1847,  that  his  first  wife  Cath- 
arine, in  Norway,  was  then  dead.  Charlotte  Marie 
died  from  cholera  in  1849. 

Kleng  Peerson  was  a  proud  man  and  essen- 
tially an  adventurer.  He  married  the  woman  in 
Norway  probably  more  on  account  of  her  means 
than  for  love,  as  he  desired  very  much  to  get 
into  possession  of  her  property.  As  he  did  not 
succeed,  he  left  her,  declaring  he  would  get  along 
without  either  her  or  her  property.  She  must 
have  been  one  of  the  strong-headed  and  determ- 
ined kind,  and  she  is  said  to  have  told  him  that 
he  could  have  his  dear  America  for  himself,  if 
he  only  left  her  alone.  The  writer  must  admit 
that,  notwithstanding  Kleng's  own  testimony,  he 
is  not  satisfied  that  Kleng's  Norwegian  wife  Cath- 
arine really  was  dead  when  he  married  the  Swed- 
ish woman,  Charlotte  Marie,  at  Bishop  Hill. 

According  to  a  letter  from  his  niece,  Mrs. 
Bishop  Sarah  A.  Peterson,  of  Ephraim,  Utah,  a 
daughter  of  the  Slooper  Cornelius  Nelson,  to 
Prof.  R.  B.  Anderson,  in  1895,  Kleng  Peerson 
spent  all  his  time  trying  to  do  good  to  the  stran- 
gers that  came,  and  was  always  colonizing  and 
finding  homes  for  orphans.  He  carried  children 
on  his  back  for  miles  to  get  good  places  for  them. 
If  he  secured  a  place  for  them  and  they  were 
not  treated  well  he  took  them  away.  In  this  way 
he  made  both  friends  and  enemies.  He  was  not 
a  man  that  did  menial  work.  He  traveled  and 
kept  busy  trying  to  do  good  to  others  for  very 
little  thanks.  Mrs.  Peterson  adds:  "For  my  own 
part,  I  shall  always  feel  thankful  to  him  for  be- 
ing the  means  of  getting  my  parents  to  come  to 
this  splendid  country,  and  particularly  for  the 
fact  that  I  am  in  Utah."  Mrs.  Peterson's  hus- 


60 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


band  was  Canute  Peterson  Marsett,  who  came 
to  America  in  1837  and  afterward  became  a  Mor- 
mon bishop  of  Ephraim,  Utah. 

It  is  said  of  Kleng  that  he  spoke  English  flu- 
ently, could  read  French,  and  was  able  to  make 
himself  understood  among  the  Germans;  thus 
with  the  Norwegian  he  had  the  command  of  four 
languages.  He  was  a  most  interesting  talker.  To 
the  Americans  he  was  able  to  describe  the  land- 
scapes and  life  of  Norway;  to  his  countrymen 
he  could  give  an  account  of  soil  and  climate  in 
various  parts  of  the  far  West.  People  gathered 
around  him  wherever  he  came,  to  listen  to  his 
reports  and  stories,  and  when  Kleng  came  to  a 
neighborhood  the  day  was  usually  turned  into  a 
holiday.  Under  such  circumstances  it  is  easy  to 
understand  that  he  did  not  need  to  work,  and 
that  his  few  necessaries  were  supplied  without 
his  being  a  mendicant,  and  he  was  satisfied  with 
very  little.  He  was  a  carpenter  by  trade,  and 
what  he  earned,  when  he  occasionally  did  work, 
he  gave  freely  to  his  countrymen  who  needed  as- 
sistance. 

The  next  glimpse  we  get  of  Kleng  Peerson, 
after  he  had  founded  the  Fox  River  Settlement, 
is  in  Shelby  county,  in  the  northwest  corner  of 
Missouri,  in  the  year  1837.  There  he  also  started 
a  Norwegian  settlement,  but  it  not  only  did  not 
receive  any  important  accretions,  but  many  of 
the  settlers  left  it  a  few  years  later  and  founded 
another  settlement  called  Sugar  Creek,  in  Lee 
county,  Iowa,  about  eight  miles  west  of  Keokuk. 
Kleng  must  have  been  across  the  Mississippi  be- 
fore 1837,  because  he  had  already  selected  the 
location  for  the  settlement  when,  in  1837,  in 
company  with  Jacob  Anderson  Slogvig,  Anders 
Askeland  and  twelve  others,  he  went  from  La 
Salle  county  to  Missouri.  Writers  have  com- 
plained that  Shelby  county  was  badly  chosen, 
but  Andrew  Simonson,  who  was  one  of  the  party 
and  was  still  living  in  1879,  wrote  in  a  Norwegian 
newspaper  that  "no  settlement  ever  founded  by 
Norwegians  in  America  had  a  better  appearance 
or  better  location  than  this  very  land  in  Shelby 
county,  of  which  the  Norwegians  took  possession 
at  that  time,  and  which  they  in  part  still  own." 

It  should  be  remembered  that  Missouri  was  a 
slave  state,  a  fact  which  was  very  distasteful  to 
the  Norwegians,  and  Shelby  county  was  far  from 
any  market.  It  being  reported  that  there  was 
good  land  to  be  had  in  Lee  county,  Iowa,  Kleng, 
at  the  request  of  Andrew  Simonson  and  others, 
went  there  to  inspect  it,  and  the  result  was  that 
Simonson  and  the  majority  of  the  settlers  in 
Shelby  county  moved  to  Lee  county,  for  the  sake 
of  nearer  market,  but  Mr.  Simonson  maintains 


that  they  did  not  get  as  good  land  as  they  left 
in  'Missouri.  At  all  events,  Kleng  became  the 
founder  both  of  the  settlement  in  Shelby  county, 
Missouri,  and  of  that  in  Lee  county,  Iowa,  the 
former  in  1837,  and  the  latter  in  1840.  Kleng  pur- 
chased eighty  acres  of  land  in  Shelby  county. 
To  recruit  the  colony  there,  he  went  to  Norway 
in  1838,  and  in  1839  we  find  him  bringing  back 
with  him  a  lot  of  immigrants.  He  did  his  re- 
cruiting in  the  neigborhood  of  Stavanger,  and  on 
arriving  in  New  York  he  proceeded  with  them 
to  Cleveland,  where  he  decided  to  take  them  by 
way  of  the  Ohio  River  to  Missouri.  His  reason 
for  so  doing  was  that  Anders  Askeland  and  the 
well  known  Jacob  Slogvig  had  gone  back  to  La  I 
Salle  county,  dissatisfied,  and  Kleng  feared  that 
if  he  went  by  way  of  the  Fox  River  Settlement 
his  recruits  might  be  persuaded  not  to  proceed 
with  him  to  his  settlement  in  Missouri. 

In  1842  Kleng  made  a  third  visit  to  Norway. 
He  carried  letters  from  America  to  various  per- 
sons in  Norway.  In  May,  1843,  we  find  him  a 
passenger  on  board  the  bark  Juno,  which  sailed 
from  Bergen  for  New  York  with  eighty  pas- 
sengers. 

In  1847  he  sold  his  eighty  acres  of  land  in1 
Shelby  county,  Missouri,  and  joined  the  Swedish 
Bishop  Hill  Colony,  in  Henry  county,  Illinois. 
The  money  he  got  for  his  farm  he  contributed  to 
Eric  Janson's  communistic  society.  Here  he  mar- 
ried the  Swedish  woman  mentioned  before,  but 
he  soon  got  disgusted  with  the  peculiar  life  in 
that  colony,  and,  as  he  said,  "robbed  of  all  he 
possessed,  and  sick  in  body  and  mind,"  he  went 
from  Henry  county  back  to  his  old  Fox  River 
Settlement,  where  he  remained  until  his  health" 
was  restored. 

In  1849  during  the  cholera  epidemic  from  which 
his  Swedish  wife  in  Bishop  Hill  died,  he  made 
his  first  visit  to  Texas.  He  went  there  evidently 
at  the  suggestion  of  Dr.  Johan  Nordboe,  who 
had  then  for  several  years  lived  five  miles  south 
of  Dallas.  Kleng  visited  Johan  Nordboe,  made 
some  explorations  in  various  parts  of  Texas,  went 
as  far  west  as  within  a  few  miles  of  Fort  Worth, 
and  returned  to  the  Fox  River  Settlement  in 
1850,  full  of  enthusiasm  for  Texas.  The  rest  of 
his  life  is  best  told  in  a  letter  to  Prof.  Anderson 
from  O.  Canuteson:  "In  1850  my  father,  with  his 
family,  came  to  my  uncle,  Halvor  Knudson,  in 
Illinois.  My  mother  had  died  from  cholera  on 
the  way  from  Chicago  to  Ottawa.  In  Ottawa  we 
found  Kleng  Peerson,  just  back  from  Texas,  and 
on  his  advice,  and  on  his  promise  to  be  our 
guide,  we  concluded  to  go  to  Texas.  He  stayed 
with  us  the  three  years  we  lived  in  Dallas  county, 


KLENG  PEERSON 


61 


and  when  we  moved  to  Bosque  county,  in  1854, 
he  came  with  us,  not  as  the  leader  then,  bufas 
a  follower,  being  too  old  to  undertake  leadership 
any  more.  The  last  years  of  his  life  he  had  his 
home  with  O.  Colwick  (Kj01vig),  but  would,  of 
course,  go  around  among  his  neighbors,  where 
he  was  always  welcome  and  felt  at  home.  He 
died  December  16,  1865.  One  of  his  neighbors 
and  I  were  with  him  the  last  hours  of  his  life. 
,1  closed  his  eyes  in  the  long  sleep  of  death.  He 
was  buried  in  the  Lutheran  cemetery  opposite 
the  Norwegian  church  near  Norse  P.  O.,  in  Bos- 
que county,  and  the  Norwegians  in  Texas  after- 
ward put  a  small  stone  monument  on  his  grave, 
with  the  following  inscription,  written  both  in 
Norwegian  and  in  English: 

'CLENG  PEERSON, 

The  First  Norwegian  Immigrant 

Came  to  America  in  1821. 
Born  in  Norway,  Europe,  May  17,  1782. 

Died  in  Texas,  December  16,  1865. 

Grateful    countrymen   in   Texas   erected   this 

monument  to  his  memory.' " 

Mr.  Canuteson  contributed  $15  to  this  monu- 
ment, and  superintended  the  matter  of  collecting 
funds  and  having  it  made. 

In  Texas  Kleng  Peerson  owned  half  a  section 
of  land  and  a  few  cows,  and  all  this  property  he 
gave  to  O.  Colwick,  the  latter  agreeing  to  take 
care  of  him  the  rest  of  his  life. 

Kleng  Peerson  was  a  dissenter  from  the  church 
of  Norway,  and  although  he  did  not  personally 
join  the  society,  he  was  in  sympathy  with  the 
Quakers.  He  was  "grub-staked"  by  the  Friends 
in  Stavanger  for  his  first  journey  to  America,  in 
1821,  and  by  the  help  of-  the  Quakers  in  New 
York  he  not  only  selected  Kendall  as  the  place 
of  the  first  settlement,  but  also  secured  financial 
aid  to  transport  the  sloop  people  from  New  York 
to  Kendall.  He  also  had  the  help  of  Quakers  in 
securing  land  in  the  second  settlement,  in  La 
Salle  county.  While  he  admired  the  Quakers,  he 
gradually  drifted  more  and  more  away  from  all 
churches,  and  the  fact  is  that  before  he  died  he 
had  lost  all  faith  in  the  Christian  religion.  O. 
Canuteson,  who  lived  in  the  same  house  with  him 
for  many  years  in  Texas,  who  was  with  him  in 
his  dying  hours,  and  who  closed  his  eyes  in  death, 
says:  "I  was  intimately  acquainted  with  Kleng 


Peerson  from'  1850  until  his  death  in  1865.  He 
was  the  most  pronounced  free  thinker  I  have 
ever  known.  I  remember  his  having  an  old  Dan- 
ish free-thinking  book,  translated  from  the  Ger- 
man. He  believed  little  or  nothing  of  the  Bible, 
especially  of  the  supernatural  part  thereof. 
Whether  he  at  any  time  had  belonged  to  the 
Quakers  I  can  not  say  positively,  but  time  and 
again  I  heard  him  talk  about  them  as  models  in 
religious, and  temporal  matters,  and  I  heard  him 
talk  about  getting  assistance,  aid  and  comfort 
from  Elias  Tastad  of  Stavanger,  Norway,  he  be- 
ing their  leader  in  that  city." 

Kleng  Peerson  was  thoroughly  unselfish  in  his 
character,  and  he  devoted  his  life  largely  to  the 
service  of  his  countrymen.  While  he  never  had 
what  may  properly  be  .called  a  home  after  he  left 
Norway,  he  spent  his  time  and  his  scanty  means 
in  getting  homes  for  others.  In  Kendall  and  in 
Illinois  he  secured  land  for  his  relatives  and 
friends.  When  he  had  nothing  of  his  own  to 
give  away  he  begged  from  the  rich  and  gave  to 
the  poor. 

His  -great  services  to  Norwegian  immigration 
deserve  to  be  remembered  and  appreciated,  and 
with  all  his  eccentricities  and  shortcomings  his 
countrymen  will  look  upon  him  as  a  benefactor 
to  his  race  and  as  an  honest  and  benevolent  man. 

Kleng  Peerson's  Dream. 

Kleng  Peerson  stated  that  when  exploring  in 
La  Salle  county  the  land  which  was  afterward 
occupied  by  his  countrymen,  becoming  weary,  he 
lay  down  under  a  tree,  slept,  and  dreamed,  and 
in  his  dream  he  saw  the  wild  prairie  changed  to 
a  cultivated  region,  teeming  with  all  kinds  of 
grain  and  fruits,  most  beautiful  to  behold;  that 
spacious  houses  and  barns  stood  all  over  the 
land,  occupied  by  a  rich,  prosperous  and  happy 
people.  He  awoke  refreshed,  and,  nerved  anew 
by  his  dream,  went  back  to  his  countrymen  in 
New  York  and  persuaded  them  to  emigrate  to 
Illinois.  Kleng's  dream  may  have  been  dreamed 
awake,  but  it  has  been  fully  realized.  The  early 
days  of  the  Norwegian  settlement  were  days  of 
poverty  and  toil,  and  repeated  suffering  from 
the  Asiatic  cholera;  but  they  have  surmounted 
their  trials,  and  are  now,  as  seen  in  Kleng  Peer- 
son's  dream,  a  wealthy,  prosperous  and  happy 
people. 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Prairie  Fires 


The  yearly  burning  of  the  heavy  growth  of 
grass  on  the  prairie,  which  had  occurred  from 
time  immemorial,  either  from  natural  causes  or 
from  being  set  by  human  hands,  was  continued 
after  the  white  settlers  came  in  and  was  a  source 
of  much  annoyance,  and  frequently  of  severe  loss. 
From  the  time  the  grass  would  burn,  which  was 
soon  after  the  first  frost,  usually  about  the  first 
of  October,  till  the  surrounding  prairie  was  all 
burnt  over,  or,  if  not  all  burnt,  till  the  green 
grass  in  the  spring  had  grown  sufficiently  to 
prevent  the  rapid  progress  of  the  fire,  the  early 
settlers  were  continually  on  the  watch,  and,  as 
they  usually  expressed  the  idea,  "slept  with  one 
eye  open."  When  the  ground  was  covered  with 
snow  and  during  rainy  weather  the  apprehension 
was  quieted,  and  both  eyes  could  be  safely  closed. 

A  statute  law  forbid  setting  the  prairie  on  fire, 
and  one  doing  so  was  subject  to  a  penalty  and 
liable  in  an  action  of  trespass  for  the  damage 
accruing.  But  convictions  were  seldom  effected, 
as  the  proof  was  difficult,  though  the  fire  was 
often  set. 

Fires  set  on  the  leeward  side  of  an  improve- 
ment, while  very  dangerous  to  the  improvements 
to  the  leeward,  were  not  so  to  the  windward,  as 
fire  progressing  against  the  wind  is  easily  extin- 
guished. 

Imagine  the  feelings  of  the  man  who,  alone  in 
a  strange  land,  has  made  a  comfortable  home 
for  his  family;  has  raised  and  stored  his  corn, 
wheat,  oats  and  fodder  for  stock,  and  has  his 
premises  surrounded  by  a  sea  of  standing  grass, 
dry  as  tinder,  stretching  away  for  miles  in  every 
direction,  over  which  the  wild  prairie  wind  howls 
a  dismal  requiem,  and  knowing  that  a  spark  or 
match  applied  in  all  that  distance  will  send  a  sea 
of  fire  wherever  the  wind  may  waft  it;  and  con- 
scious of  the  fact  that  there  are  men  who  would 
embrace  the  first  opportunity  to  send  the  fire 
from  outside  their  own  fields,  regardless  of  whom 
it  might  consume,  so  it  protected  their  own. 

Various  means  were  resorted  to  for  protection; 
a  common  one  was  to  open  with  a  prairie  plow 
several  furrows  around  a  strip,  several  rods  wide, 
outside  the  improvements,  and  then  burn  out  the 
strip;  or  wait  till  the  prairie  was  on  fire  and  then 
set  fire  outside,  reserving  the  strip  for  a  late 
burn,  that  is,  till  the  following  summer,  and  in 
July  burn  both  old  grass  and  new.  The  grass 
would  start  immediately,  and  the  cattle  would 
feed  it  close  in  preference  to  the  older  grass,  so 
that  the  fire  would  not  pass  over  it  the  following 


autumn.  This  process  repeated  would  soon,  or 
in  a  few  years,  run  out  the  prairie  grass,  and  in 
time  the  land  would  become  stocked  with  blue 
grass,  which  will  never  burn  to  any  extent.  But 
all  this  took  time  and  labor,  and  the  push  of  busi- 
ness on  the  hands  of  a  new  settler,  of  which  a 
novice  has  no  conception,  would  prevent  him 
doing  what  would  seem  a  small  matter;  and  all 
such  effort  was  often  futile;  a  prairie  fire  driven 
by  a  high  wind  would  often  leap  all  such  barriers 
and  seem  to  put  human  effort  at  defiance.  A 
prairie  fire  when  first  started  goes  straight  for- 
ward with  a  velocity  proportioned  to  the  force 
of  the  wind,  widening  as  it  goes,  but  the  center 
keeping  ahead;  it  spreads  slowly  at  the  sides,  and 
if  the  wind  is  moderate  and  steady  the  fire  is  not 
difficult  to  manage;  but  if  the  wind  veers  a  point 
or  two,  first  one  way  and  then  the  other,  it  sends 
the  side  fire  beyond  combat.  The  head  fire  in 
dry  grass  and  with  a  high  wind  is  fearful,  and 
pretty  sure  to  have  its  own  way  unless  there  is 
some  defensible  point  from  which  to  meet  it.  A 
contest  with  such  a  fire  requires  an  engineering 
skill  and  tact  which  can  be  learned  only  by  ex- 
perience, and  a  neigborhood  of  settlers  called  out 
by  such  an  exigency  at  once  put  themselves  un- 
der the  direction  of  the  oldest  and  most  exper- 
ienced of  the  number,  and  went  to  work  with  the 
alacrity  and  energy  of  men  defending  their  homes 
and  property  from  destruction. 

The  usual  way  of  meeting  an  advancing  fire 
was  to  begin  the  defense  where  the  head  of  the 
fire  would  strike,  which  was  known  by  the  smoke 
and  ashes  brought  by  the  wind  long  in  advance 
of  the  fire.  A  road,  a  cattle  path  or  a  furrow 
was  of  great  value  at  such  a  place,  if  there  were 
none  such,  a  strip  of  the  grass  could  be  wet, 
if  water  could  be  procured,  but  it  was  usually 
scarce  at  the  time  of  the  annual  fires.  On  the 
outside,  or  side  next  the  coming  fire,  of  such  road 
or  path,  the  grass  was  set  on  fire,  and  it  burned 
slowly  against  the  wind  till  it  met  the  coming 
conflagration,  and  then  stopped  of  course  for 
want  of  fuel,  provided  there  had  been  time  to 
burn  a  strip  that  would  not  be  leaped  by  the 
head  fire  as  it  came  in.  This  was  called  back- 
firing; great  care  was  necessary  to  prevent  the 
fire  getting  over  the  furrow,  path  or  whatever 
was  used  as  a  base  of  operations.  If  i\  got  over 
and  once  under  way  there  was  no  remedy  but  to 
fall  back  to  a  more  defensible  position,  if  there 
was  one. 

If  the  head  of  the  fire  was  successfully  checked, 


PRAIRIE  FIRES 


(58 


then  the  forces  were  divided,  half  going  to  the 
right  and  half  to  the  left,  and  the  back-firing  con- 
tinued, to  meet  the  side  fires  as  they  came  up; 
this  had  to  be  continued  till  the  fire  was  checked 
along  the  entire  front  of  the  premises  endangered, 
and  the  sides  secured. 

Various  implements  were  used  to  put  out  a  side 
or  back  fire,  or  even  the  head  of  a  fire  in  a  mod- 
erate wind.  A  fence  board,  about  four  to  six 
feet  long,  with  one  end  shaved  down  for  a  han- 
dle, was  very  effective,  if  struck  flat  upon  the  nar- 
row strip  of  fire.  A  bundle  of  hazel  brush  did 
very  well,  and  a  spade  or  shovel  was  often  used. 
The  women  often  lent  their  aid;  their  weapon 
was  usually  the  kitchen  mop,  which,  when  thor- 
oughly wet,  was  very  efficient,  especially  in  ex- 
tinguishing a  fire  in  a  fence.  When  the  fire  over- 
came all  opposition,  and  seemed  bound  to  sweep 
over  the  settlement,  a  fear  of  personal  loss  would 
paralyze,  for  the  moment,  every  faculty;  as  soon 
as  that  fact  seemed  imminent  united  effort  ceased, 
and  each  one  hastened  to  defend  his  own  as  best 
he  could.  It  is  due  to  historical  truth  to  say  that 
the  actual  losses  were  much  less  than  might  have 
been  expected,  though  frequently  great.  The 
physical  efforts  made  in  extinguishing  a  danger- 
ous fire,  and  in  protecting  one's  home  from  the 
devouring  element,  were  very  often  severe,  and 
in  more  than  one  instance  resulted  fatally. 

The  premises  about  the  residences  and  yards, 
being  tramped  by  the  family  and  domestic  ani- 
mals, after  a  year  or  two,  became  tolerably  safe 
from  fire,  but  the  fences,  corn  and  stubble  fields 
were  frequently  burnt  over.  When  the  prairie 
was  all  fenced  and  under  cultivation  the  denizens 
of  the  prairie  were  happily  released  from  the  con- 
stant fear  and  apprehension  which  for  years  had 
rested  like  a  nightmare  on  their  quiet  and  happi- 
ness, disturbing  their  sleep  by  night  and  causing 
anxiety  by  day,  especially  when  called  from 
home,  knowing  that  on  their  return  they  might 
look  on  a  blackened  scene  of  desolation  instead 
of  the  pleasant  home  they  had  left.  And  when 
returning  after  a  day's  absence  the  sight  of  a  fire 
in  the  direction  of  home,  although  it  might  prove 
to  be  several  miles  beyond,  would  try  the  mettle 
of  the  team  by  putting  them  to  a  speed  propor- 
tioned to  the  anxiety  of  the  driver.  And  here 
it  may  be  well  to  throw  a  little  cold  water  over 
the  thrilling  and  fearful  stories,  got  up  to  adorn 
a  tale,  of  hair-breadth  escapes  of  travelers  and 
settlers  from  prairie  fires.  Such  stories  are  not 
told  by  the  old  settlers,  who  know  whereof  they 
speak.  It  is  true,  a  family  might  encamp  in  the 
middle  of  a  dense  growth  of  dry  grass  and  let  a 
fire  sweep  over  their  camp,  to  their  serious  in- 


jury. But  with  ordinary  intelligence  and  caution 
a  traveler  on  the  prairie  needed  to  have  no  fear 
of  a  fatal  catastrophe,  or  even  of  any  serious 
danger.  If  the  head  of  a  fire  were  approaching  it 
was  usually  an  easy  matter  to  get  to  one  side  of 
it  until  it  had  passed  and  then  pass  over  the  side 
fire  onto  the  burnt  prairie,  which  can  easily  be 
done  by  getting  on  a  spot  of  dry,  rolling  prairie, 
where  the  grass  is  seldom  more  than  eight  or 
twelve  inches  high.  Or,  if  the  head  fire  is  too 
wide,  and  its  speed  too  great  to  allow  of  getting 
around  it,  then  at  once  set  a  fire  to  the  leeward, 
and  when  it  has  burnt  a  short  distance  put  out 
the  fire  on  the  windward  side  of  the  place  of 
setting  and  pass  onto  the  burnt  prairie  and  fol- 
low the  fire  till  far  enough  from  the  dry  grass 
to  be  out  of  danger.  There  were  places  on  low, 
moist  prairie  bottoms,  or  sloughs,  where  the 
grass  and  weeds  were  much  heavier  than  on  dryer 
land,  and  their  burning  was  terrific  and  danger- 
ous. But  these  places  could  be  avoided,  as  an  ap- 
proaching fire  could  be  seen  a  long  distance,  giv- 
ing time  to  prepare  for  its  coming. 

The  early  settlers  have  a  vivid  recollection  of 
the  grand  illuminations  nightly  exhibited  in  dry 
weather,  from  early  fall  to  late  spring,  by  num- 
berless prairie  fires.  The  horizon  would  be  lighted 
up  around  its  entire  circuit.  A  heavy  fire,  six 
or  seven  miles  away,  would  afford  sufficient  light 
on  a  dark  night  to  enable  one  to  read  fine  print. 
When  a  fire- had  passed  through  the  prairie,  leav- 
ing the  long  lines  of  side  fires,  like  two  armies 
facing  each  other,  the  sight  at  night  was  grand; 
and  if  one's  premises  were  securely  protected  he 
could  enjoy  such  an  exhibition  hugely,  free  of 
cost;  but  if  his  property  were  exposed  his  enjoy- 
ment of  the  scene  was  like  a  very  nervous  per- 
son's appreciation  of  the  grand  and  majestic  roll 
of  thundei — the  sublimity  of  the  scene  lost  in  the 
apprehension  of  danger. 


A    PRAIRIE    BLIZZARD. 

Related  by  a  Norwegian  Pioneer. 

We  had  loaded  our  sleigh  with  wood  and 
started  for  home  when  a  big  storm  came  up. 
We  knew  that  a  newcomer  had  recently  settled 
near  where  we  were,  and,  knowing  that  it  would 
be  impossible  to  get  home  in  such  a  storm  we 
set  out  to  find  him.  With  our  load  of  wood 
and  the  oxen  we  tumbled  around  in  the  snow 
until  we  ran  into  a  haystack  of  about  three  loads. 
Adjoining  the  stack  was  a  hole  in  the  ground 
where  a  cow  stood,  fairly  well  covered  with 
brush  and  hay.  We  took  our  oxen  up  to  the 


64 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


stack  and  went  to  look  for  shelter  for  ourselves. 
We  finally  located  another  hole  in  the  ground 
on  a  little  knoll,  where  a  few  windows  and  'a 
door  indicated  that  it  was  a  human  habitation. 
It  was  indeed  a  miserable  home,  but  we  were 
glad  for  having  found  it,  and  went  in.  The  wife 
was  home  alone,  her  husband  having  started  out 
for  the  nearest  neighbor  to  borrow  a  little  meal, 
for  they  had  nothing  to  eat  in  the  house.  We 
warmed  up  a  little  and  asked  her  what  we  could 
do  with  our  oxen.  She  said  she  knew  of  no 
place  unless  we  could  get  them  into  the  cellar 
where  we  were,  but  added  that  the  door  was 
probably  too  small.  We  measured  the  door  and 
went  out  to  the  haystack,  but  found  our  oxen 
gone.  We  thought  that  they  were  lost  to  us 
forever.  Heartbroken,  we  returned  to  the  cellar. 
There  was  not  a  stick  or  piece  of  wood  to  burn, 
and  it  was  uncomfortably  cold.  As  a  last  resort 
we  broke  the  cradle  to  make  a  little  fire,  and 
with  this 'the  woman  baked  a  few  pancakes  out 
of  middling  meal  and  divided  them  between  us 
and  the  children.  I  asked  her  whether  she  and 
the  babies  were  not  very  hungry.  She  said  they 
were,  but  that  it  had  been  worst  the  first  day, 
for  afterward  they  became  so  weak  that  they  did 
not  mind  it  much.  But  it  was  worst  for  the  chil- 


dren. They  begged  and  implored  for  something 
to  eat;  and  besides  it  was  so  cold  that  they  had 
to  keep  to  their  beds  most  of  the  time. 

Water  was  all  they  could  get,  and  this  had  to 
be   melted    from    snow,   and    for   fuel   there    was    j 
nothing   but   the   furniture.     We   were   there   for    I 
three   days  before   the   storm  moderated   enough 
to   enable  us   to  go  out  and  look  for  our  oxen. 
We  found  them  frozen  to  death  a  distance  from    ! 
where  we  had  left  them.     We  were  thankful  to 
God  that  he  had  led  our  footsteps  to  a  shelter,    ', 
for  many  a  man  lost  his  life  in  that  storm. 

*     *     * 
A  Cloudburst. 

Another  catastrophe  happened  to  us  the  fol-  | 
lowing  summer.  A  rain  which  came  down  in  ; 
sheets  swept  the  barren  prairie,  and  my  sod  i 
house  had  not  been  built  to  withstand  such  angry  j 
elements.  The  water  poured  in  through  the  roof.  : 
In  fact  I  believe  more  came  in  to  us  than  did  '  j 
outside. 

It   gradually  rose  so   high  that  wife  and  chil- 
dren had  to  get  into  bed  and  I  stationed  myself 
in  the  door  with  a  bucket  and  bailed  it  out.    In- 
deed,   the    newcomer's    experience    during    those     , 
early  days  was  not  a  pleasant  one. 


The  Bandits  of  the  Prairies 


The  settlements  in  northern  Illinois  became 
in  the  year  1837  infested  with  a  band  of  desper- 
ate characters  familiarly  known  as  the  "Bandits 
of  the  Prairies."  Their  favorite  pursuit  was 
horse  stealing.  The  scattered  population  was 
mostly  confined  to  the  edge  of  the  timber,  while 
the  broad  prairie  was  unoccupied.  This  fact  gave 
them  an  opportunity  to  travel  with  their  illgot- 
ten  steeds  unmolested  to  Missouri,  Kentucky  and 
Iowa.  Their  success  in  the  horse  ling  soon  em- 
boldened them  to  try  other  branches,  and  bur- 
glary, robbery  and  murder  were  not  unfrequent. 
If  a  settler  had  money  in  his  house  it  would  in 
some  way  become  known  to  the  gang,  which 
would  go  after  it.  In  one  instance  a  settler  had 
$700  in  a  trunk  under  his  bed;  the  robber  en- 
tered the  house  and  took  out  the  trunk  while  the 
man  and  his  wife  were  conversing;  the  robber 


afterward  told  the  conversation  as  proof  that  he 
had  heard  it.  It  was  done  during  a  violent  thun- 
der storm,  and  when  the  thunder  rolled  heavily 
he  would  draw  the  trunk,  and  when  it  ceased, 
hold  on  till  another  thunder  crash,  and  thus  he 
got  the  prey  without  attracting  notice.  The 
thieves  became  a  terror  to  the  settlers,  especially 
to  the  female  portion.  It  is  a  part  of  the  relig- 
ion of  a  new  country  never  to  refuse  shelter  to 
a  benighted  traveler;  and  at  the  time  named  it 
was  impossible  to  discriminate  between  the 
worthy  stranger  and  the  bandit  of  the  prairie. 
And  the  stranger  taken  in,  instead  of  proving 
an  angel,  often  broke  the  slumber  of  his  host  by 
appearing  at  his  bedside  with  a  pistol,  demand- 
ing his  valuables.  The  civil  authorities  seemed 
entirely  indifferent,  or  at  least  inefficient;  in 
many  instances  they  were  suspected  of  complic- 


THE   BANDITS  OF  THE  PRAIRIES 


65 


ity  with  the  gang.  If  arrested,  they  would  break 
jail,  or  by  some  technical  quibble  escape  the 
meshes  of  the  law.  They  became  very  bold  in 
some  localities,  stealing  cattle  or  anything  they 
could  lay  their  hands  on.  The  gang  seemed  to 
pervade  all  branches  of  business.  The  grand  jury 
of  La  Salle  county  found  several  true  bills 
against  a  butcher  in  Ottawa  for  stealing  cattle, 
and  it  was  conclusively  proved  that  the  citizens 
of  Ottawa  had,  although  unconsciously,  lived  for 
months  on  stolen  beef.  The  jury  were  very  cau- 
tious, in  presenting  the  bills,  to  have  a  warrant 
issued  before  the  butcher  could  suspect  their  ac- 
tion; but  he  knew  it  as  soon  as  they  did,  and 
left  for  parts  unknown. 

The  murder  of  Mr.  Davenport,  at  midday,  on 
the  Fourth  of  July,  alarmed  the  whole  country. 
One  of  the  gang,  by  the  name  of  Birch,  a  shrewd 
man,  but  an  accomplished  scoundrel,  was  ar- 
rested for  being  concerned  in  the  murder,  and 
was  identified  as  the  man  who,  a  short  time  be- 
fore, in  the  guise  of  a  Methodist  preacher,  stayed 
over  night  with  Jeremiah  Strawn,  a  wealthy 
farmer  of  Putnam  county;  attended  prayers  with 
Brother  Strawn,  and  a  night  or  two  after  went 
through  his  house,  taking  all  his  valuables,  while 
an  accomplice  held  a  pistol  to  Strawn's  head  to 
keep  him  quiet.  Birch  was  brought  to  Ottawa 
as  a  witness,  but  not  used.  He  shrewdly  offered 
to  expose  the  gang  and  his  trial  was  put  off  for 
several  months,  to  get  his  testimony.  He  sub- 
sequently broke  jail,  stole  the  jailer's  horse,  rode 
him  about  a  hundred  miles,  and  left  him  ruined. 
He  wrote  back  to  the  sheriff,  apologizing  for  his 
rudeness  in  not  taking  formal  leave,  after  so 
much  kindness  shown  him  while  an  inmate  of 


his  family;  said  he  only  borrowed  the  horse,  but 
believed  he  had  ruined  him,  and  hoped  he  would 
be  excused  for  both  offenses,  as  his  business 
was  urgent. 

That  was  the  last  heard  of  Birch.  Exasperated 
beyond  measure,  smarting  under  the  loss  of 
property,  and  living  in  continual  fear,  the  people 
came  to  the  conclusion  that  self-preservation  is 
the  first  law  in  nature;  that  they  had  a  right  to 
protection  from  the  law;  if  that  could  not  be 
had,  then  they  must  have  it  in  some  other  way. 

Vigilant  societies  for  arresting  criminals  and 
bringing  them  to  punishment  were  formed,  and 
deep  mutterings  were  heard,  indicating  a  feeling 
that  was  destined  to  reform  the  state  of  society. 
One  of  these  societies  .was  formed  in  the  north- 
ern part  of  the  state,  and  a  man  by  the  name 
of  Campbell  was  chosen  captain.  Campbell  was 
a  Canadian,  a  man  of  great  energy  and  decision 
of  character.  The  gang  were  alarmed,  and  re- 
solved to  dispose  of  him.  One  Sunday  after- 
noon two  men  by  the  name  of  Driscoll  called  at 
Campbell's  front  gate,  and  inquired  of  Campbell's 
daughter  for  her  father.  Campbell  came  to  the 
gate,  when,  without  saying  a  word,  they  shot 
him  through  the  heart,  and  coolly  rode  off.  The 
next  day  the  people  assembled,  took  three  of  the 
Driscolls,  tried  them  by  a  jury  of  their  own, 
found  two  of  them  guilty,  gave  them  an  hour  to 
say  their  prayers,  and  shot  them.  They  then  re- 
solved to  serve  every  thief  they  caught  in  the 
same  way.  The  effect  was  most  salutary.  It 
struck  terror  to  the  gang,  and  many_  of  them 
sought  a  healthier  clime.  Prompt  and  sure  pun- 
ishment will  ever  cause  the  law  to  be  respected. 


Indian  Character  and  Customs 


Accounts  of  Indian  warfare,  trade  and  treaties 
do  not  give  an  inside  view  of  Indian  character. 
One  of  the  earliest  settlers  said  that  Indians  were 
fond  of  athletic  sports,  and  of  contests  with  the 
whites  in  jumping,  running,  hopping,  wrestling, 
etc.  In  wrestling  they  never  tripped,  and  com- 
plained of  unfairness  when  the  whites  did  so. 
In  all  such  contests  they  proved  inferior  to  the 
whites  in  both  strength  and  agility.  This  might 


indicate  less  vitality,  and  one  cause  of  their  rapid 
decadence.  They  were  very  fond  of  a  trial  of 
skill  in  shooting  at  a  mark,  and  very  proud  of 
being  the  victors.  They  would  resort  to  a  vari- 
ety of  devices  to  accomplish  that  object.  When 
their  opponent  was  taking  aim  they  would  com- 
mence the  most  savage  and  unearthly  yells  for 
the  purpose  of  unsteadying  his  nerves  —  an  ob- 
ject they  frequently  accomplished.  There  was 


A   HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


no  trick  they  would  hesitate  to  perpetrate.  If 
they  could  get  their  competitor's  rifle  they  would 
secretly  strike  the  sight  with  their  knives,  mov- 
ing it  to  one  side,  so  as  thereby  to  win  the  stake. 
They  were  not  addicted  to  stealing,  but  would 
sometimes  fall  into  temptation  in  that  direction. 

A  Mr.  Grove  tended  mill,  and  frequently  sold 
flour  to  the  squaws.  His  practice  was  to  sell  by 
the  handful,  and  after  delivering  the  number 
agreed  for,  the  squaws  would  invariably  grab  one 
handful  more,  for  which  he  would  sometimes  box 
their  ears;  they  would  be  very  angry  and  curse 
him  roundly  in  the  Indian  jargon,  when  he  would 
give  them  another  handful  to  appease  their 
wrath.  They  would  at  once  call  him  good,  good, 
and  become  the  best  of  friends.  They  gleaned 
in  the  wheat  fields,  and,  like  Boaz  of  old,  the 
owners  would  drop  a  little  now  and  then  for  the 
gleaners.  They  frequently  bought  a  few  bun- 
dles, but  always  came  back  dissatisfied,  saying, 
"Big  straw,  little  wheat."  They  were  seldom 
satisfied  with  a  trade,  but  would  come  back 
wanting  something  more.  There  is  no  proof 
that  this  was  innate;  it  doubtless  resulted  from 
being  generally  overreached  in  the  bargains  they 
made  with  the  whites. 

They  were  usually  fast  friends,  and  never  for- 
got a  kindness.  They  were  on  the  best  of  terms 
with  the  settlers;  would  sometimes  come  into  the 
settlers'  houses  in  the  night  and  lie  down  by  the 
fire,  where  they  would  be  found  in  the  morning. 

A  settler  of  Freedom  stated  that  the  first  win- 
ter he  was  on  Indian  Creek  he  was  engaged  in 
cutting  and  hewing  timber  for  building  purposes. 
The  Indians  would  be  around  nearly  every  day, 
watching  the  process  with  apparently  the  deep- 
est interest.  They  would  speculate  on  the  direc- 
tion the  tree  would  fall,  while  being  cut,  and 
when  it  fell  would  seem  to  enjoy  it  hugely;  they 
would  then  go  to  the  stump  and  appear  to  ad- 


mire the  nice,  smooth  cutting  of  the  white  man's 
ax,  so  different  from  their  rude  instruments;  they 
would  imitate  with  the  hands  the  motion  made 
with  the  ax,  and  the  throwing  of  the  chips  by 
its  action,  which  their  instruments  never  did. 
They  seemed  to  appreciate  a  fact,  which  from 
habit  we  fail  to  notice,  that  the  Yankee  ax  is  onq 
of  the  most  efficient  instruments  ever  invented 
by  man.  In  the  hands  of  experts  it  has  cleared 
a  continent  and  prepared  it  for  civilized  occu- 
pancy and  that  with  a  speed  and  facility  that  no 
other  agency  could  effect.  The  rapid  and  nice 
work  of  this  tool  could  but  attract  the  attention 
of  these  simple  savages. 

It  may  be  added  that  the  settlers  left  their 
tools  at  night  where  they  stopped  work,  and 
they  were  never  molested,  although  the  Indians 
were  almost  constantly  there.  If  a  kind,  concili- 
ating and  just  course  had  in  all  cases  been  pur- 
sued in  our  intercourse  with  this  people,  may  we 
not  suppose  their  ultimate  destiny  would  have 
been  different? 

Yet  a  few  of  these  friendly  Pottawatomies, 
though  the  tribe  was  held  in  check  by  Shabbona 
and  other  chiefs,  doubtless  did  join  the  Sacs  in 
their  war  on  the  settlements,  though  this  was 
said  to  have  been  confined  to  a  few  bucks  who 
had  intermarried  with  the  Sauks.  Their  passion 
for  war  and  blood  was  almost  uncontrollable,  and 
their  vindictive  hate  of  an  enemy  led  them  to  a 
course  of  extermination. 

When  Shabbona  accompanied  the  army  under 
General  Atkinson,  and  an  attack  was  expected 
soon  to  be  made  on  the  Sauks,  Shabbona  asked 
permission  to  spare  a  certain  squaw,  a  friend  to 
him.  The  general  told  him  to  spare  all  the  wo- 
men and  children,  but  Shabbona  dissented,  say- 
ing, "They  breed  like  lice;  leave  them,  their  chil- 
dren will  kill  our  children."  That  was  Indian 
philosophy  and  morality  too. 


ONE  OF  THE  OLD  PIONEERS 


WIER  SJURSON  WEEKS 

Was  born  in  Skaanevig,  Bergens  stift,  Norway, 
Oct.  24,  1812.  His  parents  were  poor,  and  as 
his  mother  died  when  he  was  but  a  young  boy, 
he  was  compelled  to  get  out  and  shift  for  him- 
self at  an  early  age.  He  chose  the  carpenter 
trade,  by  which  he  hoped  to  gain  a  livelihood. 
Being  very  quick  to  learn  and  endowed  with  a 
mechanical  bent  of  mind,  he  soon  had  the  trade 
learned,  so  that  while  yet  a  young  man  he  was 
known  as  the  best  ship  builder  in  his  locality. 
His  educational  advantages  were  limited;  in  fact 
there  were  no  public  schools  in  Norway  at  that 
time,  so  that  his  knowledge  consisted  of  what 
he  was  able  to  pick  up  in  the  school  of  life. 

On  Dec.  27,  1842,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Synneva  T.  Sunde,  who  proved  to  be  a  true  help- 
mate to  him.  Early  in  184fi  they  took  passage 
on  a  sailship  for  America,  embarking  at  Bergen. 
It  took  them  thirteen  weeks  to  cross  the  Atlantic, 
and  then  about  four  weeks  up  the  canal  and  over 
the  Great  Lakes  before  they  were  set  ashore, 
with  other  passengers,  at  Muskegon,  Mich.  Here 
in  the  bright  and  burning  summer  sun  stood 
our  subject  with  his  wife  and  two  little  daugh- 
ters, "a  stranger  in  a  strange  land."  Like  most 
newcomers  from  Norway,  however,  he  had  an 
unshaken  faith  in  the  Triune  God  and  firmly 
believed,  as  the  poet  expresses  it, 

"God  never  will  forsake  in  need 
The  heart  that  trusts  in  him  indeed." 
His  first  aim  was  to  get  a  place  where  his 
wife  and  children  could  be  sheltered  and  pro- 
tected. There  were  no  houses  to  be  rented  or 
bought  in  the  little  town.  The  only  chance  to 
get  any  kind  of  house  was  to  buy  forty  acres  of 
land  with  a  house.  This  particular  forty,  with 
a  log  hut  12x14  ft.,  was  held  at  $10  per  acre. 
Money  was  scarce,  but  finally  four  families  club- 
bed together  and  managed  to  make  a  small  pay- 
ment to  bind  the  bargain  and  were  thus  allowed 
to  move  in.  After  providing  this  temporary 
home  for  his  family  his  next  step  was  to  find  his 


old  friend  from  the  same  parts  of  Norway,  Mr. 
Rasmus  Tungisvik,  who  had  arrived  here  a  few 
years  earlier.  Rev.  Elling  Eielsen,  one  of  the 
pioneer  Norwegian  missionaries,  heard  of  the 
newcomers  at  Muskegon  and  soon  visited  them. 
As  he  knew  Mr.  Tungisvik,  he  offered  to  take 
Mr.  Weeks  to  him,  and  one  bright  July  morning 
the  two  started  out  in  Rev.  Eielsen's  one-horse 
wagon,  driving  west  by  way  of  Rock,  Jefferson 
and  Long  Prairie  and  south  over  the  endless 
tracts  to  Lisbon,  Kendall  county,  111. 

Mr.  Weeks  relates  that  this  was  a  great  trip, 
and  it  certainly  was  an  initiation  into  the  pioneer 
life  of  this  country.  There  were  no  hotels  or 
wayside  inns;  not  even  a  comfortable  farmhouse 
to  get  lodging  in.  When  night  overtook  then* 
the  horse  was  "staked  out"  and  their  blankets 
were  spread  under  the  wagon  for  their  bed.  In. 
due  time,  however,  they  reached  Mr.  Tungisvik,. 
who  most  heartily  received  his  old  friend.  He 
insisted  that  Mr.  Weeks  return  to  Muskegon, 
bring  his  wife  and  children,  and  make  his  home 
with  him  until  he  could  do  better  elsewhere. 
This  was  done.  Rev.  Eielsen  returned  to  Muske- 
gon with  Mr.  Weeks.  On  their  return  they 
found  the  log  house  to  be  a  hospital,  as  all  but 
two  of  the  inmates  were  sick.  Mrs.  Weeks  was 
one  of  two  that  were  well,  but  her  two  little 
girls  were  very  sick,  and  died  within  two  weeks. 
Mr.  Weeks  also  took  sick  after  this  bereavement, 
so  they  could  not  return  to  Lisbon  for  some  time. 
Malarial  fever  and  ague  was  the  prevailing  sick- 
ness. 

Arrangements  were  then  made  with  a  German, 
who  was  the  proud  owner  of  a  yoke  of  oxen  and 
a  lumber  wagon,  to  take  them  to  Lisbon  (or 
$40.  Having  put  all  their  means  into  the  forty 
acres  of  land,  they  had  no  ready  money;  but  as 
three  of  the  families  who  had  joined  in  the 
purchase  of  the  land  were  going,  they  managed 
to  exchange  their  undivided  interest  in  the  land 
(which  by  the  way  had  ten  acres  of  promising 
wheat  nearly  ready  for  harvest)  for  transporta- 
tion to  Lisbon.  After  many  trials  and  hard- 


(67) 


68 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


ships  they  reached  Lisbon  and  their  friend  Tun- 
gisvik. 

Although  shaking  with  the  ague  every  other 
day,  our  subject  was  not  only  hopeful  but  brave 
in  the  face  of  almost  insurmountable  difficulties. 
He  was  finally  able,  with  the  co-operation  of 
his  friends,  to  secure  lumber  to  build  a  house 
large  enough  to-  accommodate  his  family. 
He  then  turned  to  the  carpenter  trade,  accept- 
ing work  wherever  he  could  get  it,  building 
houses  most  of  the  time.  In  1848  he  built  the 


was  sick  when  he  left  Ottawa,  but,  not  knowing 
the  symptoms,  he  continued  his  journey,  reach- 
ing home  at  midnight.  He  then  knew  that  he 
had  cholera,  and  told  his  wife  so.  She  got  him 
to  bed  and  gave  him  what  they  had  been  advised 
to  use  in  such  cases.  Early  Sunday  morning  a 
cousin  of  his  came  to  his  door  and  asked  whether 
he.could  stay  a  day  or  two,  as  he  was  sick  and  the 
person  he  had  been  working  for  had  told  him  to 
leave  his  premises,  as  he  had  the  cholera.  Weeks, 
having  only  two  rooms  in  his  house  and  only 


W.  S.  Weeks  and  Wife. 


first  header  that  was  used  around  Lisbon,  and 
in  1849  he  built  the  first  reaper  that  was  run 
there.  This  machine  was  drawn  by  four  horses 
and  carried  one  driver  and  one  man  to  rake  off 
the  grain.  This  reaper  he  bought  later  when  he 
began  farming  for  himself. 

For  a  year  or  more  he  worked  at  Ottawa,  111., 
building  canal  boats,  but  always  made  it  a  rule 
to  be  with  his  family  over  Sunday,  walking  the 
distance,  about  twenty-five  miles.  Once  when 
he  came  home  he  was  hardly  able  to  walk.  He 


one  bed,  told  him  that  if  he  was  sick  and  cou' 
get  no  better  place  he  could  get  a  few  blankets 
and  lie  down  in  the  shavings  in  the  room  which 
had  been  used  as  a  carpenter  shop.  Amland 
(that  was  his  name)  accepted  this;  but  in  two 
days  he  died.  Mrs.  Weeks  notified  the  neigh- 
bors, but  none  came  to  bury  the  dead.  Mr. 
Weeks,  sick  as  he  was,  managed  to  get  up, 
made  a  coffin,  put  the  corpse  in,  and  got  it  out 
of  the  house,  but  was  not  strong  enough  to 
bury  it.  Word  was  sent  to  several  neighbors 


ONE  OF  THE  OLD  PIONEERS 


69 


and  two  men  finally  took  the  body  away  and 
buried  it.  Mr.  Weeks  got  well  and  none  of  his 
family  got  the  dreadful  disease.  In  1848  he 
bargained  for  eighty  acres  of  land  about  five 
miles  north  of  Lisbon,  for  which  he  was  to  pay 
$1.25  per  acre.  The  next  year  he  built  a  house, 
which  was  the  first  house  built  on  what  was 
called  the  North  Prairie.  He  moved  into  it  and 
was  the  first  actual  settler  in  that  direction  from 
Big  Grove.  It  was  not  before  the  '50's  that  he 
commenced  farming,  as  he  rented  the  land  to 
John  Sjurson,  who  broke  it  on  shares.  Of  the 
first  crop  of  wheat  he  raised  Sjurson  took  a 
load  to  Chicago,  with  his  yoke  of  oxen,  hauling 
what  was  considered  at  that  time  a  big  load.  He 
was  told  to  bring  back  a  set  of  knives  and  forks 
and  the  rest  in  cash.  It  took  him  two  weeks  to 
make  the  trip,  and  after  paying  his  expenses  on 
the  way  and  $2  for  the  knives  and  forks  there 
was  nothing  left  of  the  money  received  for  the 
load  of  wheat.  The  distance  is  about  fifty  miles. 
It  happened  frequently  on  such  trips  that  the 
parties  would  find  themselves  in  debt,  losing  both 
time  and  money  in  trying  to  market  what  they 
had  raised. 

In  1856  we  find  Mr.  Weeks  on  his  farm,  culti- 
vating it  himself,  having  put  up  the  necessary 
buildings  to  make  home  comfortable.  He  also 
added  several  tracts  of  land  to  his  first  purchase, 
so  that  when  in  the  '80's  he  turned  the  farm  over 
to  his  youngest  son  he  had  about  200  acres,  all 
in  one  body. 

Mr.  Weeks  was  baptized  and  confirmed  in  the 
Lutheran  Church,  a  true  and  sincere  Christian. 
In  1849,  when  he  moved  into  his  new  home  on 
North  Prairie,  he  donated  his  first  house,  built 
on  Mr.  Tungisvik's  land,  to  the  Norwegians 
around  Lisbon  for  a  meetinghouse,  as  there  was 
no  church  at  that  time.  When  there  was  talk  of 
starting  a  congregation  he  was  one  of  the  first  on 
the  list  of  incorporators,  both  of  what  is  now  cal- 
led the  South  Congregation  and  what  is  known  as 
the  North  Congregation,  which  was  started  some 
years  later.  He  was  a  warm  friend  of  Rev.  P. 
A.  Rasmussen.  who  was  the  pastor  for  these 
congregations  for  nearly  fifty  years.  Mr.  Weeks 
was  always  ready  to  help  any  project  put  forward 
by  Rev.  Rasmussen;  for  he  knew  it  was  for  the 
best  interest  of  both  Christianity  and  humanity. 
He  was  a  liberal  donor  to  church  and  schools 
and  always  ready  to  help  where  help  was  needed. 
He  was  naturally  diffident  and  retired.  He  filled 
many  responsible  positions  in  the  church.  Politic- 
ally he  was  always  a  republican  and  a  friend  and 
admirer  of  Abraham  Lincoln.  The  writer  heard 
him  offer  up  many  a  sincere  prayer  for  President 


Lincoln  and  the  salvation  of  the  country  during 
the  Civil  War. 

After  losing  at  Muskegon  the  two  girls  that 
were  born  in  Norway,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Weeks 
raised  a  family  of  four.  — Alice  W.  was  born 
March  25,  1847.  She  was  first  married  to  Joe 
Johnson,  who  died  while  they  lived  at  Roland, 
Iowa.  She  is  now  married  to  Oscar  Sampson. 
They  are  well  to  do  and  live  a  retired  life  at 
Roland,  Iowa. — Thomas  W.  was  the  first  white 
child  born  on  North  Prairie,  having  been  born 
about  a  month  after  his  parents  moved  out  on 
the  farm  in  1849.  He  lived  to  be  a  successful 
farmer,  owning  160  acres  adjoining  the  old  home- 
stead. He  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Mathre, 
Aug.  5,  1885.  He  was  an  active  republican  and 
filled  several  township  offices.  He  was  a  faith- 
ful member  of  the  Lutheran  Church  and  served 
as  trustee  for  many  years.  He  was  accidentally 
killed  by  being  caught  in  the  belt  of  a  thrashing 
machine.  He  left  a  wife  and  five  children,-  who 
are  living  at  Newark,  111.,  in  comfortable  circum- 
stances.— Sjur  W.  was  born  Jan.  12,  1852.  At  16 
years  of  age  he  was  sent  to  Luther  College, 
Decorah,  Iowa,  where  he  entered  the  Normal 
class  in  the  fall  of  1868,  but  he  was  obliged  to 
abandon  his  studies  for  a  time  in  the  fall  of 
1870  on  account  of  ill  health.  In  1871  he  attended 
the  Fowler  Institute  at  Newark,  Kendall  county, 
111.,  for  a  term  or  two;  and  taught  the  Norwegian 
parochial  school  for  several  months,  and  also 
two  terms  of  the  English  district  schools.  He 
then  took  up  his  studies  at  Luther  College  again, 
graduating  from  the  Normal  course  in  1873.  That 
fall  he  commenced  as  teacher,  for  the  Norwegian 
congregation  at  Lee,  111.,  teaching  both  the  Nor- 
wegian and  the  English  school  for  six  or  "seven 
years.  In  1878  he  was  married  to  Thorbj^r  J. 
Rogde,  of  Lee.  In  1879  he  engaged  in  business, 
first  in  grain  at  Steward  and  later  in  hardware 
at  Lee.  In  1885  his  store  burned,  and  having 
but  little  insurance,  he  lost  everything  he  had. 
He  then  worked  as  manager  for  several  years  with 
A.  H.  Johnson  &  Co.,  at  Lee,  in  the  grain  busi- 
ness. After  several  changes,  including  the  assist- 
ant postmastership  at  Rochelle,  111.,  he  opened  a 
feed  business  there,  which  he  conducted  until  his 
death,  which  ocurred  April  13,  1907.  While 
at  Lee  he  was  twice  elected  justice  of  the 
peace,  served  on  the  village  board,  and  acted  at 
different  times  as  its  president  and  secretary. 
He  has  always  been  an  active  worker  in  the 
Lutheran  Church,  having  held  the  position  of 
secretary  and  treasurer  for  the  Congregation  at 
Rochelle,  111.,  since  1893,  and  has  also  been  leader 
of  the  Sunday  school.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  S.  W. 


70 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Weeks  have  been  blessed  with  nine  children. 
Elsie  S.  is  a  stenographer  at  Rochelle;  Synneva 
C.  is  a  primary  teacher  at  Lee,  111.;  W.  Alfred 
has  opened  up  a  coal  business  at  Sterling, 
111.;  and  Jacob  Marshall  has  just  graduated  from 
the  Rochelle  High  School.  The  younger  children 
are  attending  school. — Lewis  W.,  who  was  born 
in  1856,  and  the  youngest  child  of  our  subject, 
remained  on  the  old  homestead,  and  when  he 
was  of  age  rented  the  farm  and  started  in  for 
himself.  He  was  married  in  1882  to  Miss  Caroline 
B.  Thompson,  of  Slater,  Iowa.  He  has  been 
very  successful  in  his  undertaking.  He  bought 
several  smaller  farms  adjoining  the  old  home- 
stead, and  in  1894  bought  the  home  place,  with 
the  understanding  that  the  parents  were  to  live 
with  him  in  their  house  during  the  rest  of  their 
natural  lives.  He  is  now  the  owner  of  320  acres 
or  more  of  just  as  nice  and  good  land  as  there 
is  in  Illinois,  and  has  it  better  housed  and  im- 
proved than  most  of  the  neighboring  farms.  He 
is  very  handy  with  tools  and  can  build  to  suit  him- 
self. He  is  a  republican  and  takes  an  active  part 
in  township,  county,  state  and  national  politics. 


He  has  a  large  family.  In  church  matters 
he  is  a  leader  and  worker,  having  served  his 
congregation  as  trustee  for  many  years.  When 
the  question  of  building  a  new  church  at  Helmar 
for  the  North  Prairie  Congregation  came  up  he 
was  placed  at  the  head  of  both  the  financial  and 
building  committees,  and  many  a  day's  work  and 
many  a  dollar  of  which  no  account  was  kept 
went  into  this  undertaking. 

Feb.  3,  1900,  the  main  subject  of  our  sketch, 
Mr.  W.  S.  Weeks,  was  laid  to  rest,  having  passed 
his  87th  birthday — tired,  no  doubt,  from  all  the 
strife  he  had  passed  through,  but  glad  and  ready 
to  be  removed  to  the  home  from  whence  there 
is  no  moving.  His  wife,  who  was  two  years  older, 
lived  until  Jan.  14,  1904,  reaching  the  unusual  age 
of  over  94  years.  She  was  totally  blind  for  over 
twelve  years,  but  bore  it  patiently  to  the  e^d. 

Thus  ended  the  lives  of  two  venerable  pioneers, 
honored  and  respected  by  all  who  knew  them. 
They  left  one  daughter  and  two  sons  and  twenty- 
three  grandchildren  to  mourn  the  loss  and  cherish 
the  memory  of  loving  mother  and  father. 


The  Third  Norwegian  Settlement 


In  regard  to  the  company  of  immigrants  who 
came  to  that  most  unfortunate  of  Norwegian 
settlements  at  Beaver  Creek,  in  Iroquois  county, 
we  have  good  and  reliable  information  in  Knud 
Langland's  book.  Mr.  Langland  here  speaks  of 
his  own  experiences  both  in  regard  to  the  in- 
troductory preparations  and  some  of  the  causes 
that  led  many  peasants  from  Bergenshus  amt 
to  leave  the  land  of  their  fathers  for  an  uncertain 
future  full  of  privations  and  hardships  in  a  new 
country. 

Mr.  Langland  relates  how  he  accidentally, 
while  visiting  a  friend  in  Bergen,  found  in  his 
library  a  book  written  by  a  German  and  entitled 
"Travels  in  America."  At  the  age  of  sixteen  a 
boy's  power  of  imagination  is  as  a  rule  very 
strong,  and  when  he  in  this  book  found  a  mim- 
ber  of  glowing  descriptions  of  the  far  away  coun- 
try, its  free  institutions  and  its  enterprising  peo- 
ple, he  read  it  with  an  interest  as  absorbing  as 
if  it  had  been  a  novel  of  adventures.  Here  he 


found  the  German  emigration  completely  and 
minutely  described.  He  borrowed  the  book,  and 
with  it  in  his  pocket  wandered  on  one  early  sum- 
mer morning  away  to  the  other  side  of  the  bay 
of  Solem  and  up  the  steep  Lyderhorn.  There  he 
sat  down  and  read  and  dreamed  of  the  new,  won- 
derful world  across  the  ocean.  The  mist  had  sunk 
down  over  the  fiords  and  the  islands  in  the  inlet 
to  Bergen,  but  here  on  the  top  of  the  mountain 
the  sun  was  sending  forth  its  bright  rays.  "It 
was  the  first  time  I  had  ever  enjoyed  this  view, 
characteristic  for  a  mountainous  country  and  most 
enchanting.  If  ever  my  prosaic  self  had  been 
impressed  with  poetic  inspiration  and  rapture,  it 
.  was  at  this  never  forgotten  moment,  when  my 
mortal  eye  was  taking  in  from  above  the  level 
of  the  mist  illuminated  by  the  sun  and  in  the 
distant  West  saw  the  North  Sea  hold  out  its 
glittering  silver  shield,  which  seemed  to  heave 
to  an  even  height  with  the  mountain.  Why  is  it 
such  moments  occur  so  seldom  to  the  average 


THE  THIRD  NORWEGIAN  SETTLEMENT 


71 


human  being?  And  in  the  far  West,  thousands 
of  miles  away,  is  the  land  of  which  I  now  read, 
the  great  and  as  yet  little  known  world  with  all 
its  secrets  and  wonders.  With  this  enchanted 
morning  of  my  life's  Springtime  associate  my 
earliest  recollections  of  America,  of  the  land  that 
for  more  than  a  half  a  century  has  been  my 
adopted  country.  From  then  on  I  eagerly 
searched  all  descriptions  and  books  of  travel 
about  America,  and  together  with  an  uncle  I 
commenced  to  gather  information  from  books, 
letters  and  verbal  narrations  from  Stavanger  peo- 
ple, which  now  were  circulated  all  over  the  coun- 
try, since  Kleng  Peerson's  return  from  his  visit 
to  America,  although  as  yet  we  were  not  think- 
ing in  earnest  of  emigrating.  A  sacrificing  friend 
helped  me  in  1834  to  a  six  months'  sojourn  in 
England,  and  here  I  had  a  good  chance  to  col- 
lect a  number  of  pamphlets  and  books  on  Amer- 
ica and  the  English  emigration.  In  this  manner 
better  and  more  reliable  information  about  Amer- 
ican conditions  and  how  to  get  there  were  cir- 
culated in  our  neighborhood.  A  number  of  ridic- 
ulous and  unreasonable  stories  which  had  been 
spread  among  the  people  thus  found  a  pretty 
good  counterbalance,  and  were  more  and  more 
discredited.  Slowly  but  surely  grew  the  idea  of 
emigrating.  The  little  flock  of  people  who  in 
earnest  began  to  consider  emigration  as  a  pos- 
sibility near  at  hand  was  by  and  by  increased  by 
others,  who  commenced  preparing  to  dispose  of 
their  land  holdings  preparatory  to  emigrating. 
It  was  now  that  the  bishop  of  Bergen  wrote  his 
epistle  to  the  Bergenshus  farmers  over  the  text, 
'Remain  in  thy  country  and  support  thyself 
honestly!'  Whether  he  did  not  think  of  it  or 
else  did  not  deem  it  meet  for  the  occasion,  he 
omitted  to  cite  another  injunction  of  the  Holy 
Scriptures:  'Vorder  frugtbare,  formerer  eder  og 
opfylder  jorden.'  The  latter  the  farmers  had 
complied  with;  most  of  them  had  large  families, 
and  when  they  came  to  think  that  the  land  of 
their  fathers  was  more  than  well  filled  up,  and 
heard  that  the  new  world  was  almost  barren  of 
people  but  rich  in  soil  that  could  be  had  almost 
for  the  asking,  they  concluded  to  ignore  the 
bishop  and  set  out  for  the  new  Canaan  which 
was  flowing  with  milk  and  honey. 

Causes  of  this  Exodus. 

"While  visiting  Knud  Slovig  we  received  a  full 
and  satisfactory  confirmation  of  what  we  had 
read  and  heard  before.  This  was  in  the  winter 
of  1836.  In  the  autumn  of  that  year  a  Captain 
Behrens  of  Bergen  returned  with  his  bark  /Egir 
from  a  freight  trip  to  America;  and  when  he 


heard  that  several  well-to-do  farmers  in  different 
parts  of  the  amt  had  sold  their  land  holdings  and 
were  looking  for  transportation  to  America,  he 
decided  to  change  the  interior  of  good  ship 
^igir  (which  he  owned)  for  passenger  traffic,  and 
made  contracts  for  sailing  in  the  next  spring, 
1837.  Captain  Behrens  had  in  the  harbor  of  New 
York  seen  German  and  English  emigrant  ships 
and  was  familiar  with  the  requirements  of  such, 
both  as  to  the  fitting  of  the  ship's  interior  and 
the  American  laws  and  harbor  regulations  in  re- 
gard to  the  immigrant  traffic.  To  Bergen  he  was 
accompanied  by  two  German  ministers,  who  were 
on  their  way  home  to  solicit  funds  for  erecting 
church  edifices  in  America,  and  from  them  he 
had  gained  still  more  information  in  regard  to 
the  German  emigration,  which  had  been  going  on 
during  many  years  on  a  large  scale,  and  was 
conducted  mainly  via  Baltimore  and  Pennsyl- 
vania." 

The  information  thus  gained  regarding  Amer- 
ican conditions  would  not  alone  have  sufficed  to 
instigate  this  exodus  from  Bergen.  More  potent 
factors  were  at  work,  and  such  were  hard  times, 
limited  means  of  support  and  enormously  large 
poor-taxes.  For  several  individuals  also  collateral 
reasons  were  deciding.  The  old  educator,  N.  P. 
Langland,  who  sacrificed  almost  everything  in 
the  interest  of  popular  education,  had  originally 
chosen  the  "learned"  way  for  a  profession,  but 
on  account  of  lack  of  means  was  obliged  to  stop 
half-way  and  take  up  teaching  farmers'  children 
for  a  living.  By  a  superstitious  and  ignorant 
peasantry  he  had  been  treated  and  judged  very 
unjustly.  The  clergy  also  thought  that  this  radi- 
cal thinker  was  not  a  fit  man  as  a  popular  edu- 
cator in  this  very  conservative  part  of  the  coun- 
try, and  his  work  became  both  thankless  and  un- 
pleasant. He  was  supported  in  his  efforts  by  a 
little  number  of  reliable  and  liberal-minded 
friends,  but  persecuted  by  a  larger  number  of 
ignorant  bigots  who  interfered  with  his  valuable 
work.  Seeing  his  noblest  efforts  and  unceasing 
work  rewarded  with  meanness  and  malice,  it 
might  have  been  expected  that  the  ties  which 
held  him  fast  to  the  mother  country  would  loosen. 
As  far  as  he  was  concerned  those  were  certainly 
reasons  for  turning  his  back  on  so  thankless  a 
fatherland,  and  many  of  his  friends  and  admirers 
persuaded  themselves  to  do  the  same. 

It  must  not,  however,  be  forgotten  that  the 
strongest  incentives  for  the  emigration  were  the 
improved  economical  prospects  that  were  open 
for  the  families  in  the  rich  and  sparsely  popu- 
lated America  with  the  mild  climate  and  fertile 


72 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


soil,  and  that  hardly  any  of  this  company  would 
have  risked  the  change  except  for  those  reasons. 
Besides  N.  P.  Langland  the  following  are  men- 
tioned in  Knud  Langland's  book:  Mons  Aadland, 
Nels  Frjziland,  Anders  Norvig,  Anders  Rosseland, 
Thomas  Bauge,  Ingebrigt  Brudvig,  Thorbj^rn 
Veste,  Erstein  Sanderson  Bakke  and  others,  who 
all  had  large  families,  and  a  number  of  single 
persons,  among  whom  were  D0vig,  Rosseland, 
Bauge,  Lars  Fr^Iand,  a  son  of  Nils  Frjrfland, 
(whose  sketch  is  found  elsewhere),  Norvig,  His- 
dal,  T0sseland.  Very  few  are  still  living  in  Il- 
linois, but  a  number  of  their  children  and  grand- 
children are  well-to-do  farmers  in  Illinois,  Iowa 
and  the  Dakotas.  The  whole  company  numbered 
eighty-four.  For  their  transportation  to  New 
York  they  paid  60  speciedaler  for  grown-up  per- 
sons and  30  for  each  child  under  12  years.  The 
ship  was  eight  weeks  in  crossing  the  Atlantic  and 
collided  in  midocean  with  an  American  packet. 
No  damage,  however,  was  done  to  either  vessel. 

Ole  Rynning. 

Among  the  passengers  of  the  JEgir  was  also  a 
young  student,  Ole  Rynning,  who  turned  out  to 
be  the  most  remarkable  of  them  all.  It  was  after 
the  contract  had  been  made  with  Captain  Beh- 
rens  and  the  hulk  of  the  ship  refitted  and  ar- 
ranged for  carrying  passengers  that  Ole  Rynning 
came  from  Snaasen,  Trondhjem's  amt,  to  Ber- 
gen and  wanted  to  join  the  company  of  emi- 
grants. He  was  born  April  4,  1809,  on  Dusgaar- 
den  in  Ringsaker,  where  his  father,  Jens  Ryn- 
ning, was  a  clergyman.  His  mother  was  Seve- 
rine  Catharine  Steen.  In  1825  his  father  had  been 
promoted  to  a  more  lucrative  position  as  rector 
of  the  parish  of  Snaasen.  Ole  Rynning  passed 
examination  for  admission  to  the  University  in 
1829,  and  returned  to  Snaasen  in  1833,  where  he 
kept  a  private  school  until  he  emigrated  to  Amer- 
ica, March  2,  1837. 

When  the  immigrants  arrived  at  Chicago,  most 
of  them  intended  to  go  to  the  Fox  River  Settle- 
ment, but  Bj0rn  Anderson,  the  father  of  Rasmus 
B.  Anderson,  had  just  come  from  there  and  gave 
a  very  unfavorable  description  of  the  colony  in 
La  Salle  county,  and  advised  his  countrymen  not 
to  go  to  that  settlement. 

Two  Americans  with  whom  Ole  Rynning  had 
a  talk  in  Chicago  counseled  him  to  go  with  his 
countrymen  to  Beaver  Creek,  but  others  advised 
against  that  place.  Finally  it  was  decided  to 
send  four  of  their  party  to  look  at  the  land  and 
the  country.  The  persons  selected  were  Ole 
Rynning,  Nils  Veste,  Ingebrigt  Brudvig  and  Ole 
Nattestad.  The  last  with  his  brother  Austen  had 


arrived  via  Gothenborg  and  Massachusetts,  and 
joined  the  others  in  Detroit,  from  'which  place 
they  accompanied  them  to  Chicago. 

Nattestad  did  not  like  the  sandy  and  swampy 
land,  but  others  did,  and  so  it  was  agreed  that 
Nattestad  and  Nils  Veste  should  remain  and  build 
a  loghouse,  as  a  first  shelter  for  the  immigrants, 
while  Rynning  and  Brudvig  returned  to  Chicago. 
Some  of  the  party  had  in  their  absence,  and 
against  his  advice,  but  in  Bjjzirn  Anderson's  copi- 
pany,  left  Chicago  for  the  Fox  River  Settlement, 
but  most  of  them  went  to  Beaver  Creek.  Al- 
though the  most  of  the  newcomers  were  well  sup- 
plied with  money,  they  could  hardly  procure  the 
necessaries  of  life,  there  being  no  settlers  in  the 
immediate  vicinity.  All  took  up  claims  and  be- 
fore winter  set  in  they  had  put  up  a  sufficient 
number  of  log  houses.  The  settlers  numbered 
about  fifty. 

During  the  first  winter  everything  went  well, 
but  with  the  coming  of  spring  the  whole  settle- 
ment was  flooded  and  turned  into  a  swamp. 
During  the  summer  the  miasma  produced  malar- 
ial bacilli,  and  in  a  short  time  the  malaria  had 
killed  about  fifteen  of  the  settlers,  among  them 
Ole  Rynning,  whose  death  was  a  great  loss  to  the 
colony.  The  rest  of  the  people  fled  for  their 
lives,  leaving  farms  and  houses.  The  majority  of 
the  survivors  made  their  way  to  Fox  River.  A 
few  remained  about  two  years  longer.  Mons  K. 
Aadland,  a  half-brother  of  Knud  Langland,  the 
first  editor  of  Skandinaven,  was  the  last  to  leave. 
He  exchanged  his  farm  for  some  oxen  and  cows, 
with  which  he  went  to  Wisconsin  and  settled  in 
Racine  county.  Most  of  the  above  data  are  to  be 
found  in  Knud  Langland's  and  Rasmus  B.  An- 
derson's books,  but  we  have  had  them  confirmed 
by  Mr.  Lars  Fr^land  (Fruland),  one  of  the  sur- 
vivors, who  with  his  wife,  is  still  living  at  New- 
ark, 111. 

Except  Kleng  Peerson  there  is  probably  no 
man  who  has  done  so  much  to  promote  Norweg- 
ian immigration  to  America  as  Ole  Rynning. 
This  he  did  by  writing  a  little  book  in  the  Nor- 
wegian language:  Sandfaerdig  Beretning  om 
America,  til  Oplysning  og  Nytte,  for  Bonde  og 
Menigmand  forfattet  af  en  Norsk,  som  kom  der- 
over  i  Juni  Maaned  1837.  The  author's  name  is 
not  given  on  the  title  page,  but  after  the  preface, 
thus:  "Illinois,  13  Feb.,  1838.  Ole  Rynning." 

The  book  is  divided  into  thirteen  chapters, 
answering  the  following  questions: 

1.  In  what  direction  is  America  situated,  and 
how  far  is  it  thither? 

2.  How  did  this  land  become  known? 

3.  What    is    the    nature    of  this  country,  and 


THE   THIRD   NORWEGIAN  SETTLEMENT 


what  is  the  reason  why  so  many  people  go  there 
and  expect  to  make  a  living  there? 

4.  Is   it   not   to   be   feared   that   the   land   will 
soon  be  overpopulated?     Is  it  true  that  the  gov- 
ernment there  is  going  to  prohibit  immigration? 

5.  In  what  part  of  the  land  have  the  Norweg- 
ians settled?    Which  is  the  most  convenient  and 
cheapest  route  to  them? 

6.  What    is    the  nature  of  the  country  where 
the  Norwegians  have  settled?    What  is  the  price 
of  land?     What  is  the  price  of  cattle  and  of  the 
necessaries  of  life?     How  high  are  the  wages? 

7.  What  kind  of  religion  is  there  in  America? 
Is  there  any  sort  of  order  and  government  in  the 
land,   or    is    everybody    permitted   to    do    as    he 
pleases? 

8.  What   provision   is   there   for   education   of 
children  and  for  the  care  of  the  poor? 

9.  What  language  is  spoken  in  America,  and 
is  it  difficult  to  learn? 

10.  Is    there    danger    of  disease   in  America? 
Is  there  reason  to  fear  wild  animals  or  the  Indi- 
ans? 

11.  What  kind  of  people  should  be  advised  to 
emigrate  to  America?    Advice  against  unreason- 
able expectations. 

12.  What    dangers    may   be    expected    on    the 
ocean?    Is  it  true  that  those  who  are  taken  to 
America  are  sold  as  slaves? 

13.  Advice  to  those  who  wish  to  go  to  Amer- 
ica.   How  they  are  to  get  a  vessel;  how  they  are 
to  exchange  their  money;  what  season  and  route 
are  the  most  convenient;  what  things  should  be 
taken  along  on  the  journey. 

We  have  used  Rasmus   B.  Anderson's  transla- 
tion of  the  chapter  headings. 


The  questions  were  to  the  point,  and  they  are 
all  answered  in  a  most  intelligent  manner. 

Ole  Rynning  never  lived  to  see  a  copy  of  his 
book  printed.  Austen  Nattestad  carried  the  man- 
uscript to  Norway  and  had  it  printed  in  Chris- 
tiania.  The  book  was  sold  in  thousands  upon 
thousands  of  copies  in  Norway. 

Mr.  Lars  Fruland  speaks  of  Ole  Rynning  in  the 
highest  terms  of  praise,  and  how  he  was  always 
willing  to  help  and  comfort  those  in  distress  and 
sorrow.  He  was  contented  with  very  little  and 
suffered  with  patience.  It  is  told  how  he  used 
to  make  long  exploring  excursions  with  only  a 
little  hard-tack  and  bacon  for  grub.  One  time  a 
heavy  frost  had  set  in  during  his  absence,  and 
his  shoes  were  cut  to  shreds  by  the  cracking  ice 
on  the  swamps.  With  his  feet  frozen  he  re- 
turned to  the  colony.  They  presented  a  terrible 
sight.  He  had  to  be  put  to  bed,  and  it  was  while 
confined  there  that  he  wrote  his  book.  After 
some  time,  however,  his  feet  got  well  and  he 
resumed  his  charitable  work  among  his  coun- 
trymen. 

In  the  fall  of  1838  he  took  sick  again,  and  died 
soon  after  of  pneumonia.  His  death  caused  a 
great  sorrow  in  the  colony.  Some  pieces  of 
timber  were  fixed  together  in  a  kind  of  rough 
casket,  in  which  his  remains  were  put,  hauled  out 
on  the  prairie,  and  buried  there.  Beaver  Creek 
was  later  settled  by  Americans  and  others  who 
had  the  means  to  drain  the  marshes  and  plow  the 
fields,  where  the  Norwegians  were  buried.  It  is 
now  a  prosperous  settlement,  but  nobody  can 
point  out  the  graves  of  Ole  Rynning  or  the  other 
unfortunate  settlers. 


Mission  and  Miller  Townships 


The  townships  had  not  been  surveyed  when 
the  first  Norwegian  settlers,  led  by  Kleng  Peer- 
son,  arrived  in  1834.  They  were  not  even  divided 
in  their  present  form,  but  went  officially  under  the 
name  of  Mission.  Mission  township  was  organ- 
ized in  April,  1850,  including  what  is  now  Miller 
township  until  1876.  By  the  influence  of  Neb 
Nelson,  a  son  of  Cornelius  Nelson,  and  others, 
they  became  divided  for  the  reason  that  Mission 


was  very  much  out  of  proportion,  being  over 
thirteen  miles  in  length  and  only  about  six  miles 
in  breadth  in  the  widest  place.  Together  with  a 
part  of  Rutland  township  they  formed  what  for  a 
number  of  years  has  been  known  as  the  Fox 
River  Settlement,  the  stronghold  for  our  Nor- 
wegian immigrants  in  this  state. 

There  seems  to  have  been  a  difference  of  opin- 
ion in  regard  to  the  time  when  the  first  Norweg- 


74 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


ians  came  to  the  Fox  River  Settlement.  Some 
writers  fix  1835  as  .the  year  for  their  arrival,  Knud 
Langland  states  it  was  in  1836,  but  Prof.  R.  B. 
Anderson  argues  that  they  came  in  1834.  We 
agree  with  him  entirely.  He  gives  as  his  source 
of  information  a  Mr.  John  Armstrong,  with  whom 
he  had  a  personal  interview,  and  who  informed 
him  that  some  Norwegians  had  worked  for  him 
on  his  claim  in  1834.  The  fact  that  the  land  had 
not  been  surveyed  into  sections  and  put  on  the 
market  before  1835  makes  no  difference,  because 
the  newcomers  upon  their  arrival  could  select 
land,  or  make  a  "claim,"  and  "squat"  on  it,  until 
it  came  into  the  market.  This  is  made  plain  in 
the  chapter  on  "Claims"  in  this  volume.  The  two 
splendid  works,  History  of  Grundy  County  and 
Elmer  Baldwin's  History  of  La  Salle  County, 
the  former  published  in  1882  and  the  latter  in 
1877,  both  give  1834  as  the  year  during  which  the 
first  Norwegians  arrived. 

The  first  party  of  the  "Sloopers"  to  come  from 
Kendall  under  the  guidance  of  Kleng  Peerson,  ac- 
cording to  Prof.  Anderson's  First  Chapter  of  Nor- 
wegian Immigration,  consisted  of:  Andrew  (En- 
dre)  Dahl,  Jacob  Anderson  Slogvig,  Gudmund 
Haukaas,  Nels  Thompson  (Thorson),  and  Thor- 
stein  Olson  Bjaadland,  who  had  been  in  Michigan 
but  returned  to  Kendall. 

Elmer  Baldwin's  History  of  La  Salle  County 
gives  the  following  list,  which  we  offer  for  com- 
parison: 

Oliver  Canuteson  came  to  New  York,  in  1825; 
to  Illinois  in  1834;  died  in  1850;  he  left  two  sons 
and  one  daughter;  one  son  died  in  the  army  in 
1863. 

Nils  Thompson,  to  New  York  in  1825;  came 
here  in  1834;  died  about  1856. 

Gjert  Hovland,  to  New  York  in  1825,  and  to 
Illinois  in  1834;  died  at  Ottawa  in  1870. 

Oliver  (Olav)  Knuteson,  to  New  York  in  1825, 
and  to  Illinois  in  1834;  died  in  1848,  leaving  four 
children. 

Christian  Oleson,  from  Norway  in  1825,  to  Il- 
linois in  1834;  died  in  1858,  leaving  three  children. 
Thorstein   Oleson,  from   Norway  in   1825,  and 
came  to  Illinois  in  1834;  went  to  Wisconsin. 

George  Johnson,  one  of  the  first  from  Norway, 
came  here  in  1834;  died  in  1846;  had  four  children. 
Ole   Olson   (Hetletveldt),   "Slooper,"  came   to 
Illinois  in  1834. 

Ove  Stenson  Rosdal,  and  wife,  Miss  Jacobs, 
from  Norway  in  1825,  and  came  to  Illinois  in 
1835;  moved  to  Iowa. 

Daniel  Stenson  Rosdal  came  at  the  same  time, 
with  wife;  died  in  1860. 
John   Stenson   Rosdal  came   at  the   same  time, 


married  Miss  Pierson,  and  settled  on  Section  3; 
had  five  children. 

The  book  referred  to  says  that  those  three  were 
brothers,  but  Daniel  was  the  father  and  Ove  and 
John  his  sons. 

Iver  Waller  came  from  Norway  in  1835,  and 
bought  a  claim  of  Jesse  Pearson. 

Thorkel  H.  Erickson,  from  Norway  to  Ottawa 
in  1837;  to  Rutland  township  in  1840;  then  to 
California  and  Australia,  and  back  to  Miller  town- 
ship in  1866;  married  Helen  Pierson;  had  eight 
children. 

Nels  Nelson,  Jr.  (a  son  of  Cornelius  Nelson), 
to  New  York  in  1825,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1836; 
had  seven  children. 

Austin  Baker  came  from  Norway  to  Illinois  in 
1839;  died  in  Minnesota. 

Canute  Williamson  came  from  Norway  to  Illi- 
nois in  1838. 

Nils  Fruland  came  from  Norway  to  Illinois  and 
the  Beaver  Creek  Settlement  in  1837;  to  the  Fox 
River  Settlement  in  1839. 

Canute  Olson  came  from  Norway  to  Illinois 
in  1836;  died  in  1846. 

Lars  Brenson  came  from  Norway  to  Illinois  in 
1836. 

Nels  Nelson,  Sr.  (Hersdal),  "Slooper,"  and 
wife,  Bertha  Harwick,  came  to  Illinois  in  1835, 
purchased  a  farm,  and  moved  his  family  in  1846; 
had  eleven  children. 

Andrew  Anderson,  from  Norway  to  New  York 
in  1836;  came  to  Illinois  in  1838,  with  his  wife, 
Olena  Nelson;  he  died  of  cholera  in  1849;  his 
widow  died  in  1875;  the  children  were  two  sons 
and  two  daughters. 

Ener  Anderson  came  with  his  father;  he  mar- 
ried Margaret  Gunderson,  and  settled  on  Sec.  16, 
T.  34,  R.  6;  had  eleven  children. 

Andrew  Anderson,  Jr.,  also  came  with  his 
father;  had  several  children;  Susan  married  John 
Hill;  Elizabeth  married  Henry  Doggett. 

Lars  Nelson  came  from  Norway  in  1838;  died 
in  1847. 

George  Nicholson  came  from  New  York  in  1839, 
and  settled  on  Section  16. 

Lars  B.  Olson  came  from  Norway  in  1837;  went 
first  to  Beaver  Creek;  thence  to  the  Fox  River 
Settlement. 

Michael  Olson  came  from  Norway  to  Illinois 
in  1839;  died  in  1847. 

In  most  cases  we  have  spelled  the  names  as 
found  in  Baldwin's  History. 

The  records  at  Ottawa  reveal  the  following 
Norwegian  purchasers  of  land  in  the  townships 
of  Mission,  Miller  and  Rutland  in  1835,  when  the 
Innd  was  put  on  the  market: 


MISSION  AND  MILLER  TOWNSHIPS 


75 


In  Rutland  township:.  Jacob  Slogvig,  June  15, 
80  acres;  same  date,  Gudmund  Haukaas,  160 
acres.  Jacob  Anderson  and  Gudmund  Haukaas 
were  the  first  Norwegians  to  acquire  land  in  Il- 
linois.) 

In  Mission  township:  Kleng  Peerson,  June  17, 
80  acres;  Carrie  Nelson,  widow  of  Cornelius  Nel- 
son, June  17,  80  acres.  The  land  was  bought  for 
her  by  Kleng  Peerson.  On  June  25,  Kleng  Peer- 
son  bought  80  acres  more  for  himself. 

In  Miller  township:  Gjert  Hovland  bought  160 
acres,  June  17,  and  same  date  Thorstein  Olson 
80  acres;  June  17,  Thorstein  Olson  bought  80 
acres  more,  which  he  sold,  Sept.  5,  to  Nels  Nel- 
son Hersdal;  June  17,  Nels  Thompson  (Thorson) 
bought  160  acres,  and  on  Jan.  16,  1836,  Thorstein 
Olson  80  acres  more. 

As  mentioned  before,  Mission  township  was 
organized  in  April,  1850.  Its  first  justice  of  the 
peace  was  Lars  Larson  and  its  first  constable 
Nels  Nelson.  Other  public  officers  of  Norwegian 
birth  during  the  following  time  have  been:  J. 
Rosedal,  constable,  1851;  O.  Rosedal,  collector, 
and  Peter  Nelson,  constable,  1852;  Lars  Larson, 
justice  of  the  peace,  1854;  E.  Olson,  commissioner 
of  highways,  1855;  P.  C.  Nelson,  collector,  1856; 
P.  C.  Nelson,  commissioner  of  highways,  1859  and 
1860;  Nels  Nelson,  commissioner  of  highways, 
1861;  John  Thorson,  constable,  1862;  P.  C.  Nel- 
son, collector,  1863;  P.  C.  Nelson,  commissioner 
of  highways,  1864;  E.  Thorson,  constable,  1870; 
E.  Thorson,  justice  of  the  peace  and  Nels  Ander- 
son, commissioner  of  highways,  1871;  P.  C.  Nel- 
son, commissioner  of  highways,  1872;  Nels  Nelson, 
collector,  and  Lars  Lewis,  commissioner  of  high- 
ways, 1873;  Nels  Nelson,  supervisor,  P.  C.  Nel- 
son, assessor  and  collector  and  A.  Robertson, 
constable,  1874;  William  Williamson,  collector 
and  T.  H.  Erickson,  commissioner  of  highways, 
1875;  T.  Schlanbusch,  collector,  W.  Williamson 
and  O.  A.  Quam,  commissioners  of  highways, 
1876;  B.  Thompson  was  clerk  from  1873  to  1878. 

We  repeat  here  that  the  names  are  spelled  as 
they  appear  on  the  official  records,  from  which 
we  have  copied  them. 

After  the  separation  from  Miller  township  in 
1876  the  following  Norwegians  were  officeholders 
in  Mission  township: 

1877— Assessor,  P.  C.  Nelson;  collector,  B.  Thomp- 
son; constable,  Nels  Nelson. 

1878 — W.  H.  Robertson,  assessor. 

1879 — Assessor,  P.  C.  Nelson;  commissioner  of 
highways,  A.  Anfinson. 

1880— Assessor,  P.  C.  Nelson. 

1881— Clerk,  J.  A.  Quam;  assessor,  P.  C.  Nelson; 


collector,  S.  P.  Nelson;  constable,  Nels 
Anderson. 

1882— Clerk,  J.  A.  Quam;  collector,  W.  C.  Rosen- 
quist;  constable,  Christ  J.  Walseth. 

1883— Clerk,  J.  A.  Quam;  assessor,  P.  C.  Nelson. 

1884— Clerk,  J.  A.  Quam;  assessor,  P.  C.  Nelson; 
collector,  C.  J.  Walseth. 

1885 — Clerk,  J.  A.  Quam;  assessor,  P.  C.  Nelson; 
collector,  John  Anderson;  commissioner  of 
highways,  Nels  Anderson;  justice  of  the 
peace,  W.  C.  Rosenquist;  constable,  C.  J. 
Walseth. 

1886— Clerk,  J.  A.  Quam;  assessor,  Peter  C.  Nel- 
son; commissioner  of  public  highways,  Ole 
Nordbye. 

1887 — Clerk,  J.  A.  Quam;  collector,  Joseph  Sebby. 

1888 — Clerk,  J.  A.  Quam;  assessor,  Peter  C.  Nel- 
son; collector,  Peter  Swenson;  commis- 
sioner of  highways,  Andrew  P.  Dall. 

1889 — Supervisor,  J.  A.  Quam;  collector,  Jacob 
Jacobson;  constable,  Knute  Ugland. 

1890 — Supervisor,  J.  A.  Quam;  assessor,  Bergo 
Thompson;  collector,  Jacob  Jacobson; 
commissioner  of  highways,  John  Anderson. 

1891 — Supervisor,  J.  A.  Quam;  assessor,  Ole  An- 
finson; commissioner  of  highways,  Barney 
Anderson. 

1893 — Supervisor,  J.  A.  Quam;  commissioner  of 
highways,  A.  P.  Dall. 

1894— Assessor,  C.  D.  Twait;  collector,  Aron  Sol- 
ven;  commissioner  of  highways,  Omund 
Omundson. 

1895 — Supervisor,  J.  A.  Quam;  assessor,  C.  D. 
Twait;  constable,  Andrew  Jelm. 

1896 — Assessor,  Bergo  Thompson;  collector, 
Knute  Ugland. 

1897 — Supervisor,  J.  A.  Quam;  assessor,  Barto 
Thompson;  collector,  K.  Ugland;  commis- 
sioners of  highways,  G.  Torkelson,  O. 
Omundson. 

1898 — Assessor,  B.  Thompson;  collector,  Nels  E. 
Jacobson;  commissioner  of  highways,  G. 
Torkelson;  constable,  B.  Thompson. 

1899 — Supervisor,  J.  A.  Quam;  assessor,  B.  Thomp- 
son; collector,  Nels  Jacobson. 

1900 — Collector,  Nels  Jacobson;  commissioner  of 
highways,  Osmun  Ness. 

1901 — Clerk,  Andrew  Gaard;  assessor,  Bergo 
Thompson;  collector,  Nels  Jacobson;  com- 
missioner of  highways,  Andrew  P.  Dall; 
constable,  B.  Thompson. 

1902 — Clerk,  Andrew  Gaard;  assessor,  Bergo 
Thompson;  collector,  Burt  M.  Thompson. 

1903 — Assessor,  Bergo  Thompson;  collector,  Sal- 
ve Ugland;  commissioner  of  highways, 
Bergo  Orstad;  constable,  C.  Fatland. 


76 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


1904 — Assessor,  Bergo  Thompson. 

1905 — Supervisor,  Jonas  R.  Jorstad;  assessor,  Ber- 
go Thompson;  collector,  Henry  J.  Norvig; 
commissioner  of  highways,  Thomas  Thor- 
son;  constable,  Bergo  Thompson. 

1906 — Assessor,  Bergo  Thomp'son;  collector,  O. 
A.  Sebby;  commissioner  of  highways,  Ber- 
go Orstad. 

MILLER  TOWNSHIP. 

Miller  township  was  a  part  of  Mission  town- 
ship until  1876,  when  by  the  influence  of  Nels 
Nelson,  Jr.,  and  also  others  the  two  were  sepa- 
rated. From  1876  we  find  these  Norwegians 
holding  public  offices: 

Nels  Nelson,  Jr.,  supervisor,  1876-81,  1885. 

T.  H.  Erickson,  Jr.,  assessor,  1871-81. 

Lars  Hayer,  supervisor,  1894-1901;  commis- 
sioner of  highways,  1877-78,  1894;  collector,  1877; 
assessor,  1891-93. 

Nels  Nelson,  Jr.,  supervisor  1876,  1877,  1878, 
1879,  1880,  1881  and  1885. 

T.  H.  Erickson,  assessor,  1876,  1877,  1878,  1879, 
1880  and  1881. 

Isaac  Classon,  collector,  1876. 

C.  B.  Erickson,  commissioner  of  highways,  1876. 
Trustee  of  schools,  1877,  1878  and  1879. 

Lars  Hayer,  supervisor,  1894,  1895,  1896,  1897, 
1898,  1899,  1900  and  1901;  commissioner  of  high- 
ways, 1876,  1877,  1878;  collector,  1877;  assessor, 

1891,  1892  and   1893;   commissioner  of  highways, 
1892  and  1893. 

Lars  Fruland,  commissioner  of  highways,  1892 
and  1893. 

Ole  A.  Olson,  commissioner,  1878,  1879  and 
1880. 

Austin  Anderson,  collector,  1879;  commissioner 
of  highways,  1879  and  1880. 

W.  E.  Williamson,  town  clerk,  1880  to  1906; 
collector,  1884  and  1895;  school  treasurer,  1884 
to  1906. 

Jacob  Larson,  commissioner  of  highways,  1879. 

Erasmus  Olson,  commissioner  of  highways, 
1880. 

A.  H.  Anderson,  trustee  of  schools,  1880,  1881, 
1882,  1883,  1884,  1886,  1887,  1888,  1889,  1890,  1891, 

1892,  1893,  1894;  collector,  1881. 

Austin  Hayer,  trustee  of  schools,  1879,  1880, 
1881,  1882,  1883,  1884,  1885,  1886,  1887,  1889  and 
1890;  collector,  1886,  1888,  1889,  1890,  1891,  1892 
and  1893. 

Oliver  Elefson,  collector,  1883. 


Samuel  Johnson,  commissioner  of  highways, 
1884. 

Geo.  W.  Erickson,  trustee  of  schools,  85-86,  87- 
88,  89-90,  91-92. 

Erasmus  Thorson,  justice  of  the  peace,  1885. 

Thomas  Haugas,  commissioner  of  highways, 
1892,  93-94,  98-99,  03-04,  05-06. 

G.  L.  Hayer,  trustee  of  schools,  1895,  96-97; 
collector,  1880. 

Jeremiah  Anderson,  collector,  1887;  commis- 
sioner of  highways,  1892,  93-94;  trustee  of  schools, 
1902,  03-04,  05-06. 

Hans  Hendrickson,  collector,  1888;  assessor, 
1889,  1890. 

Cyrus  Jackson,  collector,  1889. 

John  O.  Johnson,  commissioner  of  highways, 
1890,.  1891. 

Oliver  Hodney,  commissioner  of  highways,  1890, 
1891. 

Wm.   E.  Jelm,  collector,  1892. 

Lewis  J.   Erickson,  collector,   1893. 

M.  J.  Danielson,  assessor,  1894,  1895.' 

Tobias  Satter,  collector,  1894. 

Elias  Hayer,  assessor,  1896,  97-98,  99-1900,  1901- 
02,  03-04-05. 

Ole  Erickson,  commissioner  of  highways,  96- 
97,  98-99,  1900,  01-02,  03-04,  05-06. 

Elias  Larson,  commissioner  of  highways,  1895, 
1896. 

H.  H.  Hogensen,  commissioner  of  highways, 
95-96,  97;  trustee  of  schools,  98-99,  1900,  01-02, 
03-04,  05-06. 

Oscar  Rasmusson,  commissioner  of  highways, 
1903. 

John   Anderson,   collector,   1899. 

Ira  Knutson,  commissioner  of  highways,  1898. 

Lorenzo  Hayer,  trustee  of  schools,  99-1900,  1901. 

Andrew  Burdall,  commissioner  of  highways, 
1899-1900. 

Daniel  Danielson,  commissioner  of  highways, 
1900. 

Silas    Rasmusson,    collector,    1903. 

Knut   Knutson,   collector,   1902. 

Frank    Solberg,    collector,    1904. 

H.  I.  Hogenson,  collector,  1906. 

Andrew   Duvick,   constable,   1886,   1887. 

Ephraim  Danielson,  collector,  1898;  constable, 
1898,  1899. 

Andrew  Knutson,  commissioner  of  highways, 
1901,  1902. 

David  H.  Hanson,  collector,  1901. 

Henry  C.  Pearson,  commissioner  of  highways, 
1904,  05-06. 


ADAMS  TOWNSHIP 


77 


Adams  Township 


Adams  embraces  congressional  township  36 
north,  range  4  east.  DeKalb  county  bounds  it 
on  the  north,  Northville  township  on  the  east, 
Serena  on  the  south,  and  Earl  on  the  west.  It 
is  a  prairie  township  and  is  drained  by  Little 
Indian  creek.  The  township  had  a  slow  growth 
until  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  Railroad  was  built  across  the 
northern  part,  in  1853,  when  its  resources  began 
to  be  rapidly  developed,  and  it  is  now  thickly  set- 
tled and  in  a  very  prosperous  condition. 

The  first  settlement  was  made  by  Mordecai 
Disney  and  his  son-in-law,  Sprague,  who  settled 
on  sec.  27,  in  1836.  They  claimed  the  whole  town- 
ship and  sold  land  to  all  who  came,  for  a  year  or 
two,  and  then  left  the  county. 

The  first  Norwegian  settlers  were  Andrew  An- 
derson, Ole  T.  Oleson  and  Halvor  Nelson.  They 
came  from  Norway  in  1836  and  located  in  La 
Salle  county.  The  following  spring,  1837,  they 
settled  on  sections  21  and  22,  Adarns  township. 
Thove  Tillotson  and  Paul  Iverson  came  in  1837 
from  Norway,  and  in  1839  came  Hans  O.  Hanson 
and  Osman  Thomason. 

Adams  was  organized  as  a  township  April  2, 
1850.  Among  its  principal  officers  up  to  1906  we 
find  the  following  Norwegians: 

1851 — Commissioner  of  highways,  N.  Anderson. 

1852 — Commissioner  of  highways,  J.  Johnson. 

1854 — Commissioner  of  highways,  C.  Olson. 

1855 — Commissioner  of  highways,  O.  M.  Han- 
son. 

1856 — Commissioner  of  highways,  N.  Anderson; 
collector,  A.  A.  Klove. 

1857 — Commissioner  of  highways,  O.  M.  Han- 
son; collector,  A.  A.  Klove. 

1858 — Collector,  A.  A.  Klove;  commissioner  of 
highways,  C.  Halverson;  justice  of  the  peace,  A. 
A.  Klove. 

1859 — Assessor,  A.  A.  Klove;  collector,  A.  Sat- 
ter;  commissioner  of  highways,  H.  Halverson. 

1860 — Collector,  A.  F.  Satter;  commissioner  of 
highways,  R.  Halverson. 

1861 — Collector,  A.  F.  Satter;  commissioner  of 
highways;  R.  Halverson. 

1862 — Assessor,  N.  Anderson;  collector,  Thos. 
Iverson;  constable,  T.  Iverson. 

1863— Collector,  A.  F.  Satter. 

1865— Collector,  T.  Iverson. 

1866— Collector,  O.  H.  Valder;  justice  of  the 
peace,  E.  M.  Konne;  constable,  A.  Vatter. 

1867 — Commissioner  of  highways,  J.  B.  Har- 
mon. 


1868 — Clerk,  D.  Richolson  (who  was  Mrs.  Isa- 
bella Matson's  first  husband);  assessor,  A.  A. 
Klove. 

1869— Clerk,  D.  Richolson. 

1870 — Justice  of  the  peace,  D.  Richolson. 

1871 — Supervisor,  A.  A.  Klove;  collector,  J.  C. 
Jackson. 

1872 — Supervisor,  A.  A.  Klove;  collector,  E.  H. 
Nelson;  commissioner  of  highways,  K.  Halverson. 

1873 — Supervisor,  A.   A.   Klove. 

1874 — Supervisor,  A.  A.  Klove;  constable,  E.  H. 
Nelson. 

1875 — Supervisor,  A.  A.  Klove;  constable,  Thos. 
Thompson,  Jr. 

1876— Supervisor,  A.  A.  Klove;  collector,  H.  T. 
Thompson;  justice,  E.  M.  Kinne. 

1877 — Supervisor,  A.  A.  Klove;  collector,  N.  J. 
Nelson;  clerk,  E.  M.  Kinne. 

1878 — Supervisor,  A.  A.  Klove;  clerk,  E.  M. 
Kinne;  collector,  A.  N.  Anderson;  commissioner 
of  highways,  P.  A.  Peterson. 

1879 — Supervisor,  A.  A.  Klove;  clerk,  E.  M. 
Kinne;  collector,  Ole  G.  Edvinson. 

1880— Supervisor,  A.  A.  Klove;  clerk,  T.  F. 
Thompson;  collector,  Sam  Thorson. 

1881— Clerk,  T.  F.  Thompson;  collector,  T.  F. 
Thompson;  commissioner  of  highways,  J.  A. 
Johnson. 

'  1882— Clerk,  T.   F.  Thompson;   collector,  T.  T. 
Thompson. 

1883— Clerk,  T.  F.  Thompson;  collector,  T.  T. 
Thompson;  commissioner  of  highways,  Ole  M. 
Hanson. 

1884— Clerk,  T.  F.  Thompson. 

1885 — Supervisor,  A.  N.  Anderson;  clerk,  T.  F. 
Thompson;  assessor,  Ole  J.  Hill;  collector,  T.  T. 
Thompson;  commissioner  of  highways,  C.  Farley. 

1886— Supervisor,  A.  N.  Anderson;  clerk,  T.  F. 
Thompson;  assessor,  Ole  J.  Hill;  collector,  T.  F. 
Thompson;  commissioner  of  highways,  Ole  H. 
Hanson;  constable,  K.  W.  Knudson;  school 
trustee,  A.  A.  Klove. 

1887— Supervisor,  H.  W.  Johnson;  clerk,  T.  T. 
Thompson;  assessor,  Ole  J.  Hill. 

1888— Supervisor,  H.  W.  Johnson;  clerk,.  T.  F. 
Thompson;  collector,  C.  B.  Jacobson;  commis- 
sioner of  highways,  C.  Farley;  assessor,  T.  T. 
Thompson;  on  Dec.  5,  same  year,  A.  N.  Anderson 
was  appointed  supervisor,  H.  W.  Johnson  having 
resigned. 

1889 — Supervisor,  A.  N.  Anderson;  assessor,  T. 
F.  Thompson;  collector,  J.  B.  Jacobson;  justices 


78 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


of  the  peace,  A.  A.  Klove  and  Albert  Brunson; 
constable,  Arthur  Brunson;  school  trustee,  A.  A. 
Klove. 

1890 — Supervisor,  A.  N.  Anderson;  assessor,  T. 
T.  Thompson;  collector,  Joseph  Hanson;  clerk, 
T.  F.  Thompson;  commissioner  of  highways,  A. 
H.  Dale;  school  trustee,  P.  A.  Pederson. 

1891 — Clerk,  T,  F.  Thompson;  assessor,  John 
Wallem;  commissioner  of  highways,  Chris.  Far- 
ley. 

1892 — Supervisor,  J.  C.  Jacobson;  clerk,  T.  F. 
Thompson;  assessor,  A.  H.  Dale;  school  trustee, 
A.  A.  Klove. 

1893— Clerk,  T.  F.  Thompson;  assessor,  A.  H. 
Dale;  commissioner  of  highways,  O.  M.  Daniel- 
son;  justice  of  the  peace,  A.  A.  Klove;  constable, 
A.  Brunson;  school  trustee,  C.  A.  Anderson. 

1894 — Supervisor,  J.  C.  Jacobson;  clerk,  T.  F. 
Thompson;  assessor,  A.  H.  Dale;  collector,  Willis 
Farley;  commissioner  of  highways,  C.  Farley; 
school  trustee,  Oscar  Wallem. 

1895— Clerk,  T.  F.  Thompson;  assessor,  T.  T. 
Thompson;  school  trustee,  A.  A.  Klove. 

1896— Supervisor,  L.  F.  Thompson;  clerk,  T.  F. 
Thompson;  assessor,  T.  T.  Thompson;  collector, 
Charles  Larson. 

1897— Clerk,  T.  F.  Thompson;  assessor,  T.  T. 
Thompson;  commissioner  of  highways,  A.  A.  An- 
derson; justice  of  the  peace,  A.  A.  Klove;  school 
trustee,  C.  K.  Halvorson. 


1898 — Supervisor,  L.  T.  Thompson;  clerk,  T. 
F.  Thompson;  assessor,  T.  T.  Thompson;  school 
trustee,  A.  A.  Klove. 

1899— Clerk,  T.  F.  Thompson;  assessor,  T.  T. 
Thompson;  collector,  Elias  Josephson;  commis- 
sioner of  highways,  Ole  Edvinson. 

1900 — Supervisor,  C.  B.  Jacobson;  clerk,  H.  R. 
Thompson;  assessor,  W.  C.  Farley;  collector,  K. 
W.  Knutson;  commissioner  of  highways,  A.  A. 
Anderson;  justice  of  the  peace,  S.  O.  Thompson; 
school  trustee,  C.  K.  Holmson. 

1901 — Clerk,  H.  R.  Thompson;  assessor,  T.  T. 
Thompson;  collector,  Conrad  Hanson. 

1902— Clerk,  H.  R.  Thompson;  assessor,  T.  T. 
Thompson;  collector,  Thomas  Edvinson;  commis- 
sioner of  highways,  A.  H.  Dale. 

1903 — Clerk,  H.  R.  Thompson;  assessor,  A.  B. 
Anderson;  collector,  Thos.  Flattre;  commissioner 
of  highways,   Oscar  Wallem;    school  trustee;   C.  ; 
K.  Halverson. 

1904— Clerk,  H.  R.  Thompson;  collector,  Peter 
Paulson;  school  trustee,  George  Hanson. 

1905 — Collector,  Jacob  R.  Jacobson;  clerk,  Geo. 
O.  Grover;  commissioner  of  highways,  A.  H. 
Dale. 

1906 — Supervisor,  A.  M.  Klove;  clerk,  Geo.  O. 
Grover;  constable,  Ole  Edvinson;  school  trustee, 
C.  K.  Halverson. 


The  Village  of  Leland 


The  earliest  settlements  within  the  immediate 
vicinity  of  the  village  of  Leland  were  made  as 
early  as  1837.  There  were,  however,  few  persons 
located  here  prior  to  the  opening  of  the  C.,  B.  & 
Q.  Railroad.  This  was  due  mainly  to  the  flat, 
swampy  condition  of  the  country,  which  at  that 
time,  owing  to  the  absence  of  drainage,  was  often 
under  water.  The  town,  like  almost  all  others 
throughout  this  part  of  the  state,  was  originated 
with  the  survey  of  the  railroad.  Its  location  is 
rather  above  the  surrounding  country,  and  this 
fact,  coupled  with  the  fact  of  the  railroad,  induced 
the  owners  of  the  land  comprising  the  town  site 
to  survey  and  lay  out  a  town.  These  persons 


were  Christopher  Fuerborn,  who  owned  south  of 
the  railroad,  east  of  Main  street;  his  brother 
Henry,  who  owned  that  quarter-section  immedi- 
ately south  of  the  railroad  tracks;  while  west  of 
both  was  the  land  of  Lorenzo  and  Alonzo  Whit- 
more.  All  these  persons  had  entered  their  land, 
but  only  one,  Christopher  Fuerborn,  was  living 
on  the  land.  He  was  the  main  one  to  move  in  the 
location  of  the  town,  and  the  original  site  com- 
prises only  his  and  his  brother's  quarter-section. 
They  had  come  there  some  time  during  1852, 
and  Lorenzo  was  occupying  a  house — the  only 
one  on  the  town-site — when  the  plat  was  made. 
The  survey  was  made  by  J.  H.  Wagner,  and  is 


THE  VILLAGE  OF  LELAND 


recorded  June  24,  1853.  The  town  was  then  called 
Whitfield,  and  to  it  the  Whitmore  brothers  made 
their  addition  soon  after  its  survey.  When  the 
railroad  company  erected  their  freight  and  pas- 
senger houses  they  named  the  station  Waverly, 
and  under  that  name  a  postoffice  was  established. 
There  was,  however,  another  office  by  that  name 
in  Morgan  county,  and  mail  matter  for  these  of- 
fices would  often  get  mixed  and  go  to  the  wrong 
office.  This  led  to  a  petition  from  the  residents 
about  Waverly  Station,  asking  the  authorities  for 
a  change  of  name.  The  postmaster  at  Waverly 
was  John  Leland  Adams.  It  was  proposed  to  call 
the  town  and  office  "Adams",  in  compliment  to 
Mr.  Adams.  There  was  another  office  by  this 
name  in  Illinois,  and  the  name  was  refused  by  the 
department.  Not  to  be  frustrated  in  their  wishes, 
the  name  "Leland"  was  proposed  and  accepted, 
and  the  town  and  office  is  now  known  by  that 
name. 

The  railroad  was  opened  in  1853.  In  the  same 
year  the  first  store  was  opened  by  Abraham  Skin- 
ner. The  first  mechanic  in  town  was  our  country- 
man Elias  Hanson,  who  opened  a  blacksmithshop 
in  1854.  In  the  year  1859,  Nov.  16,  a  notice  was 
given  that  an  election  would  be  held  on  Nov.  26 
for  the  purpose  of  voting  on  the  proposition  to 
incorporate  Whitfield  as  a  village.  The  vote 
resulted  in  37  for  and  13  against  incorporation. 
On  the  3d  day  of  December  an  election  was  held 
for  officers  of  the  village.  Among  those  elected 
we  note  two  Norwegians.  The  names  of  Ole  T. 
Satter  and  A.  A.  Klove  are  among  the  trustees. 
In  1885  we  find  Henry  W.  Johnson  as  police 
magistrate  (this  is  the  ex-judge,  now  the  bank 
president,  H.  W.  Johnson  of  Ottawa)  and  A.  A. 
Bjelland  as  clerk.  The  village  took  the  name  of 
Leland  about  1864. 

The  postmistress  at  Leland  is  now,  in  1907, 
Mrs.  Carrie  Hovda,  whose  biography  appears  on 
another  page.  The  village  at  present  has  two 
banks,  both  controlled  by  Norwegians.  The  First 
National  Bank  of  Leland  was  opened  in  the  fall 
of  1905.  It  is  run  by  some  young  men  of  the 
Grover  family.  The  other  bank  is  ruled  by  T. 


F.  Thompson,  president,  and  Andrew  Anderson, 
cashier. 

Among  the  business  men  up  to  1886  we  find  the 
following  Norwegians:  General  stofes:  J.  A. 
Hovda,  J.  C.  Jacobson,  O.  Simonson  and  K.  John- 
son; clothing:  Peterson  &  Klove;  druggist:  A.  A. 
Bjelland;  hardware:  J.  A.  Hovda;  restaurant:  A. 
E.  Amundsen;  milliner  shops:  Mrs.  P.  H.  Peter- 
son and  Misses  Jacobson;  furniture:  T.  W.  Thor- 
son;  boots  and  shoes:  George  Gunderson  and  H. 
Anderson;  barber:  T.  Pederson;  wagon  maker: 
E.  Erickson;  blacksmith:  Elias  Hanson;  carpen- 
ters: K.  Baker,  John  Baker  and  A.  Bringadal; 
painters:  Ole  R.  Pederson  and  T.  W.  Thorson; 
coopers:  H.  Simonson  and  J.  J.  Tarket;  mason:  J. 
Abrahamson;  hotel:  J.  B.  Johnson. 

In  1907  the  following  Norwegians  are  engaged 
in  business  at  Leland:  Elias  Josephson,  meat- 
market;  The  Erickson  Studio  (Erickson  &  Sister), 
photographers;  Levi  Warn,  coal,  cement  and 
feed;  M.  B.  Pederson,  barber;  J.  C.  Jacobson  & 
Son,  general  merchandise;  S.  O.  Thompson,  gro- 
cer; Larson  &  Grover,  general  merchandise;  E. 
Erickson's  Sons,  wagon  makers,  blacksmiths  and 
dealers  in  farmers'  implements;  O.  Simonson, 
general  merchandise;  Joe  Jacobson,  candies  and 
cigars;  E.  A.  Danielson,  hardware,  wagons  and 
implements  of  all  kinds;  Martin  Fossand,  shoe- 
maker; John  Mossness,  contractor  and  builder; 
Ole  R.  Pederson,  painter;  Jacob  R.  Jacobson,  con- 
tractor and  builder;  Alfred  Anderson,  contractor 
and  builder;  Peter  Satter,  hardware  and  furnaces; 
the  Farmers'  Elevator,  run  by  Ed.  Farley;  W.  A. 
Grover,  manager  of  the  Neola  Elevator  Co.;  N. 

G.  Klove,  publisher  of  the  Leland  Times;  Conrad 
Hanson,  blacksmith,  son  of  Elias  Hanson;   Nels 
Logland,   housemover;    K.   W.   Knutson   &   John 
Thoreson   driving   and   expressing;    Miss   Martha 
Walder    and    Miss    Anna    Kloster,    dressmakers; 
Miss   Anna   Simonson,   milliner;   John   Abraham- 
son,  mason;  Walter  Abrahamson,  harnessmaker. 

The  board  of  trustees,  elected  April  17,  1906,  is 
composed  as  follows:  Wm.  A.  Grover,  A.  H.  Dale, 
A.  B.  Anderson,  George  Gunderson  and  Charles 
Kittleson.  Charles  A.  Erickson  is  the  village  clerk. 


Ottawa 


Ottawa  is  the  county  seat  of  La  Salle  county, 
eighty-four  miles  from  Chicago,  at  the  junction 
of  the  Illinois  and  Fox  Rivers.  Its  business  streets 
are  paved  and  the  city  lighted  by  electricity.  It 


enjoys  a  perfect  sewer  system,  waterworks  with 
pure  artesian  water,  and  a  low  tax  rate.  The  city 
has  local  electric  roads  and  interurban  lines,  and 
twenty-four  passenger  trains  in  and  out  every  day. 


80 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


It  boasts  three  banks,  whose  combined  assets  are 
over  $4,000,000;  two  building  associations;  two 
colleges;  high  school;  six  public  schools;  public 
library  and  hospital,  and  thirteen  churches.  Ot- 
tawa has  excellent  shipping  facilities;  four  good 
hotels;  B.  P.  O.  E.  club  house  and  business  men's 
club.  It  is  located  in  the  heart  of  the  northern 
Illinois  coal  fields;  has  the  finest  glass  sand  in 
the  United  States  and  extensive  fields  of  clay  of 
all  kinds.  Such  are  the  cold  facts. 

We  shall  not  attempt  to  write  a  sketch,  much 
less  the  history  of  Ottawa.  It  has  been  a  trad- 
ing place  for  our  countrymen  since  they  first  came 
to  the  Fox  River  Settlement,  but  there  never 
were  many  of  them  who  chose  that  city  for  their 
abode.  A  few  retired  farmers  and  widows  have, 
however,  of  late  chosen  to  spend  their  declining 
years  there,  so  that  its  directory  contains  about 
one  hundred  Norwegian  names,  which  is  not 
much  for  a  city  of  over  12,000  inhabitants  sur- 
rounded by  a  farming  country  largely  populated 
by  Norwegians  and  their  descendants. 

There  are,  however,  a  number  of  professional 
and  business  men  located  here,  and  Ottawa  is  the 
only  place  outside  of  Chicago  that  can  boast  of 
having  a  newspaper  in  the  Norwegian  language. 
This  paper  is  Illinois  Posten  and  was  transferred 
there  in  1896  in  order  to  help  in  pushing  the 
Pleasant  View  Luther  College  and  as  a  local 
paper  for  old  people  in  La  Salle  and  surrounding 
counties.  The  paper  has  also  helped  the  Norweg- 
ians in  politics,  so  that  since  it  came  to  Ottawa 
the  Norwegians  have  secured  several  important 
political  offices;  such  as  one  county  judge,  one 
member  of  the  legislature,  one  sheriff,  four  super- 
visors and  one  city  attorney,  and  it  has  been  rec- 
ognized by  national,  state  and  county  commit- 
tees. Its  publisher  and  editor  is  Mr.  P.  A.  Olsen. 

Here  we  print  a  list  of  the  present  professional 
and  business  men  of  Norwegian  descent  at  Ot- 


tawa: Owen  Anderson,  lawyer;  Benson  Bros., 
sands  for  foundries;  B.  O.  Berge,  lawyer;  J.  A. 
Edmunds,  dry  goods;  H.  O.  Evenson,  M.  D.; 
Hans  Gulbranson,  piano  tuner;  Axel  Heiberg, 
pharmacist;  Hon.  H.  W.  Johnson,  banker;  Nelson 
&  Johnson,  clothiers;  Hans  Ohme,  cement  con- 
tractor; O.  G.  Olson,  merchant  tailor;  P.  A.  Ol- 
sen, publisher  and  printer;  Harald  Richolson, 
lawyer,  city  attorney;  Dr.  G.  P.  Stordock,  dentist  ' 

We  have  another-  list  of  names  to  present,  one 
which  is  both  thrilling  and  sad,  and  that  is  the 
one  on  the  soldiers'  monument  in  the  little  beau- 
tiful park  right  in  the  heart  of  the  city.  It  gives 
the  names  of  those  brave  and  stouthearted  fel- 
lows who  did  not  hesitate  to  respond  when  Abra- 
ham Lincoln  sent  out  his  call  for  men,  but  gal- 
lantly shouldered  their  guns  and  gave  their  lives 
for  .their  adopted  country's  honor.  We  will  not 
undertake  to  correct  the  misspelling  of  some 
names,  as  they  were  probably  all  copied  from  the 
army  rolls.  Ole  K.  Halverson 

Gens  Oleson  J.  H.  Pederson 

Geo.  B.  Matson  Oliver  Lars 

Yance  Oleson  Soren  Sorenson 

John  Oleson  H.  Holverson 

John  Johnson  Nels  L.  Nelson 

Philander  Z.  Peterson      R.  M.  Phuland 
M.  E.  Osmanson  Peter  Olson 

Geo.  Matson  Col.  Edw.  Munson 

Lars  T.  Egerness  Capt.  D.  C.  Rynlarson 

Loren  Lawson  Obed  Sanderson 

B.  Davidson  Ole  O.  Anderson 

J.  S.  Johnson  D.  R.  Johnson 

Chas.  Johnson  J.  D.  Johnson 

J.  F.  Pearson  Sergt.  J.  Thorson 

L.  M.  Thompson  Osman  Larson 

Lieut.  R.  Anderson  Jacob  Nilson 

Henry  Johnson  Petter  Oleson 

H.  R.  Halverson  L.  H.  Thorson 

Iver  Edwinson  1st  Lieut.  O.  S.  Davidson 

Jacob  Hanson  Loren  Larson 


Norway 


Norway  is  a  flourishing  little  village  situated  in 
the  prosperous  Norwegian  settlement  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  Mission  township,  La  Salle  county. 
Andrew  Osmundson  came  from  the  old  country  in 
an  early  day  and  settled  on  sec.  33.  Mr.  Hejer- 
dal  erected  a  small  building  in  1848,  in  which  he 
placed  a  small  stock  of  goods.  Mr.  Nitter,  the 


father  of  David  Nitter,  built  another  little  house 
and  C.  J.  Borchsenius  erected  a  two-story  build- 
ing, the  lower  story  being  used  as  a  store  room 
and  the  upper  one  for  a  dwelling.  From  that  time 
the  village  has  not  grown  in  number  of  houses, 
but  in  business,  as  it  is  surrounded  by  a  large  and 
rich  farming  country.  Norway  at  present  has 


NORWAY 


81 


two  general  stores,  kept  by  David  Nitter  and 
George  Borchsenius;  one  drug  store,  kept  by 
Borchsenius  in  connection  with  his  other  store; 
two  wagon,  blacksmith  and  implement  shops,  by 
John  Larson  and  A.  Ryerson.  The  Lutheran  is 
the  oldest  church.  It  was  erected  in  1852  and 
rebuilt  in  1875.  Its  first  minister  was  Rev.  Ole 
Andrewson.  The  postofHce  was  established  about 
the  time  the  village  was  founded.  The  first  post- 


master was  C.  J.  Borchsenius;  the  second,  Nets 
Tjzlsseland;  the  third,  E.  Solberg  (now  a  merchant 
at  Seneca);  the  fourth  and  last,  David  Nitter,  who 
was  postmaster  from  1889  to  May,  1906,  when  the 
office  was  discontinued  on  account  of  the  rural 
free  delivery  system,  the  mail  matter  now  being 
sent  out  from  Sheridan.  In  the  late  fall  of  1906 
Mr.  Nitter  sold  his  store  and  moved  to  Minne- 
sota. 


Sheridan 


In  1834  Robert  Rowe,  a  Scotchman,  came  from 
Cincinnati,  Ohio,  and  settled  on  the  northern 
part  of  section  8  and  southern  part  of  section  5. 
The  first  improvement  made  where  the  beautiful 
and  flourishing  village  of  Sheridan  now  is  situ- 
ated was  made  in  the  autumn  of  1869.  Alfred 
Rowe  built  a  small  frame  house  and  John  Mora- 
han  moved  into  a  shanty  from  the  country  near- 
by. In  the  winter  of  1869-70  a  hotel  and  store 
building  was  erected  by  S.  M.  Rowe  and  Delos 
Robinson.  Eli  Robinson  was  the  first  proprietor 
of  the  hotel.  The  first  store  was  established  by 
S.  M.  Rowe  and  Delos  Robinson.  The  depot 
building  was  erected  in  1871,  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  R.  R. 
having  been  completed  Jan.  8,  1871.  The  first 
agent  was  Frederick  Frank. 

The  postoffice  was  established  in  1866  and  was 
located  about  a  mile  east  of  the  present  site  of 
the  village.  The  first  postmaster  was  John  M. 
North.  In  1870  it  was  moved  to  the  village. 

The  village  was  incorporated  under  the  gen- 
eral corporation  law,  June  24,  1872.  S.  M.  Rowe 
was  the  first  president  of  the  board.  Among  the 
members  of  the  board  in  1885  we  find  our  coun- 
tryman, Mr.  J.  A.  Quam,  who  now  is  a  banker  at 
Sheridan,  but  then  kept  a  clothing  and  gents'  fur- 


nishing store.  His  sketch  is  found  elsewhere  in 
this  volume.  Another  of  our  countrymen,  Mr. 
A.  Schlanbusch,  was  village  treasurer  for  the 
year  mentioned.  He  died  in  1906.  The  village 
has  almost  always  until  now  been  strictly  tem- 
perate. 

S.  M.  Rowe  dedicated  to  the  village  two  blocks, 
in  which  in  1874  an  artesian  well  was  sunk  at  a 
cost  of  about  $1,500.  It  had  a  depth  of  475  feet 
and  at  the  start  had  a  flow  of  about  six  feet  of 
water.  Now  the  water  must  be  pumped  up.  The 
grounds  have  been  decorated  with  shade  trees, 
so  that  the  village  has  a  beautiful  little  park. 

Among  Norwegian  business  people  in  Sheridan 
in  1907  we  notice:  Farmers  &  Merchants'  State 
Bank,  the  president  of  which  is  Mr.  J.  A.  Quam; 
Thompson  &  Callagan,  general  store,  H.  L. 
Thompson  being  a  Norwegian;  A.  Gaard,  general 
store;  W.  T.  Schlanbusch,  dry  goods  and  grocer- 
ies; T.  J.  Thompson,  barber;  C.  T.  Fatland,  horse- 
shoer  and  blacksmith;  Bert  Thompson,  meat 
market;  Miss  Gertrud  Mosey,  school  teacher; 
Avon  Solvin,  wagon  maker;  Bergo  Thompson, 
real  estate  and  insurance;  Nels  Ugeland,  carpen- 
ter and  builder.  Enoch  Pedersen  is  representing 
the  district  in  the  state  assembly. 


Big  Grove  Township 


Big  Grove  Township  is  located  in  the  south- 
ern part  of  Kendall  county.  There  is  only  one 
village,  Newark,  within  its  boundaries.  It  is  in- 
teresting to  see,  not  only  what  material  prog- 
ress our  countrymen  have  made  here  as  else- 


where in  the  Fox  River  Settlement,  but  also 
how  they  acquired  influence  in  public  affairs 
as  the  years  passed  on.  As  soon  as  the  land 
was  pretty  well  taken  up  by  settlers,  the  first 
common  necessity  was  to  build  roa'ds  and  high- 


82 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


ways.  In  the  records  of  the  township  we  have 
picked  out  the  following  list  of  the  inhabit- 
ants liable  to  work  on  the  highways  in  the  dif- 
ferent road  districts.  In  district  3:  Thos.  Howse 
(Huus),  Thomas  Olson,  Buren  Olson,  Larse  Ol- 
son, Vier  Ceveson  (Severtson),  Christopher  Lar- 
son and  Charles  Vier.  In  district  4:  Loss  (Lars) 
Tunswick,  Raynard  Poleson,  John  Munson  and 
Ingebrit  Olson.  In  district  6:  John  Shureson, 
Oliver  Larson  and  Seve  Larson.  In  district  8: 
J.  F.  Hill  and  E.  M.  Hill.  In  district  9:  Larse 
Larson,  Osman  Osmanson,  Holiver  (Halvor) 
Osmanson,  Urin  Ofinson  and  Jacob  Jacobson. 
In  district  10  the  record  simply  mentions:  "A 
Norwegian."  In  district  11:  John  Hill  and  Chas. 
Aman.  In  district  13:  Osman  Johnson.  In  dis- 
trict 14:  Errick  Lawson  and  Ole  Canuteson.  In 
district  17:  Henry  Monson.  In  district  19: 
Christian  Olson. 

At  an  annual  town  meeting  at  the  Red  School- 
house,  April  3,  1866,  Nels  S.  Nelson  was  elected 
road  overseer.  In  1867:  Lars  Larson  for  district 
1.  In  1870:  John  Fatland,  district  3;  E.  S.  Hol- 
land, district  10;  Osten  Osbjornson,  district  11; 
Tor  Johnson,  district  17.  In  1871:  Chris  Larson, 
district  3;  E.  S.  Holland,  district  10;  Jacob  An- 
derson, district  11;  Ole  Johnson,  district  15.  In 
1872:  Chris  Larson,  district  3;  Jacob  Anderson, 
district  11;  Ole  Johnson,  district  15.  In  1873: 
Chris.  Larson,  district  3;  Jacob  Husen,  district 
10;  H.  Halverson,  district  11;  Lars  Likness,  dis- 
trict 12;  Ole  Johnson,  district  15;  Hans  H.  Ol- 
son, district  18.  In  1874,  C.  Larson,  district  3; 
H.  Halverson,  district  11;  Hans  H.  Olson,  dis- 
trict 18. 

In  1875  Nels  S.  Nelson  was  elected  collector, 
and  in  1876  he  was  re-elected  to  the  office. 

In  1879— E.  S.  Holland,  assessor;  Olaf  Larson, 
constable. 

In  1880 — E.  S.  Holland,  assessor;  Torris  John- 
son, highway  commissioner. 

In  18'81,  1882,  1883,  1884— E.  S.  Holland,  asses- 
sor. 

In  1883— T.  W.  Weeks,  collector;  Austin  O.  Os- 
mond, highway  commissioner. 

In  1884 — N.  S.  Nelson,  highway  commissioner. 

In  1885 — John  Lawson,  constable. 

In  1886 — Austin  Osmond,  highway  commission- 
er; Nels  S.  Nelson,  school  trustee. 


In  1888 — Nels  S.  Nelson,  assessor;  G.  G.  Knut- 
son,  collector. 

In  1889 — Nels  S.  Nelson,  assessor;  Gunnar 
Overland,  collector;  Austin  Osmond,  highway 
commissioner;  Tom  Weeks,  school  trustee.  Since 
then  Gunnar  Overland  has  been  re-elected  col- 
lector every  year  to  the  present  time  and  he  also 
serves  as  clerk  of  the  village  of  Newark. 

In  1890 — N.  S.  Nelson,  assessor;  Ole  Anderson, 
highway  commissioner;  E.  S.  Holland,  justice  of 
the  peace. 

In  1891 — N.  S.  Nelson,  assessor;  Tom  Weeks, 
school  trustee. 

In  1892,  1893— Nels  S.  Nelson,  assessor. 

In  1893 — Ole  Anderson,  commissioner  of  high- 
ways; E.  S.  Holland,  justice  of  the  peace. 

In  1894 — Tom  Weeks  and  E.  S.  Holland,  school 
trustees. 

In  1895 — Ole  J.  Ness,  constable;  E.  S.  Holland, 
school  trustee. 

In  1896 — Ole  Anderson,  commissioner  of  high- 
ways. 

In  1897 — Charles  Udstuen,  constable;  Nels  S. 
Nelson,  school  trustee. 

In  1898 — E.  S.  Holland,  justice  of  the  peace; 
Ole  Anderson,  school  trustee. 

In  1899 — Ole  Anderson,  commissioner  of  high- 
ways; Torris  Johnson,  school  trustee. 

In  1900 — Nels  S.  Nelson,  elected  supervisor  for 
two  years;  Arnt  Sampson,  commissioner  of  high- 
ways. 

In  1901 — Ole  Anderson,  school  trustee. 

In  1902 — Nels  S.  Nelson,  supervisor  for  two 
years;  Austin  Thompson,  assessor;  Ole  Ander- 
son, commissioner  of  highways;  Gilbert  Torkel- 
son,  constable;  Torris  Johnson  and  John  Ander- 
son, school  trustees. 

In  1903,  1904— Records  not  accessible,  being 
kept  by  the  county  clerk  at  Yorkville. 

In  1905 — A.  M.  Thompson,  assessor;  Louis 
Gravely,  commissioner  of  highways;  C.  F.  John- 
ston, constable. 

In  1906— Nels  S.  Nelson,  supervisor;  A.  M. 
Thompson,  assessor;  A.  R.  Thompson,  commis- 
sioner of  highways;  Halvor  Ness,  constable;  John 
Anderson,  school  trustee. 


NEWARK 


83 


Newark 


The  first  Jforwegian  settler  in  Newark  was  Ole 
Olson  Hetletvedt.  We  have  this  from  Mrs.  Lars 
Fruland,  Hetletvedt's  niece,  who  as  well  as  her 
husband  are  still  living  in  Newark.  Mr.  Fruland 
was  a  son  of  Nels  Fruland,  one  of  the  party  that 
was  misguided  to  the  unfortunate  Beaver  Creek 
Settlement. 

As  we  have  mentioned  on  another  page,  Ole 
Olson  Hetletvedt  was  a  "Slooper."  He  will  be 
remembered  as  being  the  first  to  conduct  Luth- 
eran religious  services  in  America.  He  was  a 
farmer's  son  from  the  neighborhood  of  Stavanger, 
but  had  acquired  a  little  better  education  than  the 
others  of  the  sloop  party  and  had  been  a  school 
teacher  in  Norway.  From  the  Kendall  settlement 
in  New  York  he  went  to  Niagara  Falls,  where  he 
worked  in  a  paper  mill  and  was  married  to  a  Miss 
Chamberlain.  He  is  said  to  have  conducted  re- 
ligious services  on  the  sloop  during  its  voyage 
and  then  in  Kendall  Settlement.  When  he  came 
to  the  Fox  River  Settlement  he  started  religious 


meetings  according  to  the  Haugean  custom.  He 
is  said  to  have  been  a  very  mild  tempered  but 
ardent  Christian,  and  he  traveled  in  all  the  Nor- 
wegian settlements,  preaching  and  acting  as 
agent  for  the  American  Bible  Society. 

The  next  settlers  in  Newark  were  Knut  Wil- 
liamson and  Herman  Osmonsen. 

Newark  is  now  a  thriving  town  of  some  600  in- 
habitants, the  population  being  largely  made  up 
of  retired  farmers  from  the  surrounding  country. 
The  place  has  several  stores,  a  postoffice  and  one 
bank.  Osmond  Brothers  keep  a  well  equipped 
furniture  store  and  conduct  an  undertaking  estab- 
lishment. Ed  Hextel  keeps  the  only  hotel  and 
restaurant.  He  has  lately  added  a  livery  stable. 
The  village  is  handicapped  in  its  development  by 
being  located  two  miles  from  the  nearest  railroad 
station,  at  Millington,  but  both  a  steam  road  and 
an  electric  road  are  now  under  consideration  and 
may  be  realized  in  the  near  future. 


Nettle  Creek  Township,  Grundy  County 


About  1845  the  Norwegian  element  began  to 
come  into  this  township,  and  it  is  astonishing  how 
rapidly  they  have  supplanted  the  original  settlers. 
Among  the  earliest  of  this  class  of  foreigners 
were  John  Peterson,  Ben  Thornton,  Ben  Hall, 
Lars  and  Rasmus  Shelldal,  John  Wing,  G.  E. 
Grundstad  and  others.  In  1849  the  Norwegians 
were  settled  on  the  sections  as  follows:  On  sec- 
tion 4,  Lars  and  Rasmus  Shelldal,  John  Wing 
and  G.  E.  Grundstad;  on  section  7,  John  Peter- 
son, Ben  Thornton,  and  Simon  Fry;  on  section 
8,  Lars  Likeness  and  Ben  Hall;  on  section  9, 
Hugo  Mossman;  on  section  22,  Samuel  Hoge;  on 
section  25,  William  Hoge.  This  is  not  to  be  un- 
derstood as  if  each  person  mentioned  owned  the 
whole  of  a  section,  as  there  were  men  of  other 
nationalities  interspersed  among  them. 

During  the  early  history  of  this  community,  the 
nearest  store  and  postoffice  was  at  Ottawa,  and 
the  nearest  market  at  Chicago.  As  the  country 
settled  up  Morris  was  founded,  and  with  Marseilles 


on  the  southwest  divided  the  local  trade,  so  that 
Nettle  Creek  could  not  afford  sufficient  patronage 
to  justify  a  store  here.  A  log  sawmill  was  con- 
structed by  Williams  Hoge  on  Nettle  Creek  and 
did  a  moderate  business  for  some  ten  years,  but 
the  dam  washed  out  one  winter  and  the  mill  was 
allowed  to  rot  down.  The  only  approach  to  a 
store  was  attempted  in  1876,  when  Zacharias  Sev- 
erson  added  to  his  boot  and  shoe  shop,  on  sec. 
8,  a  small  stock  of  groceries.  This  was  too  late 
a  date  for  success,  and  it  was  discontinued. 

Among  the  Norwegians  who  have  held  public 
office  the  present  township  clerk,  Mr.  Thor  Tes- 
dal,  has  furnished  us  the  following  names  from 
the  public  records: 

Olen  O.  Johnson,  justice  of  the  peace  twenty 
years,  and  besides  supervisor  and  county  treas- 
urer. 

S.  S.  Marvick,  supervisor  for  a  number  of  years, 
is  now  engaged  in  the  land  business  at  Morris, 
Illinois. 


84 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Joseph  H.  Osmon,  supervisor,  now  prominent 
farmer. 

Ami  Markeson,  supervisor,  town  clerk  seven 
years,  commissioner  of  highways. 

Hactor  P.  Wicks,  commissioner  of  highways 
during  many  terms. 

Austin  Oswood,  commissioner  of  highways. 

Henry  Torkilson,  commissioner  of  highways. 

Albert  Peterson,  justice  of  the  peace. 


Abraham  Anderson,  commissioner  of  highways. 

Torris  Larson,  commissioner  of  highways. 

Ole  S.  Johnson,  assessor. 

Andrew  Rand,  school  trustee,  commissioner  of 
highways. 

C.   E.  Cassem,  town  clerk. 

Thor  Tesdal,  elected  town  clerk  in  1902  and 
every  year  thereafter;  school  director  ten  years. 


Capron  and  Jefferson  Prairie 


Surrounding  the  little  town  of  Capron,  Boone 
county,  not  far  from  the  Wisconsin  boundary 
line,  is  to  be  found  a  large  settlement  of  pros- 
perous Norwegian  farmers.  The  first  immigrants 
to  settle  there  were  Thor  Knutson  Traim  and 
Olson  Kaasa,  with  their  families.  They  came 
from  Telemarken  and  arrived  in  1843. 

The  following  year  a  number  came  from  Sogn 
and  settled  there.  The  most  prominent  of  those 
were  Lars  Johnson  Haave,  Ole  Aavri,  Iver  Inge- 
breitson  Haave,  Anfin  Seim,  Ole  Orvedahl,  Ole 
Tistel,  Ingebreit  and  Ole  Vange,  all  with  families 
except  Ole  Vange.  In  1845  a  third  party  came, 
among  whom  were  Elim  Ellingson,  three  brothers 
Andres,  Ole  and  Endre  Hermundson  (Numedal), 
of  whom  Andres  and  Ole  were  married;  Johan- 
nes Olson  Dale  and  Hans  Simpson  Halron,  both 
with  families,  and  finally  Endre  Olson  Stadem 
and  Johan  Olson  F01e  with  families.  From  Tel- 
emarken arrived  in  1844  Bj0rn  Bakketoe,  Johan- 
nes Kleiva  and  Ole  Thorson  Kaasa,  all  with  fam- 
ilies. 

The  first  congregation  in  Capron  was  started 
in  1844  by  Rev.  J.  W.  C.  Dietrichson,  who  was 
born  at  Fredriksstad,  Norway,  April  4,  1815,  and 
died  at  Copenhagen,  Denmark,  from  a  stroke  of 
paralysis,  Nov.  14,  1883.  His  remains  were  taken 
to  Norway  and  buried  at  Porsgrund,  1883.  He 
was  educated  and  ordained  for  the  ministry  in 
Norway.  A  dyer  by  the  name  of  P.  S0rensen  in 
Christiania  induced  Mr.  Dietrichson  to  come  to 
America  and  preach  the  gospel  for  his  country- 
men. It  is  said  that  he  was  encouraged  not  only 
by  words  but  also  with  a  snug  sum  of  money  for 
the  mission.  He  finally  concluded  to  accept,  and 
with  this  in  view  he  was  ordained  in  the  Oslo 


Church  by  the  bishop  of  Christiania  stift,  1844. 
He  arrived  in  Milwaukee,  Aug.  5,  1844,  and  from 
there  went  first  to  Muskego,  and_  in  the  last  days 
of  August,  1844,  he  arrived  in  Koshkonong  prai- 
rie, where  he  held  service  in  a  barn. 

The  church  in  the  neighborhood  of  Capron, 
111.,  was  the  second  house  of  worship  to  be  start- 
ed by  Dietrichson,  but  was  completed  first,  and 
was  dedicated  Dec.  19,  1844.  The  other  one  was 
in  Wisconsin  in  the  town  of  Christiana.  Elling 
Eielsen  had,  however,  built  a  "meeting  house"  in 
the  Fox  River  Settlement  in  1842. 

Rev.  Dietrichson  was  an  ardent  Christian  mis- 
sionary, full  of  energy  and  pluck,  but  was  lack- 
ing in  that  most  important  Christian  virtue,  for- 
bearance. He  often  lost  his  mental  equipoise.  It 
must,  however,  be  taken  into  consideration  that 
he  was  brought  up  and  educated,  as  were  most  of 
his  confreres  in  the  old  country,  to  look  down 
on  the  farmers  as  an  inferior  race  that  could  be 
and  was  disciplined  to  obey  without  asking  ques- 
tions. That  kind  of  despotism  is  still  partly  pre- 
vailing in  the  country  parishes  of  Europe.  When 
the  farmers  have  breathed  the  exhilarating  air  of 
this  free  country  they  must  be  treated  differently, 
as  Dietrichson  soon  found  out. 

We  will  cite  some  instances  illustrating  the 
case  in  question.  In  one  of  his  flocks  he  had  a 
farmer  by  the  name  of  Funkelien,  who  was  one  of 
those  foolish  and  irritating  individuals  that  con- 
sider it  great  fun  to  embarrass  their  pastors  by 
asking  them  to  solve  scriptural  conundrums  or 
explain  apparent  contradictions.  He  was  well 
read  in  the  Scriptures  and  in  constant  controversy 
with  Dietrichson,  who  finally  became  so  impa- 
tient with  him  that  he  told  him  he  was  excom- 


CAPRON  AND  JEFFERSON  PRAIRIE 


85 


municated  from  his  church  and  forbidden  to  ap- 
pear at  the  service.  When  Funkelien,  neverthe- 
less, attended  the  church  on  the  following  Sun- 
day, Dietrichson  called  on  the  men  present  to 
eject  him,  and  when  he  found  them  hesitating, 
remaining  in  their  seats,  his  ire  knew  no  bounds, 
and  he  rushed  down  from  the  pulpit  to  throw 
Funkelien  out  with  his  own  hands.  Funkelien, 
however,  nothing  daunted,  met  force  with  force, 
and  a  lively  fight  ensued.  Of  this  Dietrichson, 
being  the  heavier  man,  got  the  better,  and  suc- 
ceeded in  ejecting  his  obstreperous  adversary. 
The  latter  had  his  energetic  shepherd  arrested, 
and  Dietrichson  was  fined  for  disorderly  conduct 
and  battery.  —  Another  newcomer  had  sent  his 
wife  to  Dietrichson  on  some  errand,  at  which  he 
took  offense.  He  grasped  her  so  hard  by  fhe 


arm  in  order  to  shove  her  out  through  the  door 
that  his  fingers  left  blue  marks.  For  this  he  was 
arrested  and  fined  $50. 

This  goes  to  show  not  only  that  Dietrichson 
believed  in  the  "church  militant"  but  also  that 
the  "ecclesiastical  strife"  among  the  Norwegians 
of  America  commenced  at  an  early  period  of  their 

history. 

In  Capron  our  enterprising  countryman,  Ex- 
Alderman  A.  J.  Olson  of  Woodstock  and  Chicago, 
has  bought  and  renovated  a  factory  for  the  ex- 
ploiting of  milk  products.  The  farmers  in  the 
surrounding  country  will  here  have  a  good  and 
steady  market  for  their  milk,  so  it  is  presumed 
that  they  will  devote  their  attention  to  the  rais- 
ing of  milch-cows. 


Lee  County 


The  first  Norwegian  immigrant  to  settle  in 
Lee  County  was  Amund  Helgeson  Maakestad, 
whose  name  after  his  arrival  was-  Americanized 
to  Ommon  Hilleson.  By  his  countrymen  his 
memory  is  held  in  such  regard  as  to  suggest  the 
attributes  of  the  Scandinavian  deity  Frej.  He 
came  to  America  in  1835  and  for  a  few  years 
was  a  coast  sailor.  When  tired  of  being  tossed 
by  the  ocean  waves  he  set  out  and  walked  all 
the  way  from  New  York  to  Chicago.  From  the 
latter  place  he  started  on  foot  for  the  Norwegian 
settlement  on  Fox  River,  but  being  overtaken  by 
a  covered  wagon  (prairie  schooner)  filled  with 
men,  women  and  children,  and  being  invited  to 
ride  with  them,  got  in.  He  was  by  this  time 
able  to  understand  English  fairly  well,  and  when 
two  of  the  men  got  out  and  walked  behind  and 
talked  together  about  his  money  their  real 
character  and  intentions  were  revealed  to  him. 
He  had  some  money,  and  no  doubt  his  situation 
was  uncomfortable,  until  a  man  and  a  woman 
driving  a  team  overtook  them.  He  leaped  out, 
and  as  the  charmed  bird  flies  when  the  spell  is 
broken,  sprang  into  the  other  wagon  without  a 
word  of  parting  to  the  one  or  of  introduction  to 
the  other.  His  leap  in  the  dark  had  brought 
him  to  good  footing,  for  this  time  he  had  not 
fallen  among  thieves,  but  among  some  of  his 


own  people  going  home  to  Fox  River,  and  his 
journey  thither  was  happily  relieved  of  further 
unpleasant  incident.  It  has  a  singular  seeming, 
but  is  nevertheless  a  verity,  that  with  his  limited 
knowledge  of  the  English  language  he  left  his 
countrymen  behind  and  pushed  forward  to  Lee 
Center  among  strangers,  not  in  habit,  sentiment 
arid  nationality  only,  but  in  language  also.  This 
shows  him  to  have  had  the  truly  pioneering 
spirit;  he  could  not  have  been  less  than  a  pioneer. 
Having  obtained  work  there,  it  was  not  long 
till  lie  was  able  to  start  independently,  and  he 
settled  in  Bradford  township,  where  he  at  first 
built  a  sodhouse.  A  little  later  he  put  up  a  frame 
house,  which  was  quite  conspicuous  in  those 
early  days  and  was  seen  over  the  naked  prairie 
by  a'  German  family  (Reinhart)  at  Melugin's 
Grove  on  their  wav  out  from  Chicago.  Their 
young  daughter,  Miss  Catherine  E.  Reinhart,  fell 
in  love  with  the  sturdy  Norwegian,  and  with 
the  approval  of  her  parents  they  were  married. 
Their  wedded  life  was  passed  on  his  homestead 
in  Bradford  township,  which  was  too  early  de- 
prived of  his  services  by  his  untimely  death.  Two 
children  were  born  to  him  and  his  wife:  Henry 
W.  and  Betsy  J.,  the  latter  of  whom  is  the  wife 
of  Conrad  Brandau.  Mr.  Henry  W.  Hilleson 
was  married  in  1873  to  Miss  Elizabeth  Roth, 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


born  in  Germany,  Feb.  18,  1853.  Her  parents, 
also  of  German  birth,  came  to  the  United  States 
in  1860.  Henry  W.  Hilleson  has  been  supervisor 
several  years  and  for  several  terms  a  member 
of  the  county  board. 

Ommon  Hilleson,  having  found  the  country 
good,  wrote  his  relatives  in  the  old  country  to 
dispose  of  their  possessions,  and  come  over  and 
join  him  here.  They  responded  and  left  S0fjor- 
den  in  Hardanger  for  Bergen,  where  they  em- 
barked in  the  stanch  sailing  vessel  Juno,  which 
after  a  journey  of  one  month's  duration  landed 
them  in  New  York  in  June,  1847.  The  party 
consisted  of  the  following  grown  up  members: 

Lars   L.  Risetter, 

Lars    Helgeson    (Hilleson)    Maakestad, 

Helge   Helgeson    (Hilleson),   his   brother, 

Ingeborg  Helgesdatter,  their  sister,  married  to 

Lars  Olson  Espe, 

Sjur  Arneson  Bly, 

Torgels   Knudson   Maakestad, 

Lars  Larson  Bly,  and 

Gertrud  Helgesdatter  Ljzinning. 

From  New  York  the  journey  was  by  steam- 
boat to  Albany  and  from  there  by  railroad  to 
Buffalo.  From  Buffalo  to  Chicago  they  traveled 
by  steamer  on  the  lakes. 

In  Chicago  the  party  was  met  by  Ommon  Hille- 
son. There  being  no  direct  trail  and  no  railroad 
west  of  Chicago,  they  were  guided  by  an  ox 
team  out  to  the  Fox  River  Settlement,  where 
the  town  of  Norway  is  now  located.  Oxen  were 
used  in  preference  to  horses  for  the  reason  that 
they  were  cheaper  and  could  feed  on  the  grass 
of  the  prairie.  Horses  were  expensive  and  had 
to  be  fed  on  oats,  an  expensive  article  in  those 
early  days. 

After  a  rest  at  Norway  our  immigrants  went 
north  by  the  same  means  of  transportation, 
their  belongings  in  the  wagon  and  the  men  walk- 
ing. 

One  of  the  party,  Lars  Larson  Bly,  found 
Chicago  more  alluring  than  a  strenuous  walk 
across  the  prairies,  so  fie  concluded  to  remain 
there.  He  did  not  grow  rich  by  so  doing. 

Ingeborg  Helgesdatter  remained  at  Norway, 
La  Salle  county  some  time,  and  came  to  Lee 
county  later  on. 

At  first  the  newcomers  obtained  work  from 
earlier  settlers,  and  then  scattered  out,  many 
going  to  Sublette  township.  The  first  one  to  go 
was  Lars  Larson  Risetter,  who  was  the  second 
Norwegian  to  settle  in  Willow  Creek  township. 

The  land  where  they  settled  was  part  of  the 
wild  prairie,  which  at  that  time  was  mostly  un- 
settled; deer,  wolves  and  other  wild  animals  were 


frequently  seen  where  now  are  rich  farms  and 
flourishing  villages.  The  settlements  were  made 
mostly  in  the  timber,  as  the  value  of  the  prairie 
land  for  farming  purposes  had  not  yet  been 
realized.  As  mentioned  before,  there  were  no 
railroads  west  of  Chicago,  and  the  communica- 
tion with  the  outside  world  was  by  the  way  of 
rough  roads  or  over  the  trackless  prairies.  Our 
colonists  were  witnesses  of  the  many  wonder- 
ful changes  that  the  years  brought,  and  were 
potent  factors  in  developing  their  sections  from 
the  wilderness. 

Having  no  means  of  support,  the  newcomers  at 
first  worked  for  Irishmen  and  Americans  who  had 
been  earlier  on  the  ground,  but  when  they  by 
great  effort  had  saved  a  little  money  they  bought 
land.  Besides  the  reason  already  mentioned  for 
taking  to  the  timber,  there  was  another  not  less 
important.  They  could  cut  it  down  and  build 
log  cabins,  which  were  frequently  erected  in  a 
single  day,  the  colonists  helping  each  other. 

It  is  mentioned  that  Ommon  Hilleson  was  the 
first  Norwegian  to  build  a  farmhouse  in  Lee 
county.  The  second  was  Lars  Olson  Espe.  He 
got  ahead  of  the  third  one,  because  he  was  a  car- 
penter by  trade,  and  consequently  knew  how  to 
handle  the  tools  better.  The  third  Norwegian  to 
build  a  dwelling  in  Lee  county  was  Lars  L.  Ris- 
etter, whose  log  house  was  put  up  in  one  day. 
Mr.  Lars  L.  Risetter  is  also  still  living,  and  his 
sons  (Lewis  and  Holden)  now  live  with  their 
father  on  the  original  homestead  in  Willow  Creek 
township. 

Lars  Risetter  gave  his  one-half  section  to  his 
sons,  who  have  since  acquired  and  added  more 
land  to  their  possessions,  until  they  now  own 
a  whole  section. 

The  first  Norwegian  settler  in  Willow  Creek 
township  was  Amund  Hilleson  L0nning.  He 
was  the  second  son  of  Helge  and  Ingeleif  Amund- 
son,  and  was  born  in  South  Bergen  stift,  Nor- 
way, June  20,  1821.  His  father  died  when 
Amund  was  six  years  old,  and  his  mother  being 
left  in  destitute  circumstances  with  six  children, 
the  latter  were  bound  out  according  to  the  custom 
of  that  country  in  regard  to  the  poor;  that  is, 
each  farmer  takes  one  in  his  turn  for  a  length 
of  time  corresponding  to  the  amount  of  property 
he  owns;  while  sometimes  the  poor  are  bid  off 
at  auction,  the  keeper  being  paid  for  their  care 
and  trouble.  Mr.  Hilleson  was  provided  for  ac- 
cording to  the  former  method.  When  16  years 
old  he  was  able  to  take  care  of  himself,  and 
hired  out  the  first  year  for  $5  and  his  clothing, 
and  so  on  gradually  but  very  slowly  increasing 
until  he  had  worked  thirteen  years,  the  last 


LEE  COUNTY 


87 


years  receiving  as  high  as  $10  and  a  little  cloth- 
ing a  year.  Four  years  before  he  had  enough 
money  saved  to  emigrate  he  began  to  turn  his 
thoughts  wistfully  toward  America,  and  from 
that  time  worked  with  the  sole  object  of  coming 
at  the  earliest  time  when  he  could  be  ready. 
That  time  arrived  in  1850,  and  he  came  directly 
to  Sublette  township,  where  his  brother-in-law, 
Lars  L.  Risetter,  was  living,  and  worked  the  first 
year  in  the  employ  of  Thomas  Fessenden  through 
haying  and  harvest  for  $11  a  month.  In  1852  he 
bought  the  N.  E.  qr.  sec.  15  in  Willow  Creek  for 
$1.25  per  acre,  and  continued  to  hire  out  as  a 
laborer  until  he  had  been  there  five  years.  In 


Amund   Hilleson. 

1855  he  began  to  improve  his  land,  keeping  house 
for  himself  two  years,  and  then,  in  1857,  he  was 
married  to  Ingeborg  Larsen  Maland,  who  was 
born  May  8,  1822,  and  emigrated  to  Sublette  in 
1855.  Two  children  were  born  to  them:  Helge 
A.,  born  1859,  and  Ingleif,  who  died  in  1866.  Mr. 
Hilleson  contributed  liberally  toward  the  erec- 
tion of  a  house  of  worship,  having  given  to  that 
object  some  $600.  In  1875  he  bought  the  N.  E. 
qr.  sec.  15  for  $8,150.  His  was  one  of  the  best 
improved  and  most  desirable  farms  in  the  county. 
He  was  a  republican  and  one  of  the  solid  men  in 
means  and  character  in  Willow  Creek  township. 
He  died  June  25,  1896,  having  willed  his  farm 


to  his  son  and  $1,000  to  each  of  his  four  grand- 
children. Mrs.  Hilleson,  who  died  Dec.  16,  1866, 
gave  to  the  three  grandchildren  born  after  her 
husband's  death  $1,000  each.  Ommon  Hilleson 
had  accumulated  $12,000  cash  besides  his  farm. 
A  better  lesson  on  the  possibilities  of  this  coun- 
try could  rarely  be  found:  growing  up  in  a  poor- 
house  and  ending  his  days  a  wealthy  man. 

The  same  year  and  in  the  same  ship  with  Om- 
mon Hilleson  came  two  other  unmarried  men  — 
Ole  Vasvig  from  Odda  and  Bryngel  from  Gra- 
ven, Hardanger.  They  lived  together  in  a  log 
cabin  many  years,  worked  hard  and  saved  money, 
which  they  kept  in  a  chest  under  their  bed.  One 


Mrs.  Amund  Hilleson. 

night  two  men  came  around  and  asked  them  for 
shelter  over  the  night.  This  was  willingly  grant- 
ed. But  our  countrymen  were  poorly  rewarded. 
During  the  night  they  were  killed  with  their  own 
ax  and  their  savings  carried  away  by  the  mur- 
derers. This  happened  in  1850. 

During  the  years  from  1847  to  1851  the  colony 
uid  not  get  any  increment  by  immigration  to 
speak  of,  but  in  1851  we  can  record  the  follow- 
ing arrivals:  Haldor  Nelson  Hovland,  Jacob  Ol- 
son Rogde  (see  his  sketch),  Hakon  L.  Risetter, 
a  brother  of  Lars  L.  Risetter,  and  wife,  and 
Agatha  Olsdatter  Espe,  sister  of  Lars  Olson  Espe. 

We  have  not  been  able  to  trace  any  other  ar- 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


rivals  until  in  1854,  when  the  colony  was  in- 
creased by  Amund  O.  Kragsvig,  Wiglik  P.  Pe- 
derson  Akre,  Helge  Pederson  Maakestad,  Johan- 
nes Pederson  Maakestad  and  Agatha  Maakestad. 

In  1855: — Jacob  Pederson  Blye,  Helge  Peder- 
son Blye,  Elsa  Pedersdatter  Blye  and  Christopher 
C.  Kvalnes  (Qualnes). 

In  1856: — Sjur  Qualnes,  Jens  C.  Qualnes,  Martha 
Qualnes,  Brita  Olsdatter  Kvaestad,  John  Johnson 
Maakestad  and  Christen  Sexe. 

In  1857:— Elias  O.  Espe,  Peter  O.  Espe,  Thos. 
Helgeson  L0nning  with  wife  (Synva),  Amund 
Sexe,  Haeldur  G.  Maakestad,  Viking  G^sendal, 
and  Einar  Winterton. 

In  1858: — Ingeborg  Olsdatter  Eide,  E:nar  Ein- 
arson  Buer  and  wife  (Johanna),  Lars  Salomon- 
son  Risetter  and  wife  (Ragnilda),  Sven  Isberg, 
Einar  Vasvig,  Margrethe  Sandven,  Osmond  O. 
L0nning,  Ole  O.  Ljzinning  and  wife  (Christie)  and 
Hans  Strand. 

In  1859: — Ingebrigt  Qualnes,  Gyrie  Qualnes, 
Sigri  Qualnes,  Christopher  Ingebrigtson  Qualnes, 
Gyne  Qualnes  and  wife  (born  Rogde)  and  Peder 
Tjoflaat  with  a  large  family. 

In  1860: — Rasmus  Hill  (a  brother  of  Peder  O. 
Hill)  and  Ole  Hill.  Those  were  from  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Stavanger. 


In  1861: — Nels  Pederson  Maakestad,  brother  of 
Helge  and  Johannes,  who  came  in  1854. 

During  the  three  years  following  we  have  not 
been  able  to  trace  any  newcomers;  but 

In  1864:  —  Ole  J.  Prestegaard,  Lars  Pederson 
Maakestad  with  family,  Nels  Johnson  Maakestad, 
Jacob  Opheim,  Arne  Opheim,  Lars  Aga,  Ole 
Aga,  Daniel  Wignes  and  Viking  Winterton. 

All  of  them  came  from  S0fjorden,  Hardanger, 
except  the  Hill  brothers,  from  Stavanger,  and 
Daniel  Wignes,  from  Ullvig. 

In  1865:— We  find  Peder  P.  Hill  and  Kleng  Os- 
monson,  from  Stavanger. 

In  1866: — Conrad  Knudson  and  Peder  O.  Hill, 
also  from  Stavanger.  Hill  later  went  to  Ogle 
county. 

All  of  those  so  far  mentioned  may  be  classed 
as  pioneers,  because  they  all  broke  new  ground 
with  plow  and  hoe  in  Willow  Creek  and  Alto 
townships  of  Lee  county  and  also  in  Mailand 
township  of  De  Kalb  county. 

In  this  connection  we  wish  to  express  our  sin- 
cere thanks  to  Mr.  Ole  J.  Prestegaard,  of  Lee, 
III,  who  has  spent  much  time  in  helping  us  to 
trace  these  pioneers  and  in  many  other  ways 
shown  his  interest  in  this  work. 


The  Pontiac  or  Rowc  Settlement 


The  data  for  the  sketch  of  the  Norwegian  set- 
tlement in  Livingston  county  were  partly  fur- 
nished us  by  Mr.  Rasmus  Aarvig,  of  Pontiac,  and 
are  based  upon  information  given  by  Mrs.  John 
Mitchell,  widow  of  John  Mitchell,  and  from  other 
sources,  such  as  the  History  of  Livingston  Coun- 
ty, 1878,  and  Biographical  Record  of  Livingston 
County,  1900. 

The  part  of  Livingston  county  which  first  re- 
ceived immigrants  of  Norwegian  birth  was  in  the 
vicinity  of  Rowe,  known'as  the  Pontiac  or  Rowe 
Settlement,  including  parts  of  Pontiac,  Esme.i, 
Amity  and  Rooks  Creek  townships.  Rowe  post- 
office,  four  and  one-half  miles  northwest  of  Pon- 
tiac, was  really  the  center  of  the  settlement. 

The  first  know  settlers  of  Norwegian  birth  were 
as  follows: 

John  Mitchell  was   the   first   Norwegian  immi- 


grant to  settle  in  Livingston  county.  He  was 
born  in  Tysvaer  parish,  near  Stavanger,  Norwav, 
in  1819  (or  1823?).  When  old  enough  he  went  on 
the  ocean  as  seaman  on  merchant  vessels  and 
was  in  port  in  America  twice  before  he  came  here 
to  settle.  He  also  visited  other  ports  in  different 
countries,  sailing  for  nine  years.  In  1847  he  came 
to  America,  locating  at  no  particular  place,  but 
going  from  Chicago  to  New  Orleans,  working  foe 
two  years  in  Lousiana  and  adjoining  states.  He 
also  ran  a  boat  from  La  Salle  to  Chicago,  on 
the  canal.  His  first  location  was  on  Otter  Creek, 
in  La  Salle  county.  In  1850,  on  December  1,  he 
was  married  to  Miss  Bertha  Oakland,  in  Ottawa. 
She  was  born  in  Norway,  in  1831.  They  had  six 
children.  In  1853  he  came  to  Amity  township, 
Livingston  county,  and  took  up  forty  acres.  When 
he  came,  he  had  only  horses  and  wagon,  and  the 


THE  PONTIAC  OR  ROWE    SETTLEMENT 


third  year  he  was  taken  sick,  not  being  able  to 
work  for  two  years,  and  was  obliged  to  sell  every- 
thing he  had  in  order  to  pay  doctor  bills;  but 
through  hard,  honest,  persistent  industry  he  ac- 
cumulated around  him  760  acres,  all  in  good  cul- 
tivation and  with  some  of  the  best  buildings  in 
the  township.  He  also  owned  in  Iowa  150  acres 
besides  personal  property.  For  many  years  he 
was  called  "the  Norwegian  king,"  a  name  given 
by  his  generosity  to  his  fellow  countrymen. 

His  children  are:  Isabelle  C,  Albert  N.,  John, 
Elizabeth  M.,  James  Murry  and  Joseph  D.  Mr. 
Mitchel  died  in  1896. 

Ole  Olson  Eikjeland  came  with  Mitchell.  He 
was  drowned  in  Wolf  Creek  while  hauling  rail- 
road ties  for  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad,  which 
was  then  being  constructed  through  the  city  of 
Pontiac. 

1855 — Knut  Mitchell,  John  Mitchell's  brother, 
and  John  Q.  Johnson  Qualevaag,  from  Kobervik. 
The  latter  was  born  Nov.  1,  1835.  He  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Caroline  Mitchell,  a  sister  of  Knut 
and  John,  and  they  have  had  seven  children.  The 
homestead  is  on  sec.  29,  Esmen  township.  Mr. 
Johnson  served  one  year  as  road  commissioner 
and  was  a  member  of  the  school  board  three 
years. 

1857 — Eiven  Rasmussen  Kaltvedt  and  Torger 
Thompson. 

1858 — Ole  Lugland  or  Laugaland  (Fossene); 
Ole  H.  Olson  and  John  H.  Olson.  The  latter's 
homestead  is  on  sec.  30,  Esmen  township.  He 
was  born  in  1850,  and  when  seven  years  of  age 
was  brought  into  the  United  States  by  his  father, 
Ole  H.  Olson,  who  first  settled  in  La  Salle  county 
and  later  came  to  Livingston  county.  John  H. 
Olson  was  married  in  1874  to  Miss  Isabel  High- 
land, who  was  also  born  in  Norway  and  came  to 
America  with  her  father,  Ole  Highland,  when  6 
years  of  age.  John  H.  Olson  and  wife  have  five 
children:  Elsie,  wife  of  Benjamin  Peterson,  of 
Livingston  county;  Cordelia,  wife  of  Oscar  Het- 
land;  Ida,  wife  of  George  Thompson;  Clara  and 
Obed.  Mr.  Olson  has  served  as  school  director 
in  his  district. 

1859 — Lars  Johnson,  Christopher  Lyse,  John 
Rasmussen  Aardal,  Ole  Boland,  Hans  Boland 
and  Engel  Boland. 

1860 — John  Groven,  Elling  Evenson. 

1861 — Nels  Thompson  Floten;  Andrew  Erik- 
son. 

1862— Gunner  Oakland,  from  Skj01d;  Ole  Erik- 
son  Sonnenaa,  Ole  Sampson,  Nels  Olson  Kirk- 
hus. 

1864— John  Vignaes,   Ole   Soppeland   and   Tore 


H.  Thompson  (Hetland).  In  the  Biographical 
Record  of  Livingston  County  Thompson  is  called 
Thomas  H.  Thomson.  The  former  is,  however, 
the  correct  name.  He  was  born  near  Stavanger, 
May  3,  1826,  and  sailed  from  that  city,  May  17, 
1849.  His  father  was  Tore  T.  Iverson  and  his 
mother  Malinda  Thompson.  With  his  two 
brothers,  Iver  H.  and  Richard  H.,  he  first  went 
to  La  Salle  county,  where,  after  several  years  of 
hard  toiling,  he  bought  forty  acres  of  land,  which 
he  cultivated  until  1864,  when  he  sold  it  at  a  fair 
price  and  removed  to  Livingston  county.  Here 
he  bought  100  acres  in  sec.  4.  Rooks  Creek  town- 
ship, and  has  since  looked  upon  this  as  his  per- 
manent home.  In  La  Salle  county  Mr.  Thomp- 
son was  married  (in  1855)  to  Isabella  Johnson. 
Of  ten  children  who  blessed  their  union,  two 
daughters  have  passed  away.  The  sons,  six  in 
number,  are  successful  farmers.  Thomas  M.,  Ole 
A.,  T.  E.,  E.  J.  and  A.  S.  are  residents  of  Livings- 
ton county,  while  M.  J.,  the  second  son,  is  a 
farmer  in  Clay  county,  Minnesota.  Anna  M.  is 
the  wife  of  E.  P.  Friest,  of  Hardin  county,  Iowa, 
and  Christina  S.  is  the  wife  of  J.  C.  Munson,  of 
Amity  township,  Livingston  county.  The  two 
younger  sons  are  at  home  aiding  in  the  work  on 
the  farm. 

1865 — Endre  Ytrevold,  Rasmus  Anderson  Ids0. 
John  Soppeland,  Osmund  Riskedal,  Ole  Tysdal, 
Eleiv  Holta. 

1866 — Thomas  Ryerson  (Jismervig)  was  born 
near  Stavanger,  Sept.  8,  1834.  In  company  with 
an  older  brother  he  emigrated  to  America  in  1855 
and  came  to  La  Salle  county,  where  he  worked 
on  farms  until,  on  Aug.  14,  1862,  he  enlisted  in 
the  defense  of  his  adopted  country,  becoming  a 
member  of  Company  F,  One  Hundred  and  Fourth 
Illinois  Infantry,  which  was  placed  in  the  Army 
of  the  Tennessee.  At  the  first  severe  engagement 
in  which  Mr.  Ryerson  was  engaged  he  was 
wounded  by  a  shell  in  the  right  hip,  and  being  io 
disabled,  was  sent  to  the  hospital  at  Gallatin, 
Tenn.  Subsequently  he  was  transferred  to  the 
hospital  in  Nashville,  and  thence  to  one  in  Chi- 
cago. When  he  was  convalescent  he  was  honor- 
ably discharged  from  the  army  and  returned  to 
La  Salle  county  in  April,  1863.  In  1866  Mr.  Ryer- 
son came  to  Livingston  county.  Here  he  first 
bought  eighty  acres  in  Amity  township.  A  small 
cabin  served  as  a  home  for  a  period,  but  in  time 
this  was  supplanted  by  a  large  and  pleasant 
house.  He  also  built  barns,  sheds  and  fences, 
and  planted  an  orchard  and  fine  shade  trees.  As 
he  could  afford  it  he  invested  in  more  land,  and 
to-day  he  is  the  owner  of  470  acres.  With  his 
wife  he  is  now  spending  his  declining  years  in 


90 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Pontiac.  He  was  married  to  Lizzie  Larson  in 
1863.  Two  of  their  children  died  in  infancy;  nine 
survive.  Louis  is  married  and  is  a  prosperous 
farmer  in  this  district.  Anna  Belle  is  the  wife  of 
Rasmus  Aarvig,  whose  sketch  appears  in  the  bio- 
graphical part.  Theodore  is  the  station  agent  for 
the  Illinois  Central  Railroad  at  Pontiac.  Oliver 
is  the  telegraph  operator  for  the  same  road  at 
Gibson  City,  111.,  and  the  younger  children  — 
Adolph,  Mildred,  David,  Clara  and  Mabel  —  are 
at  home. 

1868— Lars  Engelson,  a  successful  farmer,  on 
sec.  10,  Esmen  township,  was  born  in  Norway, 
July  12,  1845.  Came  to  America  with  his  widowed  . 
mother  in  1857.  He  was  married  on  the  14th  of 
February,  1865,  to  Miss  Anna  Dora  Engelson, 
who  was  born  and  reared  in  Norway.  By  this 
union  were  born  six  children,  who  are  still  living, 
namely:  Engle  B.,  a  resident  of  Iowa;  Elmer  T., 
of  North  Dakota;  Joseph  E.,  in  Livingston  coun- 
ty; Milton  L.,  Bertha  E.  and  Ellen  M.,  are  at 
home.  Four  children  died  while  young. 

1874 — Ole  Tj0nsland,  pastor  of  the  Lutheran 
church,  Rowe  postoffice,  was  born  in  Norway, 
March  13,  1836.  He  came  to  this  country  in  1872 
and  settled  in  La  Salle  county.  From  there  he 
removed  to  Esmen  township,  Livingston  county, 
in  1874.  His  wife  was  Anna  Margaretha,  born  in 
Sweden.  Previous  to  coming  to  America  Mr. 
Tj0nsland  was  a  missionary  in  South  Africa  for 
nine  years.  He  was  really  the  first  settler  in  the 
vicinity  of  Rowe  station  and  was  the  pastor  of 
the  Esmen  church. 

Arriving  during  the  same  period  of  time  may 
be  mentioned  Henrik  Larson  Hovda,  Thore 
Thompson  Troe,  Christopher  Holta,  Elias  Holta, 
Ole  K.  Olson,  Ole  H.  Aarvig,  Nels  Thompson, 
Ole  Dyvig,  Knute  Knudson,  John  Jermeland, 
John  Dyvig,  Sr.,  John  Dyvig,  Jr.,  Ole  Ejenes,  C. 
L.  Aygarn,  and  others. 

Some  of  the  settlers  came  direct  from  Norway, 
but  the  first  ones  came  from  La  Salle  county 
down  to  Livingston  county,  which  was  known 
among  the  Norwegian  people  of  La  Salle  county 
as  the  "country  of  the  frogs,"  due  to  the  great 
amount  of  lowlands  and  swamps;  but  the  land 
was  cheap,  as  low  as  $1.50  per  acre,  government 
price,  and  the  grass  and  pasture  were  plentiful. 
Markets,  however,  were  poor  and  money  was 
very  hard  to  get.  The  principal  markets,  which 
they  visited  at  times,  were  St.  Louis  and  Chi- 
cago, which  were  reached  mostly  by  boats 
through  the'  Illinois  and  Mississippi  Rivers  and 
the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal.  The  local  mar- 
ket was  at  Ottawa  and  the  milling  was  done  at 
Dayton,  La  Salle  county.  This  distance  was 


traveled  by  oxen  over  the  prairies  and  around 
the  swamps  as  best  they  could.  They  usually 
went  to  La  Salle  once  or  twice  each  year  to  do 
their  trading  and  milling.  Later  Pontiac  became 
their  local  market,  and  still  later  Rowe,  Gray- 
mont,  Cornell,  etc. 

Owing  to  the  great  amount  of  swamps  and 
stagnant  water  evaporating  the  country  was  un- 
healthy, especially  for  those  coming  from  the 
far  north,  and  a  great  deal  of  malarial  disease, 
with  consequent  hardships,  was  encountered  by 
the  Norsemen.  It  was  a  very  common  thing  for 
the  farmers  to  be  taken  down  in  the  midst  of 
their  summer  work  with  what  they  called  the 
"ague"  and  other  malarial  diseases.  These  low- 
lands are  now  all  drained  out  by  tile  drainage, 
they  have  a  healthy  climate,  and  are  supposed 
to  be  of  the  best  land  in  the  world,  worth  from 
$125  to  $200  per  acre.  A  considerable  number 
of  the  Norsemen  and  their  descendants  have 
managed  to  retain  a  good  portion  of  it. 

In  politics,  with  few  exceptions,  they  are  re- 
publicans; a  large  number  have  served  and  are 
now  serving  in  different  capacities  as  township 
officers,  and,  as  far  as  known,  with  honor  and 
integrity,  but  no  county  or  higher  office  has  yet 
been  held  by  a  Norseman  in  this  locality.  The 
reason  is  perhaps  that  nearly  all  who  have  set- 
tled here  have  come  from  country  districts  in 
the  old  country  where  a  liberal  education  was 
hard  to  get,  and  the  younger  generation  has  not 
availed  itself  of  the  opportunities  afforded  here 
for  higher  education.  However,  a  few  have 
achieved  the  professional  life.  Joseph  M.  Mitch- 
ell, son  of  the  first  settler,  is  a  practicing  at- 
torney in  Oklahoma.  James  Mitchell,  his  brother, 
is  a  practicing  physician  in  the  city  of  Pontiac. 
Others  have  been  engaged  in  commercial  pur- 
suits, of  whom  can  be  mentioned  C.  L.  Aygarn, 
in  the  grain  and  elevator  business,  but  the  ma- 
jority follow  farming,  which  pf  late  has  proved 
the  most  independent  and  profitable  to  the  com- 
mon people. 

The  first  church  work  that  was  done  among 
the  Norse  settlers  in  Livingston  county  was  in 
Amity  township  by  a  Methodist  by  the  name  of 
John  Brown.  He  baptized  a  number  of  children 
and  preached  among  them  with  good  success  un- 
til the  year  1862,  but  without  having  organized 
any  congregation.  About  that  time  a  Lutheran 
congregation  was  organized  and  they  called  a 
pastor,  by  the  name  of  Peter  Asbj0rnson,  be- 
longing to  the  Lutheran  Augustana  Synod.  The 
work  went  on  nicely  for  some  time  and  a  wealthy 
American  by  the  name  of  Murry  offered  to  give 
them  40  acres  of  good  land  on  which  to  build 


THE  PONTIAC  OR   ROWE    SETTLEMENT 


91 


a  parsonage,  but  while  this  was  pending  a  dif- 
ference of  opinion  concerning  the  church  liturgy 
caused  a  division,  as  some  adhered  to  the  old 
State  Church  of  the  Norwegian  Synod,  and  the 
Murry  offer  was  withdrawn. 

The  remnant  proceeded,  however,  and  built 
what  was  known  as  the  Augustana  Church  in 
the  western  part  of  Esmen  township.  Later  the 
others,  known  as  the  Norwegian  Synod  people, 
somehow  connected  with  the  Missouri  Synod, 
built  a  church  at  Rowe  Station.  Both  of  these 
congregations  have  lately  been  merged,  forming 
the  St.  Paul  Lutheran  Church  at  Rowe,  111.,  now 
belonging  to  the  United  Lutheran  Church,  and 
under  the  charge  of  Rev.  Mickelson. 

In  1872  a  preacher  by  the  name  of  Herman  W. 
Abelson  became  known  by  some  families  and  was 
engaged  to  take  up  the  pastoral  work  in  the 
locality.  Being  a  resident  of  La  Salle  county  at 
the  time,  he  came  to  Amity  quite  frequently  and 
preached,  anrl  performed  pastoral  work  between 
the  years  1872  and  1880,  but  no  organization  was 
effected  by  what  was  called  the  Hauge  people 
until  Feb.  3,  1880.  On  that  date  a  congregation 
by  the  name  of  Abel's  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church  was  organized.  Pastor  H.  W.  Abelson 
was  called  and  the  congregation  adopted  form- 


ally a  Lutheran  Creed  as  accepted  and  set  iorth 
in  Hauge's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Synod,  and  a 
subscription  was  taken  up  for  its  school  in  Red 
Wing,  Minn.  About  the  same  time  the  pastor 
took  up  the  work  in  a  small  settlement  near  Mud 
Creek,  which  was  kept  up  a  number  of  years  by 
him  and  his  successor,  Rev.  Theodore  Hansen, 
and  later  taken  up  by  a  minister  from  Rowe,  and 
which  is  now  under  the  charge  of  Pastor  Mickel- 
son of  the  United  Lutheran  Church. 

Pastor  Abelson  about  the  same  time,  or  a  lit- 
tle later,  took  up  work  in  what  was  known  as 
the  Rooks  Creek  settlement,  a  congregation  be- 
ing organized  there  in  1880,  known  as  the  Rooks 
Creek  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  which  later 
joined  the  Hauge  Synod,  but  owing  to  poor 
health  he  had  to  resign  shortly  afterward,  and 
as  his  successor  Pastor  Theodore  Hansen  was 
called  and  served  about  eleven  years.  After  him 
other  ministers  of  the  same  synod  have  con- 
tinued the  work  in  the  congregation,  which  now 
also  has  a  church  and  services  in  Pontiac.  The 
Abel  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  above  refer- 
red to,  having  diminished  in  number,  later  on 
joined  in  with  the  Rooks  Creek  Church,  which 
at  present  is  under  the  charge  of  Rev.  O.  O.  Ris- 
wold,  of  Hauge's  Synod. 


THE  BEGINNINGS  OF  CHICAGO 


By  Edwin  Erie  Sparks,  Ph.  D.,  of  the  University  of  Chicago. 


The  city  of  Chicago  owes  its  existence  pri- 
marily to  the  river  bearing  that  name  and  to  the 
fact  that  the  river  empties  into  the  head  of  the 
most  southwesterly  of  the  Great  Lakefc.  The 
history  of  this  city,  because  it  is  situated  at  the 
mouth  of  one  waterway  and  the  head  of  another, 
is  similar  to  that  of  other  inland  cities.  The 
waterways  were  the  ready-made  highways  of  the 
interior.  Up  and  down  them  passed  the  ex- 
plorer, the  missionary,  the  trapper,  the  trader 
and  the  pioneer  farmer,  tracing  the  way  for 
future  lines  of  commerce.  At  various  obstruc- 
tions along  these  ways  —  perhaps  the  head  or 
mouth  of  a  river,  a  portage  or  a  natural  harbor 
—  the  products  of  adjacent  regions  were  col- 
lected, to  be  forwarded  in  bulk  to  the  Atlantic 
seaboard.  The  manufactures  which  were  sent  in 
return  came  to  these  inland  points  for  distribu- 
tion. Thus  what  had  been  in  turn  a  camping 
ground  for  the  Indian,  a  halting  place  for  the 
explorer,  a  post  for  the  trader  and  a  rendezvous 
for  the  pioneer  became  a  commercial  center 
which  grew  to  a  city.  The  mouth  of  the  Chi- 
cago River  was  marked  by  nature  to  serve  such 
a  purpose. 

Extending  in  a  crescent  sweep  about  the  head 
of  Lake  Michigan  is  a  low  flat  plain  not  over 
fifteen  miles  wide,  reaching  from  Winnetka  on 
the  north  through  La  Grange  on  the  west  to 
Dyer,  Ind.,  on  the  south.  Its  concave  side  is 
occupied  by  Lake  Michigan  and  its  convex  side 
is  bounded  by  the  great  Valparaiso  moraine.  It 
was  formed  by  the  melting  and  retreat  of  the 
great  ice  cap  which  came  down  from  the  north' 
in  the  Ice  Age.  At  one  stage  the  water  was 
dammed  up  by  the  moraine,  creating  what  is 
known  to  geologists  as  "Lake  Chicago."  At  the 
bottom  was  deposited  a  flat  plain  of  sand  and 
clay  which  became  dry  land  after  the  water  had 
retreated  to  its  present  position  to  become  Lake 
Michigan.  The  northern  part  of  the  plain  is 
drained  by  the  Chicago  River  and  its  two 


branches,  one   coming  from  a  northern  and   the 
other  from  a  southwestern  direction. 

So  flat  is  the  Chicago  plain  that  the  south 
branch  of  the  river  rises  less  than  twelve  miles 
from  the  mouth.  Beyond  the  head  of  this  branch 
is  the  outlet  through  which  the  pre-historic  "Lake 
Chicago"  was  drained  into  the  Desplaines  River. 
The  summit  of  this  divide,  between  the  drainage 
basin  of  the  Great  Lakes  and  that  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi valley,  is  the  old  Chicago  portage,  un- 
known and  unimportant  in  this  railway  age. 
Here  the  land  is  only  fifteen  feet  above  the  level 
of  Lake  Michigan.  If  the  lake  level  had  been 
sixteen  feet  higher  it  would  have  drained  into 
the  Mississippi.  The  slight  elevation  of  the 
watershed  suggested  the  possibility  of  the  pres-  ' 
ent  Drainage  Canal. 

Upon  the  plain  described  above,  the  city  of 
Chicago  has  been  built.  The  groutid  is  made  up 
of  bowlders,  sand  and  clay  —  a  mixture  com- 
monly known  as  "glacial  drift."  The  excavation 
for  a  building  in  any  part  of  the  city  will  show 
the  unstable  character  of  the  soil.  Beneath  it  at 
varying  depths  lies  the  solid  Niagara  limestone 
which  may  be  seen  in  the  stone  quarries  in  many 
localities  just  outside  the  limits  of  the  plain.  The 
bedrock  is  not  level,  but  has  many  undulations, 
which  cause  the  varying  depths  shown  by  bor- 
ings in  different  parts  of  the  city.  The  deepest 
point  yet  found  is  about  one-half  mile  north  of 
the  junction  of  the  two  branches,  where  the  bed- 
rock lies  124  feet  below  the  level  of  Lake  Michi- 
gan. The  average  depth  is  estimated  to  be  about 
fifty  feet.  Because  of  the  instability  of  the  soil, 
few  localities  could  have  been  found  more  un- 
suitable for  building  a  city.  But  the  demands 
of  commerce  have  slight  regard  for  topography 
or  for  good  building  sites.  The  most  recent 
method  employed  by  builders  to  overcome  the 
inherent  difficulties  of  the  unstable  plain  is  to 
sink  caissons  to  the  bedrock  and  fill  them  with 
concrete.  We  can  thus  imagine  our  great  build- 


THE  BIGINNINGS  OF  CHICAGO 


93 


ings  standing  upon  gigantic  stilts  which  rest  upon 
the  bedrock  far  beneath. 

In  such  a  soil  and  on  such  level  ground  the 
river  would  naturally  flow  sluggishly  and  would 
cut  a  deep  channel,  carrying  the  .washings  to  be 
deposited  in  a  bar  at  the  mouth.  It  would  in 
this  way  form  a  natural  harbor  for  lake  com- 
merce, extending  two  or  three  miles  inland. 
However,  the  his-tory  of  Chicago  dates  back  to 
a' time  when  a  harbor  for  vessels  of  large  burden 
was  not  dreamed  of.  It  began  during  the  days 
of  the  French  missionaries,  when  the  utility  of 
a  river  as  a  highway  was  the  important  con- 
sideration, especially  if  there  was  only  a  short 
portage  from  Us  head  to  a  stream  flowing  in  the 
opposite  direction.  The  Chicago  River  was  al- 
most ideal  in  this  respect,  since  it  led  by  its 
south  branch  of  the  Chicago  portage  and  thence 
into  the  Desplaines  and  the  Illinois,  being  the 
connecting  link  between  the  Great  Lakes  and 
the  Mississippi.  Like  all  rivers  in  level  coun- 
tries, the  sluggish  waters  of  both  streams  al- 
lowed navigation  far  up  toward  the  portage, 
especially  in  the  rainy  and  melting  seasons.  It 
was  possible,  according  to  the  accounts  of  the 
early  explorers,  to  take  a  boat  at  certain  times 
of  the  year  over  the  Chicago  portage  without 
unloading  it. 

The  French  explorers  and  the  Jesuit  mission- 
aries at  first  reached  the  Mississippi  by  Green  Bay 
and  the  Wisconsin  River.  But  they  soon  learned 
in  returning  to  come  up  the  Illinois  to  the  Kan- 
kakee  and  thence  to  cross  the  portage  to  the  St. 
Joseph  River,  now  in  Michigan,  with  empties 
into  the  southeast  bend  of  Lake  Michigan.  At  a 
later  time  they  found  the  still  shorter  way  by 
the  Chicago  River  and  portage.  No  satisfactory 
evidence  has  been  left  to  show  when  this  route 
was  first  used.  Marquette  and  Joliet  may  have 
passed  this  way  on  their  return  journey  from  the 
Illinois  Indians  to  the  mission  at  Green  Bay  in 
1673.  La  Salle  and  Tonty  used  the  Chicago  route 
before  1680.  La  Salle  spent  a  part  of  the  winter 
of  1682  in  the  first  house  built  by  white  men  at 
the  portage.  The  following  year  he  headed  a 
report:  "Du  Portage  de  Checagou,  4  juin,  1683." 
When  the  easy  route  by  the  "Garlic  River," — as 
the  stream  was  sometimes  called  because  of  the 
foul-smelling  wild  plant  growing  on  its  banks  — 
became  fully  known,  it  was  one  of  the  principal 
thoroughfares  of  the  French  during  their  pro- 
longed journeys  through  the  Illinois  country. 

Permanent  .  French  settlement,  however,  ap- 
proached Illinois  not  by  the  Chicago  portage, 
which  the  Jesuits  and  explorers  had  used,  but 
came  up  the  Mississippi  after  the  founding  of  New 


Orleans.  The  French  villages  of  Kaskaskia,  Ca- 
hokia  and  others  which  were  founded  in  Illinois 
soon  fell  into  decay  because  of  the  advance  of 
the  conquering  English  and  Americans.  Even 
the  stronghold  of  Fort  Chartres,  built  to  protect 
these  villages,  was  torn  down  by  the  invaders  to 
obtain  building  stone.  Only  the  ruins  of  a 
powder  magazine  remain  to  show  where  the  fort 
once  stood. 

After  the  French  had  been  driven  out  of  the 
Mississippi  valley  the  Chicago  portage  lay  in  ob- 
scurity for  nearly  forty  years,  until  the  onward 
march  of  the  American  people  across  the  con- 
tinent brought  waterways  and  portages  again 
into  prominence.  It  was  the  policy  of  the  United 
States  government  to  plant  forts  along  the  front 
line  of  people  to  protect  them  and  to  increase 
the  sales  of  the  public  lands.  These  forts  were 
erected  on  the  highways  of  commerce,  where 
protection  was  most  needed.  Among  the  sites 
occupied  in  the  middle  West  may  be  named  the 
point  where  the  French  Fort  Duquesne  and  the 
English  Fort  Pitt  once  stood,  now  occupied  by 
the  city  of  Pittsburg;  Fort  Mclntosh,  where 
Beaver,  Penn.,  now  stands;  Fort  Harmer,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Muskingum;  Fort  Washington,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Miami,  near  which  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  is  now  located;  Fort  Industry,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Maumee,  about  which  Toledo,  Ohio, 
grew;  Fort  Renault,  now  Detroit;  Fort  Wayne, 
still  bearing  the  name,  and  Fort  Mackinac,  which 
is  now  surrounded  by  Machinaw  city. 

As  the  people  advanced,  the  government  was 
accustomed  to  quiet  the  Indian  claims  to  the 
land  by  making  treaties  with  the  savages.  By 
the  treaty  of  Greenville  in  1795  a  line  was  drawn 
from  east  to  west  across  what  is  now  the  state 
of  Ohio  and  thence  south  to  the  Ohio  River. 
Beyond  this  line  the  whites  agreed  not  to  make 
settlements,  and  the  Indians  agreed  not  to  molest 
any  one  living  east  of  it.  An  exception  was  made 
to  the  first  part  of  the  bargain  by  the  Indians 
giving  to  the  United  States  certain  reservations 
at  important  points  where  forts  could  be  erected 
to  protect  traders.  Among  the  sixteen  reserva- 
tions provided  for  by  the  treaty  of  Greenville 
was  one  for  "a  space  six  miles  square  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Chicago  river  where  a  fort  formerly 
stood."  This  reference  to  a  fort  was  no  doubt 
to  the  traditional  French  fort  erected  in  1685  as 
an  outpost  to  Fort  St.  Louis.  It  was  probably 
nothing  more  than  a  barricaded  hut. 

By  1803  trade  had  increased  along  Lake  Michi- 
gan to  such  an  extent  that  the  erection  of  a  fort 
at  some  point  on  its  shore  was  felt  to  be  im- 
perative. It  is  said  that  the  mouth  of  the  St. 


94 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Joseph  River  was  first  contemplated;  but  there 
was  no  reservation  at  that  point,  as  demonstrated 
on  the  map  made  by  Morse  in  1796.  Hence 
Secretary  of  War  Dearborn  chose  the  reservation 
at  the  mouth  of  the  Chicago  River  as  a  proper 
site.  Fort  Renault,  at  Detroit,  had  long  been 
garrisoned  by  several  companies  of  the  First  In- 
fantry. One  of  these  was  selected  to  proceed  to 
the  Chicago  River  and  to  erect  the  proposed 
fort.  Captain  John  Whistler,  with  some  of  his 
officers  and  the  women,  came  around  the  lakes 
by  boat  to  the  mouth  of  the  St.  Joseph  and 
thence  crossed  the  lake  by  way  of  Fort  Wayne. 

One  may  faintly  imagine  the  appearance  of  the 
mouth  of  the  river  when  these  troops  arrived  in 
August,  1803.  Scrub  oaks  dotted  the  sandy 
shores,  replaced  by  trees  of  a  larger  growth  out 
toward  the  fertile  prairies  on  the  westward.  The 
river  flowed  sluggish  and  silent  between  low- 
lying,  sedgy  banks.  Evidences  of  Indian  encamp- 
ments and  huts  of  traders  could  be  seen  on  all 
sides.  Indeed,  the  soldiers  found  a  French  trader, 
Le  Mai,  living  in  a  small  cabin  near  the  mouth 
of  the  river.  Nearby  dwelt  Ouilmette  (Wil- 
mette),  a  half-breed  Indian.  Before  the  snows 
of  winter  covered  the  drifting  sands  the  soldiers 
and  artificers  had  constructed  two  blockhouses, 
quarters  for  the  officers  and  barracks  for  the 
privates,  and  had  surrounded  the  whole  by  a  high 
connecting  stockade,  with  a  second  lower  palisade 
outside.  A  subway  was  dug  through  the  sand 
to  the  river  to  supply  the  fort  with  water  in  case 
of  a  siege.  Near  the  fort  was  built  the  log  house 
or  "factory,"  as  such  adjuncts  to  forts  were 
called,  where  the  government  trader  exchanged 
his  stores  for  skins  brought  in  by  the  savages 
and  private  traders. 

Not  only  were  the  general  surroundings  of  the 
mouth  of  the  river  different  from  those  of  the 
present  day.  The  river  itself  has  been  so  changed 
in  its  course  that  a  map  is  necessary  to  show 
it  as  the  troops  found  it.  A  sandbar  had  accum- 
ulated across  the  mouth,  possibly  caused  by 
that  mysterious  current  in  Lake  Michigan  which 
deposits  bars  en  the  north  side  of  obstructions 
on  the  west  shore.  The  bar  had  pushed  the 
mouth  as  far  south  as  the  Madison  street  of  the 
present  city.  This  is  well  illustrated  on  a  govern- 
ment map  issued  when  the  first  proposition  to 
convert  the  river  into  a  harbor  was  being  con- 
sidered by  Congress.  In  the  bend  of  the  stream 
the  fort  was  located.  The  drifting  sand  had  made 
a  kind  of  hillock  or  high  ground  at  this  point. 

Between  1803  and  1812  the  history  of  Fort 
Dearborn,  as  the  fort  gradually  became  known 
through  compliment  to  the  Secretary  of  War 


who  established  it,  is  almost  a  blank.  There  was 
always  one  company  stationed  here,  but  it  must 
have  been  a  dreary  and  monotonous  life  on  the 
sands  along  the  shore.  From  time  to  time  the 
"factor"  made  his  report  to  the  government, 
showing  a  prosperous  trade.  A  few  houses  were 
built  near  the  fort,  that  of  Mr.  Kinzie,  just  across 
the  river,  beinij  the  most  prominent.  The  poplar 
trees  in  front  of  his  house  figure  in  all  early 
sketches  of  Fort  Dearborn,  looking  northward. 

The  year  1812  found  the  entire  Northwest 
alarmed  over  the  Indian  rising  under  Tecumseh. 
Burning  cabin  and  scalped  settler  warned  the 
whites  to  fly  to  the  nearest  fort.  Even  the 
safety  of  Fort  Dearborn  was  questioned,  lying 
so  far  in  the  Indian  country.  Orders  were  given 
to  the  commandant  to  evacuate  and  retreat  to 
Fort  Wayne  if  he  deemed  it  best  to  do  so.  At- 
tempting to  carry  out  these  orders,  the  body  of 
troops  and  settlers  was  attacked  by  the  Indians 
near  the  present  foot  of  Eighteenth  street.  Twen- 
ty-six of  the  fifty-four  regulars  were  killed,  to- 
gether with  twelve  militiamen,  two  women  and 
twelve  children.  Five  more  regulars,  it  is  said, 
were  put  to  death  after  surrender.  The  prison- 
ers were  then  distributed  among  the  various 
tribes  for  service.  Eventually  nearly  all  were 
ransomed  or  made  their  escape.  For  many  years 
a  tree  known  as  the  "massacre  tree"  stood  near 
the  lake  and  presumably  near  the  scene  of  the 
attack  on  the  women  in  the  wagons.  It  has  been 
replaced  by  a  spirited  group  in  bronze  repre- 
senting the  rescue  of  Mrs.  Helm  by  a  friendly 
Indian,  Black  Partridge. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  of  1812  the  fort  was 
rebuilt  on  the  same  site,  but  of  different  design. 
One  block  house  was  now  felt  to  be  sufficient. 
Settlers  and  traders  gradually  reoccupied  their 
old  quarters.  The  fearful  experience  of  the  mas- 
sacre was  never  repeated:  So  peaceful  were  the 
savages  that  in  1823  the  troops  were  withdrawn 
from  Fort  Dearborn  to  garrison  posts  further 
west.  However,  in  1828,  owing  to  the  uneasiness 
of  the  Winnebago  Indians,  a  company  of  regu- 
lars came  up  from  St.  Louis  to  reoccupy  the  old 
fort.  The  commanding  officer  was  annoyed  to 
find  that  the  sandbar  across  the  mouth  of  the 
river  prevented  him  getting  his  supply  boats 
into  a  place  of  safety  from  the  storms  on  the 
treacherous  lake  front.  He  employed  his  men 
in  digging  a  temporary  channel  through  the  bar 

a  prophecy  of  the  later  Chicago  harbor;  buf 
the  currents  soon  filled  it  up  after  the  troops 
were  withdrawn. 

In  1832  the  Black  Hawk  war  brought  General 
Scott  and  a  large  body  of  troops  to  rendezvous 


THE  BIGINNINGS  OF  CHICAGO 


95 


at  the  deserted  Fort  Dearborn.  Once  more  the 
attention  of  Congress  was  called  to  the  fact  that 
vessels  on  Lake  Michigan  could  not  approach  a 
fort  which  had  been  built  to  protect  that  body 
of  water.  Shipping  must  lie  in  the  offing  and 
discharge  their  cargoes  by  lighters.  Various  re- 
ports from  engineers  connected  with  the  troops 
stationed  at  the  fort  had  called  attention  to  the 
same  obstacle,  and  also  to  the  ease  with  which 
the  mouth  of  the  river  might  be  converted  into 
a  harbor.  It  needed  only  two  parallel  piers  out 
into  the  lake  and  dredging  between  them.  No 
other  point  in  the  vicinity  offered  such  possibil- 
ities. The  value  of  the  property,  destroyed  in 
one  season  by  the  storms  on  that  portion  of  the 
lake,  it  was  declared,  would  go  far  toward  mak- 
ing a  harbor.  Frequently  auctions  were  held  to 
dispose  of  the  cargo  of  unlucky  vessels  caught 
on  the  unprotected  shore. 

Such  arguments  brought  from  Congress  in  1833 
the  first  appropriation  for  straightening,  deepen- 
ing and  widening  the  Chicago  River  and  con- 
verting it  into  a  magnificent  harbor.  These  ap- 
propriations were  small  at  first,  aggregating  only 
$486,000  in  nearly  forty  years;  but  were  increased 
from  time  to  time  with  the  increased  demands 
of  trade  until  they  have  now  passed  the  four 
million  dollar  point  for  the  Chicago  River  and 
harbor  alone.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  al- 
most contemporaneous  with  the  first  appropria- 
tion an  enterprising  trader  killed  and  packed 
meat  for  shipment  to  Detroit  instead  of  sending 
the  cattle  and  hogs  on  foot,  as  had  been  the 
practice.  About  the  same  time  small  elevators 
began  to  appear  on  the  banks  of  the  river. 
Grain  was  hauled  to  them  in  wagons  from  the 
prairies  and  lifted  by  rope  and  bucket  to  the 
top  of  the  building,  to  run  through  chutes  on 
the  other  side  to  the  hold  of  a  waiting  vessel. 

Fort  Dearborn,  near  the  mouth  of  the  stream, 
formed  one  of  the  centers  of  growth  of  the  em- 
bryo city:  the  junction  of  the  two  branches, 
commonly  known  as  "Wolf's  Point,"  became  an- 
other. A  sketch  made  at  the  latter  place  in  1832 
shows  on  the  left  the  Wentworth  tavern  or 
trading  house,  and  on  the  right  the  Miller  house, 
which  was  also  used  as  tavern  and  residence. 
Between  them  ran  a  log  bridge  across  the  north 
branch  of  the  river.  Only  by  comparing  the 
scene  with  a  modern  photograph  taken  from  the 
same  standpoint  is  the  change  in  the  river  and 
surroundings  appreciable.  Passing  down  the 
main  stream  to  the  right,  one  reaches  a  point  on 
the  bank  opposite  to  that  once  occupied  by  the 
old  fort  and  beholds  a  similar  transformation. 
Where  the  rope  ferry  was  once  poled  across  the 


river  a  great  bridge  now  swings  noiselessly  to 
allow  magnificent  vessels  to  pass  to  docks  be- 
yond. Wharves  line  the  shore  where  rushes 
formerly  flourished  in  the  swampy  margins.  The 
sand  between  the  fort  and  the  river  has  been 
dredged  away  to  allow  great  floating  hotels  to 
lie  at  dock  and  await  the  coming  of  passengers. 
A  large  part  of  the  site  of  the  old  fort  is  now 
under  the  Chicago  River. 

The  lake  traffic,  which  gave  the  first  impetus 
to  modern  Chicago,  increased  enormously  be- 
tween 1830  and  1870.  The  appearance  of  steam 
vessels  and  ths  harbor  imorovements  were  largely 
responsible  for  this  growth.  The  exact  time  of 
the  coming  of  the  first  steamer  is  in  dispute,  al- 
though it  must  have  been  near  1830.  At  the  end 
of  1836  it  was  recorded  that  212  vessels  had  been 
able  to  get  inside  the  river.  In  1854  there  were 
forty-six  vessels  plying  regularly  between  Chi- 
cago and  other  ports.  In  1871  more  than  twelve 
thousand  vessels  entered  and  cleared  from  the 
Chicaeo  harbor. 

About  1830  railways,  instead  of  canals,  were 
advocated  in  the  United  States  to  connect  navig- 
able waterways.  Few  imagined  that  the  rail- 
ways could  ever  supplant  the  canals.  A  railway 
from  the  head  of  Lake  Michigan  to  the  Missis- 
sippi, or  even  to  the  Rock  River,  was  for  many 
years  a  Chicago  vision.  By  1848  it  had  been 
realized  to  some  extent.  The  problem  of  con- 
veying lead  from  the  mines  at  Galena  to  the 
lake  caused  that  city  to  be  made  the  proposed 
western  terminus.  The  locomotive  "Pioneer," 
now  preserved  in  the  Field  Columbian  Museum, 
was  brought  to  Chicago  by  steamer  and  was  put 
to  work  on  the  few  miles  of  strap  iron  laid  on 
stringers  placed  end  to  end  on  piling  driven  into 
the  wet  prairie  between  the  Chicago  and  the 
Desplaines  rivers.  This  was  the  Galena  &  Chi- 
cago Union  Railway,  whose  frame  passenger 
station  stood  for  many  years  just  west  of  and 
across  the  North  Branch  from  the  present  North- 
Western  station  on  Wells  street. 

By  the  middle  of  the  century  the  rival  rail- 
ways between  Lake  Erie  and  Lake  Michigan, 
the  one  constructed  through  "Central"  Michigan 
and  the  other  through  "Southern"  Michigan, 
rounded  the  head  of  the  lake  and  came  into  the 
city  simultaneously.  The  Michigan  Central  and 
the  Illinois  Central  came  along  the  lake  front  on 
piling  driven  into  the  water,  which  carried  them 
as  far  north  as  the  foot  of  the  nresent  Randolph 
street.  Between  this  piling  and  the  beach,  now 
Michigan  avenue,  pleasure  boats  were  sailed  and 
rowed,  giving  the  people  of  Chicago  the  use  of 
a  lake  front  which  they  have  not  since  known. 


96 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


The  railroads  soon  began  to  fill  in  the  lake  front, 
compelling  the  public  to  go  beyond  them  in  a 
park  made  by  artificial  means.  Michigan  ave- 
nue, formerly  the  beach  of  the  lake,  is  now  far 
inland,  and  the  mouth  of  the  river  at  the  foot 
of  Madison  street  exists  only  in  tradition.  Term- 
inal yards  and  tall  buildings  occupy  that  part  of 
the  former  site  of  Fort  Dearborn  which  has  not 
been  dredged  away  in  straightening  the  river. 
The  old  mouth  is  now  a  part  of  the  new  Lake 
Front  Park. 

After  the  finrl  evacuation  of  the  fort  the  prop- 
erty was  put  in  the  care  of  the  engineer  in  charge 
of  the  river  improvements.  The  reservation  of 
six  miles  square  made  by  the  treaty  of  Green- 
ville was  a  transaction  with  the  Indians  and  was 
distinct  from  the  United  States  reservation  for 
the  fort.  The  latter,  amounting  to  about  seventy- 
five  acres,  lay  in  the  shape  of  a  triangle  having 
its  apex  at  the  fort.  The  base  line  crossed 
diagonally  from  the  river  near  the  foot  of  Dear- 
born street  to  the  lake  shore  near  the  foot  of 
Madison  street.  Under  the  law  of  1819,  which 
gave  permission  to  the  Secretary  of  War  to  dis- 
pose of  military  sites  no  longer  needed,  that  of- 
ficial yielded  to  petitions  from  the  citizens  of 
Chicago  and  in  1839  divided  the  reservation  into 
town  lots  to  be  sold  at  auction.  Certain  por- 
tions were  reserved  for  public  use.  One  of  these 
became  Dearborn  Park  and  is  now  occupied  by 
the  Chicago  Public  Library. 

The  fort  reservation  will  account  for  only  a 
small  portion  of  the  land  occupied  by  the  city 
of  Chicago.  The  remainder  of  the  site,  lying 
along  the  river  and  both  branches,  was  included 
in  the  290,000  acres  of  lan,d  given  by  the  national 
government  to  construct  a  canal  over  the  Chi- 
cago-Desplaines  portage.  The  streets,  much  as" 
they  are  to-day,  were  laid  off  at  right  angles  to 
each  other  across  this  proposed  town  site  and 
the  lots  were  sold  at  auction  in  1830  for  the 
benefit  of  the  canal  fund.  Certain  reservations 
were  made  for  school  purposes,  as  well  as  a 
square  for  a  courthouse.  The  latter  ground  is 
now  occupied  by  the  county  and  city  buildings. 
At  the  sale  the  lots  along  the  south  branch  near 
the  junction  brought  the  highest  price.  The 
average  price  of  all  the  lots  was  about  three 
hundred  dollars.  The  site  of  the  present  Sher- 
man House  brought  forty  dollars. 

Much  of  the  ill  repute  of.  Chicago  in  early  days 
can  be  traced  to  the  topography  of  the  city. 
Water  would  not  drain  naturally  from  the  low 
plain  on  which  it  was  built.  Cellars  were  almost 
impossible.  Deluded  purchasers  found  their  lots 
under  water.  Between  1855  and  1860  the  grade 


of  the  entire  city  was  raised,  in  some  places 
more  than  ten  feet.  An  old  painting  in  the  Chi- 
cago Historical  Society's  building  shows  the 
comical  appearance  presented  by  the  city  during 
this  period  of  elevation.  Entire  rows  of  build- 
ings rested  temporarily  upon  blocks  and  jack- 
screws.  Pavements  were  on  different  levels. 
The  conditions  of  things  must  have  conduced  to 
sobriety,  since  the  late  return  home  of  the  typ- 
ical club  man  would  have  been  an  impossibility. 
The  streets  were  filled  to  the  new  level  and 
the  old  warped  planks,  which  bespattered  the 
pedestrian  when  a  vehicle  chanced  to  pass. 

About  this  time  the  little  courthouse,  which 
had  done  service  since  1837  in  the  public  square 
on  the  corner  of  Washington  and  Clark  streets, 
was  replaced  by  a  two-story  stone  building,  to 
which  was  added  a  third  story  in  due  time.  A 
lawn  both  at  the  front  and  back  of  the  build- 
ing afforded  space  for  public  meetings.  The 
leading  statesmen  of  the  day  graced  the  rostrum 
of  the  old  courthouse  steps. 

The  beginnings  of  Chicago  may  well  close 
with  her  re-baptism  in  the  fire  of  1871.  With- 
out this  blessing  in  disguise  it  would  have  taken 
years  to  clean  out  the  unsightly  buildings  due 
to  the  growth  of  the  city  from  a  frontier  post. 
The  easiest  way  to  be  rid  of  having  to  wear  the 
clothing  which  one  has  outgrown  is  to  burn  it. 
Wooden  pavements  and  frame  buildings  are 
stages  of  development,  Chicago  was  done  with 
both  in  the  business  district  at  one  direful 
stroke.  Only  those  who  passed  through  the  ex- 
perience of  the  fire  know  its  horrors.  Only  those 
who  study  a  map  of  the  "burned  district"  realize 
the  space  which  it  swept  over. 

The  chief  problem  the  Chicago  of  today  must  • 
deal  with  is  the  river.  How  to  provide  for  inter- 
urban  movement  with  water  traffic  across  the 
principal  streets  has  claimed  the  attention  of  en- 
gineers and  experts.  Few  other  cities  face  the 
same  problem.  Generally  the  river  or  harbor  is 
to  be  found  at  one  side  of  the  city  proper,  or  it 
is  not  so  long  and  narrow  as  the  one  which 
penetrates  into  the  very  heart  of  Chicago.  How 
essential  the  river  was  to  the  founding  and  the 
growth  of  the  city  it  has  been  the  endeavor  of  the 
foregoing  pages  to  show.  Without  the  river 
there  never  would  have  been  a  Chicago.  Can  the 
prosperity  of  the  city  continue  without  the  free 
use  of  the  river  for  commerce?  We  have  tried* 
nearly  every  conceivable  manner  of  crossing  that 
stream  and  yet  not  interfering  with  traffic.  We 
have  crawled  under  it  in  tunnels.  We  have  gone 
around  it  in  belt  lines.  We  have  made  bridges 


THE  BEGINNINGS  OF  CHICAGO 


97 


that  turn,  that  open,  that  lift,  that  slide  —  any- 
thing to  reconcile  land  and  water  traffic. 

The  history  of  Chicago  falls  naturally  into 
three  periods.  The  French  occupancy  two  hun- 
dred years  ago,  interesting  though  it  is,  has  no 
real  connection  with  the  modern  city.  The  sec- 
ond stage,  that  of  Fort  Dearborn  and  the  troops, 
which  covered  nearly  thirty  years,  is  only  re- 
motely connected  with  the  modern  commercial 
center.  Industrial  Chicago  began  with  the  open- 
ing of  the  harbor  in  1833.  Yet  the  building  of 
the  fort  marked  the  beginning  of  continuous  gov- 
ernment under  the  United  States.  The  stars  and 
stripes,  once  raised  on  the  staff  near  the  middle 
of  the  fort,  have  floated  over  the  city  to  this 
day.  The  protecting  hand  of  the  United  States 
government,  represented  in  the  troops  a  century 
ago,  in  the  land  given  for  digging  the  old  canal, 
and  in  the  appropriations  for  the  improvement 
of  the  harbor,  has  never  been  withdrawn. 

No  city  in  the  United  States  can  excel  Chi- 
cago in  the  picturesqueness  of  her  past.  No  city 
has  had  such  a  succession  of  varied  and  striking 
types.  Above  her  busy  streets  and  lofty  build- 
ings pass  in  historic  shade  the  Jesuit,  the  trap- 
per, the  trader,  the  pioneer,  the  soldier,  the  land 
speculator,  the  promoter  —  each  contributing  his 
unconscious  part  to  the  making  of  an  American 
city.  The  canal,  which  Joliet  wished  to  cut 


across  the  Chicago  portage  but  to  which  La 
Salle  objected  because  the  stage  of  water  would 
make  it  serviceable  during  only  a  small  portion 
of  the  year,  was  realized  nearly  two  centuries 
later  by  the  Illinois  and  Michigan  Canal.  It  has 
now  been  practically  abandoned  and  superseded 
by  a  parallel  artificial  waterway  designed  for  a 
ship  canal. 

That  this  service  will  ever  be  rendered  by  the 
Drainage  Canal  is  unlikely  because  three  great 
trans-continental  lines  of  railways  traverse  the 
length  of  the  portage.  An  electric  trolley  has 
been  added  as  if  to  make  a  prophecy  of  the 
future.  Where  the  Jesuit  and  his  donnes  once 
dragged  their  sledges  by  head  bands  and  straps, 
where  the  coureur  du  bois  tied  his  bright-colored 
sash  about  his  embroidered  hunting  shirt  and 
set  afresh  his  pudding-bag  cap  before  bending  to 
the  burden  of  his  boat,  giant  locomotives  now 
drag  mile-long  freight  trains  or  whirl  portable 
hotels  over  the  old  Chicago  portage. 

Some  day  when  all  this  is  materialized  on  a 
commemorative  column  or  historic  arch,  when 
it  stands  in  enduring  pageantry  on  a  memorial 
bridge,  Chicago  will  mean  more  to  one  class  of 
its  citizens  than  a  place  to  make  a  fortune  and 
to  another  than  a  place  of  securing  daily  bread. 
Civic  as  well  as  national  pride  rests  most  se- 
curely on  veneration  for  the  past. 


NORWEGIAN    CHURCHES   IN 

ILLINOIS  1 


The  Norwegian  Synod 


By  Rev.  Alfred  O.  Johnson. 


I.    ORGANIZATION. 

When    the    pioneers    of    the   Norwegian   emi- 
grants   left    their    native    shores    for    the    broad 
plains    of    America,    they    took    little    with    them 
but   their  families,  their  determination  and   their 
faith  in  God.     Like  Norwegians  in  general,  their 
character  was  religious.     There  were  two  factors 
in   the   life   of    the    Norwegians    of    those    years 
which   tended   to   bend   the   character   in   a   deep 
religious    channel.      So    far    as    the    majority    of 
them  was  concerned,  the  conditions  of  life  were 
hard  on  the  western  coast  of  Norway.     Life  was 
spent   between    the    beetling   mountains    and    the 
roaring  waves.     Almost   every  male  was  obliged 
to    buffet    the    waves    for    a    livelihood.     In    the 
eastern  half  of  the  country,  life  was  perhaps  not 
so  precarious,  but  even  there  the  livelihood  was 
wrested  from  a  strip  of  land  that  would  be  con- 
sidered  quite   inadequate   in   this   land   of   plenty. 
Then   again,   every  one   though   his   schooling  in 
secular  branches   was   ever   so    meagre,   had   re- 
ceived a  thorough  drill  in  the  elements  of  relig- 
ion.    The  devout  mothers  were  their  first  teach- 
ers, afterwards  came  the  school  master  and  last 
of  all  the  pastor.     These  conditions  had  much  to 
do  with  molding  the  character  of  the  early  pio- 
neers.    It    is    but    natural    that    such    characters, 
encountering  the  dangers  of  a  long  voyage,  the 
difficulties  and  hardships,  the  privations  and  toil 
of   pioneer   life   on   Uie   western    frontier,   should 
turn  for  strength  to   Him  whose  love   had  been 
instilled  into  their  minds  from   childhood. 

It  is  not  strange  that  the  first  regularly  or- 
dained pastor,  who  ventured  into  the  West  to 
bring  the  comforts  of  the  Gospel  to  his  country- 


men, should  be  accorded  a  welcome  such  as 
might  be  given  a  prince  and  should  find  such  an 
exceptional  eagerness  to  join  the  congregations 
which  he  organized. 

During   the   interim   that   elapsed   between   the 
first  settlement  in  the  Northwest  in  1834  and  the 
coming  of  the  pioneer  clergyman,  J.  W.  C.  Diet- 
richson,  the  religious  instruction  had  been  mea- 
gre and  unorganized.     In  most  cases  that    ideal 
condition  existed  where  every  father  is  priest  in 
his   own   household.     Under  these   circumstances 
the  logical  development  was  that  certain  laymen 
would  feel  themselves  called  upon  to  minister  to 
their  brethren.     Among  those  who  assumed  this 
work  in  the  different  settlements  are  mentioned; 
Ole   Hetletveit,   Jorgen   Peterson,   Bjjzirn   Hatles- 
tad,  Ole  O.  Omdal,  Endre  and  Herman  Osmund- 
son  Aaragerbae,   Kleng  Skaar,   Even   Heg,  Aslak 
Aar,   Peder   Asbj0rnson   Mehus,  John    Brakestad 
and    Knu'd    Peterson.     None   of    these,    however, 
attained  such   general  importance    in    the    early 
pioneer  religious   life  as   Erling  Egilson   Sunven 
or  as  he  is  more  generally  known  Elling  Eielsen, 
who  came  to  America  in  1839.     He  was  born  in 
Voss  and  exhibited  very  early  in  life   an  intensely 
religious   character.     While  yet  young   he  began 
to   travel     about   as   a   lay   preacher   and    gained 
quite  a  reputation  as  an  earnest,  forceful  speaker. 
At  the  age  of  35   he   emigrated  to  America  and 
four  years  after  his  arrival  was  ordained  to  the 
ministry    by    Rev.    F.    A.    Hoffman    of    Duncan's 
Grove,    111.,    and    labored     ceaselessly    as     such 
among  his  countrymen.     Until  his  death  in  1883 
he   continued   to   be   an   important   factor   in   the 
history    of    the    Norwegian    church    of    America. 
These  were  all   laymen  whose  education  was  of 
the  most  meager  description.     It  is  said  of  Eiel- 
sen   that    he   could   not   write.     Many   of   them, 
however,  were  well  versed  in  their  Bibles.     They 
were    all    Lutherans,    at    least,    in    name.      There 
were     others     who     labored     amongst    the    new- 
comers  in  the   different  settlements   representing 


(98) 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


various    sects    but    who   generally    attempted   to 
work  under  Lutheran  colors. 

John  G.  Smith,  a  Swede,  came  to  Koshkonong 
in  1841.  He  worked  with  considerable  success, 
but  is  was  finally  discovered  that  he  was  a  Bap- 
tist, and  he  was  obliged  to  leave. 

Ole  Hanson,  nicknamed  Ole  "The  Consul"  was 
a  Methodist  lay  preacher  whose  field  was  chiefly 
Rock  Prairie  and  Highland,  Wisconsin.  Another 
man,  who  for  a  time  seemed  to  succeed  was  G. 
Unonius,  a  Swedish  Episcopal  minister,  who  or- 
ganized a  congregation  at  Pine  Lake,  Wis.,  con- 
sisting of  both  Norwegians  and  Swedes  and  later 
on  one  in  Chicago. 

Up  to  this  time  it  might  be  said  that  there 
had  been  an  abundance  of  preaching,  such  as  it 
was,  but  there  had  been  no  worship  after  the 
ritual  and  customs  of  the  Mother  Church.  Most 
of  the  lay  preachers  were  followers  of  Hans 
Nielsen  Hauge  and  held  the  forms  of  the  state 
church  in  disrespect.  Meetings  had  been  held  in 
the  different  settlements  but  as  yet  no  congre- 
gations were  organized. 

The  first  regular  Norwegian  Lutheran  Congre- 
gation to  be  organized  in  America  was  at  Mus- 
kego,  Wis.,  in  1843.  Rev.  J.  W.  C.  Dietrichson 
tells  of  the  events  connected  with  its  organiza- 
tion in  his  book,  "Travels  among  the  Norwegian 
Immigrants." 

In  the  fall  of  1843,  steps  were  taken  towards 
the  organization  of  a  congregation  here  —  Mus- 
kego,  Wis.,  with  Clausen  as  pastor.  As  it  is  of 
considerable  importance  and  interest  touching 
the  religious  condition  among  the  Norwegians,  I 
must  here  speak  more  of  this  man.  Claus  Laurit- 
zen  Clausen,  at  that  time  about  26  years  of  age, 
was  born  on  the  Island  of  Ar0  in  Denmark.  In 
his  yauth  he  was  awakened  to  a  realization  of 
the  truth  of  Christianity  but  for  some  years  was 
effected  by  pietistic  and  partly  by  Baptist  errors 
until  God  in  his  mercy  gradually  lead  him  to  a 
firm  churchly  stand.  He  was  greatly  aided  by 
his  acquaintance  with  several  Christian  preach- 
ers in  Sjaslland,  particularly  P.  A.  Fenger,  F. 
Boiscn  and  Grundtvig,  and  the  latters'  writings. 
For  some  time  a  burning  desire  had  filled  his 
heart  to  be  an  instrument  in  the  hands  of  God 
to  proclaim  the  word  of  Life  to  his  fellowmen. 
This  desire  received  new  life  when  he  heard  of 
Rev.  Schroeder's  determination  to  go  as  a  mis- 
sionary to  the  heathens.  He  went,  therefore,  to 
Christiania  and  spoke  to  Schroeder  about  going 
with  him,  but  through  the  many  difficulties  that 
presented  themselves,  he  believed  that  he  saw  an 
indication  from  the  Lord  that  he  was  not  to  be 
led  that  way.  During  his  stay  in  Norway,  he 


received  a  request  from  a  merchant,  T.  O.  Backe 
in  Drammen,  a  prominent  follower  of  Hauge,  to 
go  to  America  and  labor  as  a  school  teacher 
among  the  Norwegians.  This  request,  he  thought 
on  account  of  several  reasons,  he  ought  to  fol- 
low. When  he  came  to  Wisconsin  in  1843  to  the 
Norwegian  colony  at  Muskego,  he  soon  under- 
stood that  it  would  be  a  mistake  to  labor  as  a 
school  teacher  under  conditions  which,  ecclesiasti- 
cally, were  so  unsettled  as  they  were  among  the 
Norwegian  immigrants.  He  soon  saw  that  the 
school  in  which  it  was  his  intention  to  labor 
could  ha_ye  no  solid  backing  so  long  as  it  had  no 
church  upon  which  it  could  lean  and  under  whose 
authority  and  in  whose  interest  it  might  work. 
He,  therefore,  confined  himself  to  the  work  of 
reading  sermons  from  different  postils  for  sucl* 
circles  as  gathered  themselves  about  him  for  this 
purpose.  The  desire  to  have  a  minister  amongst 
them  developed  more  and  more  clearly,  particu- 
larly in  certain  of  the  leaders  of  the  settlement. 
Believing  that  there  was  no  prospect  of  getting 
a  minister  from  Norway,  they  talked  the  matter 
over  with  several  of  the  pioneers  and  sent  Clau- 
sen a  written  call  to  become  the  pastor  of  the 
colony.  Clausen  clearly  saw  that  he  dared  not, 
even  though  he  was  called  in  regular  order,  as- 
sume the  responsibility  of  the  sacred  office  un- 
less he  had  been  examined  and  regularly  or- 
dained by  an  ordained  pastor  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.  The  colony  then  went  to  one  of  the 
German  Lutheran  ministers,  Rev.  L.  F.  E.  Krause,. 
who  was  then  serving  a  German  Lutheran  con- 
gregation in  Washington  county  not  far  from 
Milwaukee.  Although  Clausen  had  not  taken  a 
regular  course  in  theology,  Krause  considered  it 
his  duty,  under  the  conditions,  to  comply  with? 
the  request  of  his  Norwegian  brethren.  He  there- 
fore examined  Clausen,  and  found,  according  to 
his  written  testimony,  that  he  had  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  Word  of  God  and  particularly 
of  Church  history,  and  ordained  him  on  the  18th 
of  October,  1843,  for  the  settlement  of  Muskego, 
according  to  the  ritual  for  ordination  of  ministers 
of  the  Norwegian  church.  By  this  call  from  the 
settlement  of  Muskego  to  Clausen  and  by  his 
subsequent  ordination,  the  first  steps  were  taken 
toward  a  regular  organization  of  religious  work 
among  the  immigrants.  From  now  on,  Clausen 
preached  the  Word  of  God  and  administered  the 
sacraments. 

The  year  after  a  constitution  was  drafted  and^ 
the  ritual  of  the  Church  of  Norway  was  adopted. 

The  next  ordained  laborer  among  the  Norweg- 
ians was  the  above  mentioned  J.  W.  C.  Dietrich- 
son.  In  the  summer  of  1843,  Dietrichson  had 


100 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


made  the  acquaintance  of  an  earnest  Christian 
man  in  Christiania,  P.  S0rensen,  a  dyer  by  trade, 
who  has  the  h^nor  of  having  given  the  first  im- 
pulse to  the  mission  among  the  Norwegian  im- 
migrants in  America.  During  their  acquaintance 
.  they  talked  of  Schroeder's  mfssion  to  the  heath- 
ens in  Africa  and  naturally  turned  to  the  breth- 
ren in  faith  in  America,  and  S0rensen,  who  had 
thought  seriously  of  the  matter,  asked  Dietrich- 
son  if  he  did  not  feel  called  upon  to  undertake  a 
visit  to  America  to  investigate  the  religious  con- 
dition of  the  Norwegians  and  help  to  organize 
congregations  and  lay  the  foundation  for  a  regu- 
lar church  amongst  them.  Mr.  S0rensen  offered 
to  defray  the  expenses  of  the  trip.  This  request 
and  offer  touched  and  interested  Dietrichson  be- 
cause it  came  from  a  man,  who,  though  well  to 
do,  was  not  wealthy.  Dietrichson  says:  "I  had 
often  thought  with  anxiety  of  the  brethren  in 
America,  exposed  to  all  manner  of  errors,  but  it 
had  never  occurred  to  me  that  I  should  be  sent 
to  labor  amongst  them.  I  became  more  and 
more  interested  in  their  condition  and  as  I  saw 
the  importance  of  such  an  undertaking,  I  pon- 
dered over  the  matter  and  consulted  several  (Chris- 
tian men,  whose  judgment  I  placed  above  my 
own,  as  to  their  opinion  in  the  matter.  Encour- 
aged by  them  I  concluded,  in  faith  in  God  who 
is  powerful  in  the  weak,  to  heed  the  request,  pro- 
vided I  was  given  the  ordination  of  the  Norweg- 
ian church.  It  was  clear  to  me  as  well  as  to 
those  I  consulted,  that  if  I  was  to  accomplish 
anything  among  the  immigrants,  it  was  necessary 
for  me  to  labor  with  the  authority  which  the  or- 
dination of  the  church  alone  can  give  in  such 
matters,  and  only  when  this  had  been  granted 
me,  could  I  have  the  courage  to  accept  the  call. 
I  applied,  therefore,  for  ordination  as  minister, 
and  my  request  was  granted  on  October  4,  1843." 
Dietrichson  left  Norway  May  21,  1844,  and 
landed  in  New  York  July  9,  together  with  about 
900  immigrants.  He  went  from  New  York  over 
Albany  and  Buffalo  to  Milwaukee  where  he  ar- 
rived Aug.  5.  The  next  day  he  traveled  the 
twenty  miles  to  Muskego.  Here  he  immediately 
found  Clausen  who  knew  that  he  had  left  Nor- 
way and  had  been  waiting  patiently  for  him. 
Dietrichson  immediately  began  his  labors.  He 
traveled  from  settlement  to  settlement  preaching 
and  taking  the  preliminary  steps  toward  the  or- 
ganization of  congregations.  The  first  congrega- 
tion organized  in  this  manner  with  a  regularly 
ordained  minister  from  Norway  as  its  pastor  was 
on  Koshkonong  Prairie  in  1844.  It  is  between 
the  months  of  August,  1844,  and  May,  1845,  that 
we  hear  the  first  reports  of  organized  religious 


work  in  Illinois.  During  this  time  Dietrichson 
visited  settlements  in  Illinois  as  well  as  in  Wis- 
consin and  congregations  were  organized  at 
Long  Prairie,  111.,  Stevenson  and  Winnebago 
counties,  111.,  and  at  Chicago.  During  the  years 
that  followed,  several  new  ministers  from  Nor- 
way had  arrived  in  response  to  calls  sent  them 
by  newly  organized  congregations.  From  1851 
to  1853  several  meetings  were  held  by  the  pas- 
tors and  delegates  from  the  congregations  for 
the  purpose  of  effecting  a  general  organization 
but  not  until  October  4,  1885,  at  Luther  Valley, 
Wis.,  was  the  organization  completed  of  what 
has  since  been  known  as  the  Norwegian  Synod 
of  America.  The  size  of  the  Synod  at  its  organi- 
zation can  not  be  ascertained.  We  have,  how- 
ever, a  paragraph  in  the  report  of  the  Temporary 
Church  Council  from  February,  1853,  which  says 
that  the  church  body  consisted  of  thirty-eight 
congregations,  three  in  Illinois,  four  in  Iowa,  and 
thirty-one  in  Wisconsin. 

II.    DEVELOPMENT. 

One  of  the  characteristics  of  the  Norwegian 
Synod  has  been  its  strict  and  uncompromising 
adherence  to, the  Word  of  God.  On  this  account 
it  has  been  obliged  to  defend  itself  against  the 
attacks  of  enemies.  It  has  passed  through  a 
number  of  bitter  controversies  but  never  has  it 
been  the  originator  of  one.  It  has  always  been 
on  the  defensive. 

(a)  Controversy  Regarding  Lay  Workers  in  the 
Church. 

One  of  the  first  controversies  which  shook  the 
foundation  of  the  young  organization  was  re- 
garding the  work  of  laymen.  Elling  Eielsen  and 
a  number  of  other  followers  of  Hauge  had 
brought  with  them  from  Norway  disrespect  for 
church  order.  He  used  every  opportunity  to  rid- 
icule the  church  and  its  pastors,  calling  them 
"ministers  of  the  State  Church  with  long  gowns" 
and  the  congregations  that  had  called  them  he 
designated  "the  great  throng  of  the  world,  Babel, 
etc.,"  while  he  called  his  own  followers  "the  lit- 
tle flock  of  God's  true  children." 

Eielsen  differed  widely  with  the  Synod  in  re- 
spect to  the  work  of  laymen  in  the  church.  He 
considered  an  inner  desire  to  preach  the  word  of 
God  as  sufficient  call  and  that  such  a  person 
should  be  permitted  to  preach  the  word  of  God 
as  _he  felt  moved  by  the  Spirit.  The  Synod,  on 
the  contrary,  held  that  God  has  instituted  the 
public  ministry  for  the  edification  of  the  Chris- 
tians and  that  He  has  instituted  no  other  office 
to  exist  side  by  side  with  it;  that  when  any  one 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


101 


assumes  public  preaching  of  the  Word,  he  as- 
sumes the  office  of  public  ministry,  which  it  is  a 
sin  to  assume  without  a  regular  call.  It  is  both 
the  right  and  the  duty  of  any  Christian  who  can, 
in  case  of  distress,  to  preach  the  Word  of  God.  A 
case  of  distress  exists  either  when  there  is  no 
minister  or  when  the  minister  does  not  rightly 
serve  his  congregation,  so  that  its  members  are 
obliged  to  suffer  from  want  of  spiritual  care. 
Such  distress,  however,  should  always  be  allevi- 
ated in  an  orderly  and  Christian  manner.  The 
standpoint  of  the  Synod  upon  this  question  is 
still  the  same.  It  believes,  as  it  always  has  be- 
lieved, in  utilizing  the  lay  abilities  which  may  be 
found  in  the  congregation  but  always  in  an  or- 
derly manner  subservient  to  the  welfare  of  the 
church. 

(b)  Controversy  Regarding  the  Third  Com- 
mandment. 

The  first  congregations  had  not  been  in  exist- 
ence long  before  the  Seventh  Day  Adventists  be- 
gan laboring  among  them  to  deprive  them  of 
their  Christian  liberty  and  bind  them  to  the  let- 
ter of  the  law.  Their  point  of  attack  was  the 
doctrine  of  the  Third  Commandment,  and  they 
insisted  on  the  necessity  of  keeping  the  seventh 
day  holy.  They  succeeded  in  arousing  confu- 
sion in  the  minds  of  many  who  called  themselves 
Lutherans  and  while  the  Synod  at  first  was 
obliged  to  defend  itself  against  the  attacks  of  the 
Seventh  Day  Adventists,  it  was  later  on  com- 
pelled to  meet  the  attacks,  accusations  and  false 
doctrine  of  the  so-called  Lutherans  who  had  been 
aroused  by  the  Adventists.  The  controversy  was 
waged  with  considerable  bitterness.  The  Synod 
defended  its  doctrine  contained  in  five  points  set 
forth  by  the  Rev.  Ottesen: 

1.  When   the   Third    Commandment   says,     re- 
member the  Sabbath  Day  to  keep  it  holy,  "Sab- 
bath   Day"    has    not    for   us    Christians    any    such 
definite  reference  to   a  certain  day  as  it  has  for 
the  Jews.    (Col.  2-13;  Rom.  14-5,  6;  Gal.  4-9,  10.) 

2.  For   us    Christians   by   Sabbath   Day   in   the 
Third    Commandment   is   meant    every    day,     our 
whole  life,  which  is  to  be  for  us  a  spiritual  Sab- 
bath  Day  for   Christ. 

3.  This   spiritual    Sabbath   Day  which   accord- 
ingly is  a  Christian's  whole  life,  we  shall,  accord- 
ing to  the  Third  Commandment,  keep  holy,  and 
this  is  done  by  diligent  and  right  use  of  the  word 
of   God.     This   is   the   moral   part    of    the   Third 
Commandment,  which  is  binding  for  all  times. 

4.  That   which   in   the.   present   time    binds     us 
Christians  to  keep.     Sunday  is  therefore,   (a)   the 
rule  and  practice  of  the  Christian  church  that  we 


are  to  follow  for  the  sake  of  peace  and  love  ac- 
cording to  Phil.  4-8,  9;  Rom.  14-13;  1  Cor.  33; 
(b)  the  law  of  our  government  regarding  Sun- 
day which  we  must  obey  for  the  sake  of  God 
according  to  the  Fourth  Commandment  and  1 
Peter  2-15. 

5.  Therefore  we  sin  by  performing  unneces- 
sary labor  on  Sunday  (a)  against  the  Third  Com- 
mandment by  transgressing  the  law  of  the  gov- 
ernment; (b)  against  the  Third  Commandment 
if  we  thereby  neglect  and  despise  the  word  of 
God;  (c)  against  love  because  we,  without  rea- 
son, break  ths  rule  and  practice  of  the  Christian 
church  and  create  offense. 

(c)  Controversy   Regarding    Slavery. 

It  was  but  natural  that  in  the  days  preced- 
ing the  Civil  War  the  public  mind  should  be 
full  of  suspicion  and  jealousy  toward  every  event 
or  utterance  that  seemed  to  imply  a  defense  of 
the  slavery  of  the  South.  When  Prof.  Laur. 
Larson,  in  the  spring  of  1861,  returned  from  St. 
Louis  where  he  had  been  stationed  temporarily 
as  a  professor  for  the  Norwegian  students  fre- 
quenting Concordia  College,  he  was  asked  by  the 
paper  "Emigranten"  whether  or  not  it  was  true 
that  th»  professors  of  the  college  sympathized 
with  the  South.  That  he  did  not  answer  the 
question  immediately  was  construed  as  an  ad- 
mission of  the  truth  of  the  accusation  implied, 
and  he  was  attacked  publicly  for  his  belief.  He 
responded  by  showing  that  the  Bible  nowhere 
condemns  slavery,  .  and  that  slavery  in  itself, 
stripped  of  all  its  evils  and  abuses,  is  not  sin. 
This  led  to  a  controversy  in  which  the  majority 
of  the  pastors  of  the  Synod  took  the  side  of 
Prof.  Larson,  while  the  opposition  was  led  by 
Rev.  C.  L.  Clausen. 

In  the  heat  of  the  controversy,  the  standpoint 
of  the  Synod  was  taken  as  a  defense  of  the 
slavery  of  the  South  and  subjected  it  to  much 
misunderstanding  and  abuse.  That  the  belief  in 
slavery,  if  it  could  be  separated  from  its  con- 
comitant evils  of  abuse  and  cruelty,  did  not  mean 
sympathy  with  the  South,  is  best  proven  by  the 
fact  that  many  who  held  that  view  took  up  arms 
and  fought  in  the  ranks  of  the  Union  army  to 
abolish  the  slavery  of  the  South.  This  disagree- 
ment led  Rev.  Clausen  to  withdraw  from  the 
Synod  in  1868.  The  congregation  at  Lee,  Illinois, 
had  severed  its  connect:on  with  the  Synod  on 
account  of  this  question  in  1863  but  was  reac- 
cepted  in  1868. 

(d)  Controversy  Regarding  Predestination. 
The  controversies  that  hitherto  had  been  waged 
in  the  Synod  were  often  bitter  and  their  conse- 


102 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


quences  sad  to  behold  but  the  Synod  had  yet  to 
experience  the  controversy  that  was  most  bitter 
in  its  intensity  and  most  far  reaching  in  its  ef- 
fects. Brothers  became  estranged,  fathers  stood 
pitted  against  sons,  and  relatives  looked  askance 
at  one  another  as  they  took  opposite  sides  in  the 
great  question  of  predestination. 

In   the  year   1881    Prof.   F.   A.   Schmidt,   of  the 
theological    Seminary    of    the    Synod   located   at 


St.  Paul's  Church,  Chicago. 

Madison,  Wis.,  accused  his  fellow  teachers  and 
co-laborers  of  teaching  dangerous  doctrines  re- 
garding predestination.  These  accusations  were 
met  by  vigorous  denials.  The  standpoint  of  the 
two  parties  in  this  controversy  is  perhaps  most 
clearly  set  forth  in  the  statements  of  the  parties 
themselves.  Prof.  Schmidt  condemned  as  un- 
godly teaching  what  his  opponents  in  their  "Re- 
degj0relse  III:  21"  said:  "We  denounce  the 


synergistic  doctrine  that  salvation,  in  a  certain 
sense,  does  not  depend  upon  God  alone."  In  op- 
position to  this  Prof.  Schmidt  declared:  "I  believe 
and  teach,  now  as  before,  that  it  is  not  a  syner- 
gistic error  but  a  doctrine  clearly  taught  in  the 
word  of  God  and  in  our  Lutheran  confession  thai 
"salvation  in  a  certain  sense  does  not  depend 
upon  God  alone." 

Kirketidende,  the  official  organ  of  the  Synod, 
spoke  of  this  in  the  following  manner:  "He 
(Schmidt)  does  not  adduce  any  proof  from  the 
word  of  God  or  from  the  Lutheran  confession. 
On  the  contrary  he  applies  his  customary  deduc- 
tions of  reason  and  claims,  that  if  salvation  de- 
pends upon  God  alone,  then  damnation  depends 
upon  God  alone  also  and  then  his  grace  must  be 
irresistible.  Because  it  really  is  impious  to  teach 
an  irresistible  grace  and  to  give  God  the  blame 
for  damnation,  therefore  it  is  also  impious  doc- 
trine to  claim  that  when  a  person  is  saved,  it  is 
effected  by  God  alone.  What  do  we  mean  when 
we  say  that  salvation  depends  upon  God  alone? 
We  mean  that  it  is  God  alone  who  effects  a  per- 
son's salvation  and  that  he  who  is  saved  is  in- 
debted to  God  alone  therefore  and  not  in  the 
slightest  degree  to  himself.  This  Prof.  Schmidt 
condemns  as  an  impious  doctrine." 

From  this  question  of  predestination  the  de- 
bate grew  to  involve  also  the  question  of  God's 
universal  grace,  of  conversion  and  of  the  right 
of  the  faithful  to  be  certain  of  salvation. 

For  about  eight  years  this  controversy  was  car- 
ried on  with  intense  bitterness.  The  lines  be- 
came more  and  more  clearly  drawn  and  in  the 
years  1887  and  1888,  the  followers  of  Schmidt 
gradually  withdrew  from  the  Synod.  The  effects 
of  this  greatest  and  saddest  of  the  controversies 
between  the  Norwegian  Lutherans  of  America 
are  still  felt  all  over  the  North-West.  Where  one 
pastor  might  serve  a  large  and  flourishing  con- 
gregation, there  are  often  two  struggling  con- 
gregations, each  trying  to  support  a  pastor, 
separated  by  the  controversy  of  predestination. 
Sometime  in  the  future,  when  the  bitterness  and 
struggle  is  forgotten,  a  merciful  Providence  may 
reunite  on  the  firm  basis  of  his  Word  that  which 
has  been  severed  and  make  the  Norwegian  Luth- 
eran Church  what  it  ought  to  be,  a  power  for 
the  salvation  and  elevation  of  the  Norwegian 
Americans. 

Just  previous  to  the  separation,  in  1886,  the 
Synod  comprised  193  pastors,  723  congregations 
and  143,885  souls.  In  1889,  after  the  separation 
had  been  effected,  it  consisted  of  138  pastors,  512 
congregations  and  93,891  souls  showing  that  the 
number  of  those  who  left  the  Synod  on  account 


I 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


103 


of  the  controversary  was  approximately  55  pas- 
tors, 211  congregations  and  49,994  souls.  For 
further  information  the  interested  are  referred  to 
"Festskrift,"  published  by  the  Luth.  Pub.  House, 
Decorah,  Iowa,  from  which  this  sketch  is  culled. 
At  present  the  Synod  comprises  18  congrega- 
tions in  Illinois.  The  history  of  the  most  im- 
portant one  follows: 

OUR  SAVIOUR'S  NORWEGIAN  EVANGEL- 
ICAL  LUTHERAN    CHURCH   OF 
CHICAGO. 

Our  Saviour's  Norwegian  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church  of  Chicago  was  organized  by  the  Rev. 
Gustav  F.  Dietrichson,  Jan.  18,  1858,  at  North 
Market  Hall  in  Chicago.  A  large  number  of 
people  had  gathered  at  the  call  of  Rev.  Dietrich- 
son  and  Rev.  J.  S.  Munch  on  the  second  Sunday 
after  Epiphany  of  that  year.  After  the  service 
those  who  were  interested  in  the  organization  of 
the  congregation  were  asked  to  meet  on  the  day 
following.  An  organization  was  effected  and  a 
constitution  adopted,  signed  by  52  charter  mem- 
bers. After  the  organization  of  the  congrega- 
tion, it  was  decided  to  build  a  church;  $504  were 
subscribed  and  the  size  of  the  church  determined, 
70x40  feet,  to  be  built  on  the  N.  W.  cor.  of  N.  May 
and  W.  Erie  streets.  Rev.  G.  F.  Dietrichson  was 
called  as  the  newly  organized  congregation's 
pastor  for  one  year.  He  was  to  conduct  twelve 
services  during  the  year  and  receive  $150  and 
two  offerings  as  remuneration.  The  church  was 
dedicated  March  27,  1859.  In  the  years  1859  to 
1863  Rev.  A.  C.  Preus  seems  to  have  served  as 
the  temporary  pastor.  In  1873  Rev.  Krohn,  who 
at  that  time  was  a  student  at  St.  Louis,  was 
called  as  pastor  of  the  congregation  and  was  in- 
stalled the  following  summer.  As  early  as  1860 
we  find  the  congregation  conducting  a  parochial 
school. 

The  congregation  gre\y  and  prospered  and  it 
soon  became  apparent  that  the  frame  structure 
in  which  they  had  worshipped  was  too  small  and 
that  it  was  necessary  to  build  a  larger  edifice. 
It  was  decided  to  build  a  brick  church  116  feet 
long  and  68  feet  wide  with  a  48-foot  chancel,  a 
tower  190  feet  high  and  a  seating  capacity  of 
1,000  to  cost  $24,000.  Work  was  begun  in  the 
summer  of  1871,  but  the  basement  was  scarcely 
completed  when  the  fire  of  October  9,  1871  swept 
the  city. 

As  a  consequence  labor  was  postponed  on  the 
church  and  the  basement  temporarily  occupied. 
In  the  meantime  the  price  of  building  material 
and  labor  advanced  so  that  when  the  church  was 


finally   completed    in    1873,    the   cost   was   $42,000 
instead  of  $24,000. 

In  1876  Rev.  Krohn,  after  having  served  the 
congregation  for  thirteen  years,  accepted  a  call 
to  Filmore  Co.,  Minnesota,  where  he  died  in  1889. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  O.  Juul.  previously  of 
New  York  City,  who  served  the  congregation 
until  the  autumn  of  1893.  It  was  during  his  pas- 
torate that  the  great  controversy  swept  the 
Synod.  Our  Saviour's  Church  was  also  effected. 
After  several  years  of  unquietness  about  twenty 
families  withdrew  from  the  congregation.  In 
1889  the  congregation  received  into  membership  a 
large  portion  of  the  congregation  whose  church  on 
the  corner  of  E.  Erie  and  Franklin  streets,  owing 


Our  Saviour's  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church. 

to  conditions,  had  been  sold  and  its  pastor,  Rev. 
Daniel  Kvaase  served  between  the  years  1889 
and  1893  as  co-ordinate  pastor  with  Rev.  Juul. 
In  the  summer  of  1893  Kvaase  accepted  a  call 
to  Menominie,  Wis.,  and  Rev.  Juul  a  call  to 
Brandon,  Minnesota.  From  1893  to  1895  the  con- 
gregation was  served  by  Rev.  Christian  Preus, 
whose  congregation  in  Dane  and  Columbia  coun- 
ties, Wis.,  kindly  granted  him  leave  of  absence 
until  Our  Saviour's  Church  should  have  secured 
a  pastor.  In  1895,  the  present  pastor  then  serv- 
ing as  vicar  in  Rev.  Preus's  congregations  in 


104 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Wisconsin,  accepted  a  call  as  pastor  of  the  con- 
gregation and  was  installed  June  16,  1895. 

The  congregation  has  had  a  steady  growth  and 
has  been  blessed  with  peace  and  good  under- 
standing barring  the  years  188G  to  1888.  If  all 
those  who  are  technically  members  of  the  con- 
gregation were  counted,  that  is:  all  those  who 
have  become  members  of  the  congregation  either 
by  transfer,  confirmation  or  profession  and  have 
not  formally  withdrawn  their  membership,  the 
number  might  conservatively  be  placed  at  be- 
tween 2,000  and  3,000  souls.  Counting,  however, 
the  live  members,  the  congregation  comprises 
about  700  souls. 

During  its  existence  there  have  been  in  the 
congregation,  baptized  4,235,  confirmed  1,453,  mar- 
ried 1,849  couples  and  buried  2,174. 

The  congregation  is  at  present  in  a  flourishing 
condition  and,  in  spite  of  the  migration  to  the 
North-West  of  the  city,  hopes  with  the  blessings 
of  God  to  hold  its  own  for  some  time  to  come, 
against  the  encroachment  of  adverse  conditions 
and  continue  to  wield  its  influence  for  the  truth 
of  God. 


The  United  Church. 

Rev.  George  Taylor  Rygh,  Editor. 
Introduction. 

The  United  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  of 
America  was  organized  in  Minneapolis,  Minn., 
in  June,  1890.  The  parties  to  the  organization 
were  the  Anti-Missourian  Brotherhood,  the  Dano- 
Norwegian  Conference  and  the  Augustana  Synod. 

At  present  (1906)  the  United  Church  consists 
of  1,325  congregations.  Its  pastors  and  profes- 
sors number  453;  its  confirmed  members,  152,- 
843;  its  total  membership  is  267,120.  During  the 
year  1905,  30,407  public  services  were  conducted 
in  Norwegian  and  1,542  in  English.  There  are 
4,065  teachers  and  49,312  children  in  the  Sunday 
schools.  Parochial  schools  are  conducted  by  806 
teachers. 

During  1905,  $92,000  were  expended  in  mission- 
ary activity  —  $40,000  for  missions  in  the  United 
States  and  Canada  and  $42,000  for  missions  in 
Madagascar  and  China.  There  are  97  missionar- 
ies in  the  home  field,  of  whom  12  labor  in  Canada; 
in  the  foreign  field  9  are  in  Madagascar  and  13 
in  China.  A  missionary  is  stationed  at  the  state 
institutions  for  the  deaf  and  dumb,  the  blind  and 
epileptic,  at  Faribault,  Minn. 

The  United  Church  maintains  a  missionary  for 


the   immigrants   in   New   York   City;   also   a   mis- 
sionary in   Chicago. 

The  United  Church  has  children's  homes  at 
Beloit,  Iowa;  Lake  Park,  Minn.,  and  Wittenberg, 
Wis.  At  Wittenberg  the  church  also  sustains  a 
home  for  the  aged.  .  The  Deaconess  Home  and 
Hospital  in  Chicago  is  a  United  Church  institu- 
tion. Private  hospitals  conducted  by  members 
of  the  United  Church  are  located  at  Crookston, 
Minn.;  Northwood,  N.  D. ;  Grafton,  N.  D.;  Fergus 
Falls,  Minn.;  Madison,  Minn.;  Zumbrota,  Minn., 
and  Austin,  Minn.  Hospitals  are  being  planned 
for  Minneapolis  and  Duluth,  Minn.;  Minot,  N. 
D.,  and  Eau  Claire,  Wib. 

The  theological  seminary  at  St.  Anthony  Park, 
Minn.;  St.  Olaf  College  at  Northfield,  Minn., 
and  the  normal  school  at  Madison,  Minn.,  are 
United  Church  schools.  Augustana  College,  at 
Canton,  S.  D. ;  St.  Ansgar  Institute,  at  St.  Ansgar, 
Iowa;  Waldorf  College,  at  Story  City,  Iowa; 
Concordia  College,  at  Moorhead,  Minn.;  Scan- 
dinavia Academy,  Scandinavia,  Wis.;  Pleasant 
View  Luther  College,  Ottawa,  111.,  are  all  con- 
trolled by  members  of  the  United  Church,  and 
with  one  exception,  they  receive  an  annual  ap- 
propriation from  the  church.  A  college  is  in 
building  in  Spokane,  and  another  at  Everett, 
Wash. 

The  net  valuation  of  Augsburg  Publishing 
House  -in  Minneapolis  is  $108.305.31.  From  the 
publishing  house  issues  each  week  "Lutherane- 
ren'',  the  official  organ  of  the  church.  Two  Sun- 
day school  papers,  one  Norwegian  and  one  Eng- 
lish, as  also  a  missionary  journal,  are  published. 

The  value  of  all  property  owned  by  the  United 
Church  is  $725.193.18. 


ZION  CHURCH,  ELGIN,  ILL. 
By  Miss  Aagot  Rovelstad. 

On  the  9th  of  October,  1882,  some  Norwegian 
and  Danish  people  in  Elgin,  calling  themselves 
a  church  society,  met  in  a  hall  on  Douglas  avenue 
for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a  church.  Andrew 
Rovelstad  was  made  chairman  and  Gunnar  Kors- 
moe,  secretary.  A  committee  of  three  men  and 
three  women  was  appointed  to  obtain  members. 

The  next  meeting  was  held  in  the  Swedish 
Lutheran  Church,  at  which  Rev.  N.  C.  Brun,  then 
of  Chicago,  presided.  The  committee  on  mem- 
bers reported  fifty  names  of  persons  who  wished 
to  join  the  church.  Each  man,  married  or  un- 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


105 


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1015 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


married,  was  asked  to  pay  50  cents,  and  half  this 
amount  was  asked  from  each  of  the  unmarried 
women.  Another  committee  was  appointed  to 
form  a  constitution.  It  was  decided  to  have  the 
same  constitution  as  that  of  the  Bethlehem  Nor- 
wegian Lutheran  Church  of  Chicago;  this  was 
read  and  approved  at  a  meeting  where  Rev. 
Brun,  and  Rev.  Omland,  then  of  Jefferson  Prairie, 
Wis.,  were  present.  The  name  was  finally  decided 
upon  —  "Zion  Norwegian-Danish  Evangelical  Lu- 
theran Church  of  Elgin".  Three  deacons  were 
elected,  namely,  Peder  Rovelstad  for  three  years, 
P.  C.  Andersen  for  two  years  and  P.  Andersen 
for  one  year.  Three  trustees  were  also  elected, 
namely,  J.  Espersen,  three  years;  O.  M.  Rud,  two 
years,  and  I.  Larsen,  one  year. 

The  church  was  organized  on  the  27th  of  Nov- 
ember, 1882,  at  a  hall  on  the  corner  of  Douglas 
avenue  and  Chicago  street,  which  had  been  rented 
by  the  church  for  its  meetings.  Most  of  the 
members  worked  in  the  Elgin  watch  factory.  The 
church,  from  the  beginning,  has  had  many  dif- 
ficulties to  contend  with.  Many  of  the  members 
and  some  of  the  most  faithful  workers  have 
moved  to  other  towns  where  they  have  either 
engaged  in  business  or  accepted  positions. 

The  leaders  in  the  organization  were  Rev. 
Omland,  Rev.  Brun,  Mr.  Peder  Rovelstad,  An- 
drew Rovelstad,  Edward  Holth,  P.  Undhjem  and 
G.  Korsmoe. 

At  one  time  the  membership  reached  close  to 
one  hundred,  but  at  the  present  time  there  are 
about  fifty  members  who  pay  regularly  toward 
the  church. 

In  the  spring  of  1884,  the  purchase  of  a  lot  was 
considered.  Hon.  G.  P.  Lord,  one  of  Elgin's 
oldest  and  most  prominent  citizens,  gave  to  the 
congregation  a  lot  on  Griswold  street,  on  the 
west  side  of  the  river.  It  was  at  once  decided 
to  build  a  church,  and  a  committee  was  appointed 
to  collect  money  to  pay  for  its  construction.  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Lord  headed  the  list,  each  contributing 
$25.  The  church  was  built  at  a  cost  of  $2,582.41, 
and  was  used  first  in  October,  1884.  Of  the  cost 
price  there  was  paid  $1,874.93,  leaving  a  balance 
of  $707.48  as  a  debt. 

Each  minister  received  $10  for  the  Sunday  he 
preached.  Rev.  Strand,  of  Elliott,  111.,  visited  the 
church  during  the  year  1885. 

Most  of  the  Norwegian-Danish  people  live  on 
the  west  side  and  near  the  church.  The  street 
car  line  is  but  a  half  block  away.  There  are 
four  rooms  and  a  gallery  in  the  church — a  large 
room  in  the  basement,  used  for  Sunday  school, 
Wednesday  prayer  meetings  and  for  the  young 


people's   society;    a   dining   room,   a   kitchen   and 
the   auditorium. 

In  the  beginning,  meetings  were  held  when 
there  was  no  minister.  On  these  Sundays  one 
of  the  deacons  would  lead  in  prayer  and  read 
the  Scriptures.  Peder  Rovelstad  was  almost  al- 
ways the  leader  at  these  meetings.  A  collection 
was  always  taken. 

In  1887  Rev.  Gerhard  Rasmussen  accepted  the 
call  to  preach  every  two  weeks.  Beginning  the 
year  1888,  he  also  preached  in  Carpentersville  on 
the  afternoon  of  the  Sunday  on  which  he  visited 
Elgin. 

Andrew  Rovelstad  was  sent  as  delegate  to  the 
United  Church  Convention  in  Minneapolis,  Minn., 
in  1890.  It  was  at  this  time  that  the  United 
Church  was  organized  and  the  church  in  Elgin 
joined  it. 

In  1890  it  was  decided  to  have  the  minister  live 
here,  and  a  call  was  sent  to  Rev.  William  Ras- 
mussen, brother  of  the  former  pastor,  Rev.  Ger- 
hard Rasmussen.  He  lived  in  Elgin  and  served 
as  pastor  two  years,  after  which  he  accepted  a 
call  to  Waterford,  Wis.  The  church  was  with- 
out a  minister  for  some  months.  Rev.  N.  Arve- 
sen,  of  Chicago,  visited-  the  congregation  during 
this  time.  In  1893  Rev.  Baker,  of  De  Forest, 
Wis.,  came,  preaching  every  third  Sunday. 

A  gallery  for  the  organ  and  seating  of  the 
choir  was  built  in  1893.  This  same  year  the 
Elgin  church  joined  with  the  Norwegian-Danish;  • 
Church  of  Aurora  in  having  the  same  minister. 
Rev.  William  .Eckmann,  then  of  Chicago,  was 
called  to  serve  as  minister  and  to  preach  at  each 
place  every  other  Sunday,  both  morning  and 
evening.  He  made  his  home  in  Elgin.  Rev. 
Eckmann  remained  in  Elgin  seven  years. 

Thanksgiving  Day  evening,  Nov.  27,  1902,  a  mis- 
sion meeting  was  held,  when  the  twentieth  an- 
niversary of  the  organisation  of  the  church  was 
celebrated.  This  was  a  most  interesting  meet- 
ing and  largely  attended.  Rev.  N.  J.  Lockrem 
was  chairman  for  the  evening.  The  congrega- 
tion was  very  sorry  to  have  to  accept  Rev.  Eck-- 
mann's  resignation.  He  left  for  Norway  in 
March,  1903. 

Rev.  Ditman  Larsen  was  then  called,  and  is 
now  the  pastor. 

The  officers  at  the  present  time  are  Ole  Kors- 
moe, secretary,  and  E.  Rovelstad,  treasurer.  The 
organist  is  Miss  Kate  Jevanord. 

The  Sunday  school  has  an  average  attendance i 
of  about  fifty  children.  Mr.  Hyltoft,  who  for 
years  had  been  organist  of  the  church,  also 
served  as  superintendent  and  organist  of  the 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


107 


iSunday  school.  There  are  now  (1906)  nine 
.teachers — six  girls  and  three  men;  superintend- 
ent, Mr.  Stange;  treasurer,  Julius  Johnson; 
pianist,  Inga  Knudsen.  Miss  Olga  Christopher- 
sen  resigned  as  organist  and  pianist  this  year, 
having  filled  this  position  since  1896.  She  and 
!Mrs.  Stange  have  instructed  the  children  in  sing- 
ing for  each  Christmas  festival  and  children's 
(day  for  many  years. 

The  Norwegian  language  is  used  altogether  in 
our  Sunday  school.  The  idea  of  having  English 
was  once  considered,  but  was  not  adopted,  be- 
cause of  the  inability  of  getting  enough  capable 
teachers. 

In  3891  the  church  had  a  summer  parochial 
school,  with  Miss  Dina  Nilsen  as  teacher.  This 
school  lasted  but  eight  weeks. 

A  girls'  sewing  society  was  organized  by  Mrs. 
Greenhill  and  Mrs.  Andrew  Rovelstad  in  1898. 
They  taught  the  children  sewing;  the  meetings 
were  held  at  the  homes  of  the  members.  Mrs. 
Stange,  Mrs.  Ackerman  and  Mrs.  Healy  were 
afterward  leaders.  The  society  exists  no  longer, 
but  another  has  been  organized,  composed  of 
young  ladies.  The  small  girls'  society  did  much 
for  the  church  in  a  financial  way.  In  1899  it  put 
in  electric  lights,  and  has  also  improved  the 
church  in  other  ways. 

The  new  society  was  started  last  year  and 
has  had  one  bazaar;  the  money  earned  was  given 
to  the  church.  It  has  three  officers,  a  president, 
a  vice-president,  and  a  treasurer. 

The  church,  it  can  almost  be  said,  owes  its 
existence  to  the  ladies'  aid  society  which  was 
organized  in  the  same  year  as  the  church.  It  has 
paid  nearly  all  of  the  church's  debt  and  each  year 
pays  toward  the  minister's  salary  and  general 
expenses.  This  society  meets  every  two  weeks, 
and  has  about  twenty-five  active  members. 

The  young  people's  society  was  organized  by 
Rev.  O.  C.  Baker,  one  of  the  pastors,  Jan.  5,  1894, 
at  the  home  of  E.  Rovelstad.  The  meetings  are 
now  held  in  the  church  basement.  There  is  at 
present  an  enrollment  of  forty-four  members. 
The  meetings  are  well  attended,  being  held 
every  third  Monday.  A  committee  is  appointed 
each  meeting  to  arrange  the  programme.  The 
society  has  had  but  little  literary  work.  At  dif- 
ferent times  it  has  had  debates  and  has  dis- 
cussed Luther  league  topics,  but  the  meetings  are 
mostly  social  and  devotional.  The  committee 
sometimes  serves  refreshments,  and  these  ex- 
penses are  paid  by  it.  The  young  people's  soci- 
ety joined  the  Fox  River  Valley  District  Luther 
League  North,  five  years  ago,  and  has  entertained 


the  district  league  twice  in  the  Swedish  Lutheran 
Church. 

Several  of  the  organizers  and  most  earnest 
workers  in  the  church  have  been  taken  away 
by  death.  Among  those  are  Peder  Rovelstad,  P. 
Undhjem,  and  J.  Greenhill. 

Mr.  Rovelstad  died  in  the  year  1891,  having 
worked  faithfully  for  the  church  since  its  organ- 
ization. He  was  for  a  few  years  organist  and 
superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school.  On  the 
Sundays,  when  there  was  no  minister,  he  was  the 
leader. 

P.  Undhjem  was  a  man  of  devout  religious 
character.  He  did  a  great  deal  of  work  in  the 
Sunday  school,  and  in  the  church  as  well. 

J.  Greenhill  served  as  secretary  of  the  church 
for  eleven  years,  from  Jan.  2,  1894,  until  his 
death,  April  24,  1905.  He  was  also  a  teacher  in 
the  Sunday  school,  having  charge  of  the  con- 
firmation class  until  a  week  before  his  death. 


AURORA,  ILL. 
By  Miss  Anna  Bjtfrseth. 

On  the  14th  of  September,  1888,  a  meeting, 
composed  of  Norwegians  and  Danes,  was  held 
in  Reising's  Hall,  Aurora,  for  the  purpose  of 
organizing  a  Lutheran  congregation.  The  con- 
gregation was  organized  under  the  name,  "The 
Norwegian-Danish  Evangelical  Lutheran  Con- 
gregation of  Aurora,  Illinois." 

On  Oct.  7,  of  the  same  year,  Rev.  N.  E.  B0e, 
of  Leland,  111.,  preached  his  first  sermon  to  the 
congregation,  and  he  continued  to  preach  to 
them  twice  a  month.  The  meetings  were  held 
in  the  Swedish  Methodist  Church. 

From  the  2d  of  June,  1889,  when  Rev.  Bjzfe 
closed  his  services  as  temporary  pastor  of  the 
congregation,  until  Sept.  1,  of  the  same  year,  the 
congregation  was  served  by  various  pastors.  On 
Sept.  1,  1889,  Rev.  J.  C.  Reinertsen  began  his 
ministration  as  the  permanent  pastor  in  charge. 

At  a  congregational  meeting  held  May  28,  1891, 
the  congregation  voted  unanimously  to  ask  for 
admission  into  the  United  Norwegian  Lutheran 
Church  of  America. 

In  August,  1892,  a  building  lot  was  purchased 
and  the  congregation  began  the  erection  of  a 
church.  The  church  was  dedicated  by  Rev.  P. 
A.  Rasmussen,  deceased,  of  Lisbon,  111.,  during 
a  meeting  of  the  Chicago  District  Conference, 
in  March,  1893. 

In  August,  1893,  Rev.  J.  C.  Reinertsen  resigned 
his  charge,  and  the  30th  of  January,  1894,  Rev. 


108 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


N.  A.  Stubkjaer,  of  Piano,  111.,  was  called  to  serve 
the  congregation  at  Aurora.  When  Rev.  Stub- 
kjaer closed  his  pastorate  in  1894  the  congrega- 
tion remained  without  a  pastor  until  1896,  when 
Rev.  William  Eckman  accepted  the  call  of  the 
congregation.  After  serving  for  seven  years  he 
resigned  and  went  to  Norway. 

The  congregation  thereupon  issued  a  call  to 
Rev.  Ditman  Larsen,  of  Chicago,  111.;  and  he  is 
still  (1906)  the  pastor  of  the  church. 

Aurora  congregation  has  a  membership  of  100, 
with  a  voting  membership,  male  and  female, 
of  40.  The  cost  of  the  church  property  is  $3,000. 
There  is  an  active  young  people's  society  and  a 
ladies'  aid  society,  which  aid  very  materially  in 
the  support  of  the  church.  The  young  people's 
society  is  educating  a  native  of  Madagascar,  who 
was  given  the  name  Eziah  in  baptism.  This 
society  also  helps  to  support  the  local  mission 
work  and  United  Church  children's  homes. 


COVENANT  CHURCH,  CHICAGO,  ILL. 
By  Rev.  C.  O.  Solberg. 

Covenant  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  is  lo- 
cated on  the  North-West  Side  in  Chicago  at  the 
corner  of  N.  Robey  and  Iowa  streets.  This  con- 
gregation is  connected  with  the  United  Norweg- 
ian Lutheran  Church  of  America,  but  conducts 
all  its  work  in  the  English  tongue.  In  fact, 
this  congregation  was  the  first  English  mission 
among  the  Norwegian  people  in  this  land.  To 
quote,  "The  necessity  of  organizing  an  English 
Lutheran  Church,  in  order  that  the  faith  of  the 
fathers  might  be  preserved  and  the  doctrines  of 
our  church  be  preached  to  the  rising  generation 
of  the  young  people  in  the  language  which  they 
best  understand",  seemed  apparent.  The  first 
step  in  its  organization  was  taken  by  the  young 
people's  society  of  Bethlehem  Norwegian  Lu- 
theran Church  of  Chicago,  Rev.  J.  N.  Kildahl, 
pastor,  at  a  regular  meeting  of  the  society,  held 
Dec.  1,  1891.  The  chairman  of  the  society,  Mr. 
S.  H.  Holstad,  was  authorized  to  appoint  a  com- 
mittee to  have  the  matter  in  charge.  The  com- 
mittee—consisting of  Rev.  J.  N.  Kildahl,  Messrs. 
L.  B.  Johnson,  Jens  Mathieson,  Peder  Nielsen, 
John  Peterson,  S.  H.  Holstad,  M.  C.  Olson,  Louis 
Skielvig,  and  Otto  Peterson — brought  the  matter 
before  the  congregation  June  6,  1892,  at  a  regular 
meeting,  and  at  another  meeting,  held  Aug.  8 
in  the  same  year,  a  motion  originally  made  by 
Mr.  Hakon  Thompson  authorized  the  with- 


drawal of  such  members  as  desired  for  the  for- 
mation of  an  English  Lutheran  congregation, 
with  the  consent  of  the  mother  church.  The 
congregation  began  its  official  existence  by 
organizing  at  a  meeting  held  in  the  basement  of  j 
Bethlehem  Church,  March  20,  1893,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  Rev.  J.  N.  Kildahl,  who  acted  as  chair- 
man, and  Rev.  N.  J.  Ellestad,  missionary  super- 
intendent of  the  United  Norwegian  Lutheran 
Church.  The  beginning  was  made  with  a  charter 
membership  of  19  adults  and  4  children.  This 
membership  has  steadily  though  slowly  grown 
until  now  the  confirmed  membership  is  173,  thei 
number  of  souls  215,  and  the  voting  membership 
43.  This  membership  is  largely  out  of  the  mother 
synod,  composed  of  Norwegian-Americans,  but, 
like  all  English  churches,  it  draws  other  nationali- 
ties as  well. 

The  first  definite  place  of  meeting  was  Harm- 
ony Hall,  corner  of  W.  Huron  and  Noble  streets.1 
This  remained  the  place  of  worship  except  for 
a  time  when  the  Adventist  Church  at  269  W. 
Erie  street  was  used.  On  May  2,  1899,  two  lots 
on  the  southwest  corner  of  N.  Robey  and  Iowa 
streets  were  secured,  and  in  June,  1899,  thq 
congregation  was  incorporated.  On  July  15, 
1900,  a  brick  chapel  was  dedicated.  It  was  built, 
across  the  rear  of  the  lots,  at  a  cost  of  $2,000. 

In   this    pastorate    the    following   persons    have 
served:     Rev.  J.   N.   Kildahl  from   May,   1894   to 
Dec.,   1895,   officially  the   pastor,   while   an   assis-j 
tant,    Mr.    William    Evans,    had    charge    of    the 
active  work.    Previously  to  this  services  had  been 
held  at  the  homes  of  the  various  members.     Mr. 
William     Evans    was     ordained    by    the    United 
Church  and  served  as  pastor  from  February,  1896,- 
to  October,  the  same  year.     To  May,  1897,  Stud-l 
ent   Frank  E.  Jensen.     To  October,  1897,  Mr.  SJ 
S.  Hookland.    To  May,  1898,  Student  C.  M.  Wes-| 
wig  and   Rev.   P.   C.   Wike.     Mr.  Weswig,  being 
ordained,   served   from   December,   1898,   to    May-^ 
1900.     He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  H.  B.  Kildahl, 
who    served    from    July    15,    1900,    to    November, 
1902.      After    an    interval,    during    which,    among 
others,    Dr.    G.    H.    Gerberding    chiefly    supplied 
the  pulpit,  Rev.   C.   O.  Solberg  took  charge,  and  '. 
serves  to  the  present  time   (June,  1906). 

The  congregation  is  now  actively  engaged  in 
preparations  for  the  erection  of  a  more  suitable 
place  of  worship.  With  the  accomplishment  of 
this  desired  end  it  is  hoped  that  the  work  will 
start  out  upon  a  new  and  vigorous  growth. 

Among  its  auxiliary  organizations  the  congre- 
gation has  a  Sunday  school  enrolling  226,  of 
which  Mr.  L.  B.  Johnson  has  served  as  super- 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


109 


intendent  from  its  first  organization.  The  school 
has  seventeen  classes  and  three  departments. 
The  textbooks  chiefly  in  use  are  the  Bible  His- 
tory, used  generally  in  the  United  Church,  with 
Luther's  Small  Catechism,  and  Laache's  Explan- 
ation. An  efficient  ladies'  aid  society  of  thirty- 
eight  members,  a  young  ladies'  organization 
called  the  "Daughters  of  the  Covenant,"  a  young 
men's  club,  are  all  active  in  the  work  and 
greatly  assist.  These  organizations  are  social 
and  practical  and  to  some  degree  literary.  There 
is  also  a  Luther  league  of  forty-five  members 
which  has  greatly  assisted  the  spiritual  work  and 

!  life  of  the  congregation. 

The    congregation    is   still   receiving   aid  from 

|  the  mission  treasury  of  the  United  Church,  which 
in  its  liberal  and  steadfast  support  has  shown 
its  material  interest  in  the  work  of  the  transi- 
tion. It  has  chiefly  contributed  to  the  welfare 
of  the  church  at  large  from  among  its  members. 
Rev.  Jens  Mathieson  and  Rev.  John  Peterson 
and  wife  were  among  the  charter  members. 
Likewise  Sister  Caroline  Williams,  prominent  in 
the  Deaconesses'  Home  and  Hospital.  Mr.  Mar- 
tin E.  Anderson,  recent  graduate  of  Chicago  Uni- 

|  versity,  will  enter  the  ministry  in  the  General 
Synod.  Sister  Jorgine  Mjovik,  of  the  United 
Church  mission  in  Madagascar,  was  a  member 
here.  Mr. .  S.  H.  Holstad,  well  known  in  the 
Luther  League  works  of  Minneapolis,  was  a 
charter  member.  Likewise  Mr.  Martin  C.  Olson, 
prominent  in  several  capacities  in  the  state  and 
national  work  of  the  Luther  League. 


PONTOPPIDAN  CHURCH,  GARDNER,  ILL. 

The  Norwegians  who  lived  at  Gardner  had  no 
Lutheran  church  nearer  than  that  at  Gardner 
prairie  of  which  church  some  of  them  were  mem- 
bers. But  this  was  very  inconvenient  indeed,  as 
it  was  about  five  miles  to  the  church,  and  but 
few  owned  a  horse. 

After  having  talked  the  matter  over  privately, 
a  meeting  was  called  on  the  7th  of  January,  1891, 
where,  after  some  discussion,  it  was  decided  to 
organize  a  church.  Mr.  Iver  Nilsen  was  elected 
chairman  and  Ole  Chally,  clerk.  Mr.  T.  Gangstee 
was  requested  to  procure  a  constitution.  The 
next  meeting  was  held  January  12th,  when  Mr. 
Gangstee  presented  a  copy  of  the  Gardner  Prai- 
rie church  constitution,  which  was  adopted  as 
read.  Officers  were  then  elected  as  follows: 

Trustee,  Thomas  Thorsen  and  G.  Chally,  Clerk, 


T.  Gangstee.  Chorister,  Thomas  Thorsen.  They 
were  in  hopes  of  having  the  pulpit  supplied  by 
the  pastor  of  the  Gardner  Prairie  and  Grand 
Prairie  churches,  but  this  was  so  strenuously  ob- 
jected to  that  they  gave  it  up  and  called  Rev. 
Skaret  of  Rowe  to  preach  to  them  every  fourth 
Sunday.  On  February  8th,  1892,  they  again 
turned  toward  the  charge  of  Gardner  Prairie  and 
Grand  Prairie,  and  called  Rev.  P.  J.  Reinertsen 
to  preach  to  them  on  the  afternoon  of  every 
fourth  Sunday.  He  accepted  the  call. 

The  struggle  for  a  settled  pastor  was  now 
ended,  but  there  was  another  difficulty  to  deal 
with  —  that  of  a  house  of  worship. 

The  services  had  been  held  first  in  the  Pres- 
byterian church,  then  in  the  Baptist  church,  but 
the  members  were  few  in  number  and  poor  also, 
so  the  prospect  was  not  very  bright  for  a  church 
of  their  own.  But  there  was  already  a  Ladies' 
Aid  Society,  which  had  it  in  mind  to  assist.  It 
was  decided  to  buy  two  lots  in  block  seventeen 
for  $100.00.  These  were  paid  cash.  At  a  meet- 
ing of  April  4th,  1893,  it  was  decided  that  the 
church  should  be  built  30x44  and  14,  but  not 
until  March,  1895,  was  anything  done  as  to 
building.  A  subscription  list  was  circulated  every 
month  for  this  purpose.  At  said  meeting  it  was 
moved  by  some  one,  "That  we,  in  the  name  of 
the  triune  God,  with  prayer  and  with  faith  in 
Him,  commence  to  build  a  house  of  worship." 
The  motion  was  adopted  by  a  unanimous  yea. 
But  the  size  of  the  church  building  was  reduced 
to  28  x  40  and  14.  A  great  and  regrettable  mis- 
take! The  end  of  reducing  was  not  yet.  At  a 
meeting  of  March  18th,  1894,  the  size  26  x  40 
and  14  was  finally  decided  upon.  In  July,  1896, 
it  was  reported  that  the  church  was  as  far  com- 
pleted as  circumstances  would  allow. 

Mr.  Lars  Tofty,  a  farmer,  but  not  less  a  car- 
penter, made  and  presented  a  fine  pulpit  to  the 
church.  The  other  furnishings  were  very  plain 
indeed,  and  the  seats  were  home  made  and  with- 
out a  "back  rest." 

Rev.  P.  J.  Reinertsen  had  now  resigned  and 
Rev.  N.  J.  Lockrem  became  the  pastor  tem- 
porarily until  the  spring  of  1897,  when  the  un- 
dersigned took  charge  of  the  church. 

Together  with  the  Gardner  Prairie  church  a 
parsonage  was  bought  which  was  found  to  be  an 
absolute  necessity. 

The  membership  had  gradually  increased  and 
by  the  aid  of  friends  commodious  seats  were 
procured,  an  altar  was  built,  and  the  interior 
painted. 

An  altar  painting  was  presented  by  a  merchant, 


110 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Mr.  J.  C.  Lutz.  A  tower  was  built  by  the 
Ladies'  Aid  Society,  and  a  good  bell  placed  in 
the  belfry  by  Mr.  John  Edmundsen. 

The  church  has  a  Sunday  school  but  no  young 
people's  society,  which  certainly  is  to  be  re- 
gretted. 

The  membership  has.  gradually  increased  and 
a  large  number  of  its  members  are  members  of 
the  Total  Abstinence  Society  and  active  work- 
ers for  this  cause. 

There  are  weekly  prayer  meetings,  well  at- 
tended, and  the  pastor  has  quite  a  number  of 
helpers  for  these  meetings. 

As  this  is  a  coal  mining  field  a  number  of  the 
members  are  coal  miners,  but  of  late  years  a 
number  of  retired  farmers  are  making  Gardner 
their  home  and  they  are  uniting  with  the  church. 

The  present  membership  is  about  125. 

Chr.  Christiansen. 


BETHANIA   CHURCH,   GARDNER 
PRAIRIE,   ILL. 

On  the  18th  of  April,  1876,  a  number  of  Nor- 
wegians came  together  at  the  home  of  Mr.  Gun- 
der  Hansen,  on  the  so-called  "Scully  Prairie", 
Greenfield  township,  Grundy  county,  111.,  to  con- 
sider the  possibility  of  getting  Rev.  J.  C.  Welo, 
of  Chicago,  to  preach  to  them.  Some  of  them, 
being  members  of  the  Norwegian-Danish  Lu- 
theran church  at  Dwight,  were  not  ready  for  an 
immediate  organization  of  a  new  church.  But 
in  the  same  year,  on  the  5th  of  June,  they  had 
another  meeting,  in  Bockman's  German  church, 
where  the  organization  took  place,  and  the  fol- 
lowing officers  were  elected:  Chairman,  Rev. 
Welo;  clerk,  Ole  Axland;  deacons,  Mikkel  Mon- 
sen,  Sjur  Stangeland,  Tjaerand  Tjaerandsen; 
chorister,  Gunder  Hansen;  assistant,  Anders 
Paulsen;  church  warden,  Sten  Stensen. 

At' the  next  meeting,  July  23,  of  the  same  year, 
Mr.  Sjur  Stangeland  was  appointed  Sunday 
school  teacher,  and  the  pastor  promised  to  do 
whatever  possible  for  the  class  of  catechumens. 
The  services  were  to  be  held  at  the  Bockman 
church  (which  is  now  a  part  of  Mr.  Lars  Sy- 
vertsen's  residence). 

At  the  annual  meeting  Jan.  22,  1877,  the  pas- 
tor reported:  9  services,  11  baptized,  76  com- 
municants; 1  couple  married.  . 

A  committee,  consisting  of  the  following  per- 
sons, was  elected  to  draft  a  constitution:  Mik- 


kel Monsen,  Sjur  Stangeland,  Tjaerand  Tjaerand- 
sen, Jens  Mortensen. 

The  first  trustees  were  elected  at  this  meet- 
ing, namely:  Halvor  Monsen  "for  the  Norweg- 
ians" and  Jens  Mortensen  "for  the  Danes." 

The  constitution  was  adopted  at  the  meetings 
of  April  20,  and  Oct.  28,  1877. 

The  books  to  be  used  by  the  confirmation 
class  should  be  "Pontoppidan's  Sandhed  til  Gud- 
frygtighed,"  or  if  this  prove  to  be  too  difficult 
for  some,  "Den  Dobbelte  Forklaring." 

The  parochial  school  question  was  brought  up 
for  discussion,  but  as  there  was  no  suitable  place 
for  holding  it,  the  matter  was  dropped.  (But 
in  1881  Erick  Ericksen  taught  school  for  one 
month). 

The  treasurer's  report  at  the  annual  meeting 
Jan.  7,  1878,  gives  the  following:  Subscribed  by 
the  Norwegians,  $86.50;  paid  subscriptions,  $62.50; 
balance,  $24.00.  Subscribed  by  the  Danes,  $24.00; 
paid  subscriptions,  $20.50;  balance,  $3.50.  Full 
amount  subscribed  for  1877,  $110.50;  paid  up 
subscriptions,  $83.00.  Rev.  Welo  having  re- 
signed, Rev.  A.  G.  Helgesen  took  charge  of  the 
church  Nov.  1,  1879.  Having  received  a  call 
from  La  Crosse,  Wis.,  to  be  the  assistant  of  Rev. 
J.  B.  Frick,  Rev.  Helgesen's  resignation  was  ac- 
cepted at  a  meeting  of  Feb.  13,  1882,  and  Rev. 
N.  J.  Ellestad,  whose  charges  were  Fox  River  and 
Stavanger  churches,  supplied  the  pulpit  every 
fourth  Sunday. 

The  following  year  Cand.  Theol.  Nils  Arve- 
sen  accepted  a  call  from  Pontiac,  Gardner  and 
Brookfield. 

Two  different  hymnbooks  had  been  in  use  up 
to  this  time,  but  it  was  now  decided  that  the 
book  of  the  synod  should  be  used  exclusively. 
At  the  same  meeting,  Sept.  17,  1883,  the  matter 
of  organizing  a  ladies'  aid  society  was  brought 
up  for  consideration  and  a  request  was  made  that 
a  part  of  the  money  received  for  butter  and  eggs 
be  laid  aside  for  missionary  purposes.  The  peo- 
ple were  poor.  The  "Scully  land"  was  under 
water  much  of  the  time,  and  it  was  very  dif- 
ficult to  raise  even  a  small  crop  in  those  days. 
But  the  people  had  a  heart  to  give  —  not  of  their 
abundance,  for  they  made  a  sacrifice  every  time. 

The  charter  members  were:  Sjur  T.  Stange- 
land, Mikkel  Monsen,  Jens  Mortensen,  Tjaerand 
Tjaerandsen,  Mons  Monsen ,  Gunder  Hansen, 
Lars  Syversen,  Halvor  Monsen,  Sten  Stensen, 
Ole  Knutsen,  Erick  Ericksen,  T.  J.  Hovland, 
Axel  Johnson,  Gert  Larsen,  Torris  T.  Sandenow, 
Knudt  T.  Ryan,  Torkel  Olsen,  Mads  Olsen,  Ole 
Hill,  Ole  Axland.  Other  prominent  members 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


111 


North  Lisbon  Church  at  Helmar,  111. 


112 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF   ILLINOIS 


who  shared  the  burdens  of  the  early  days  were: 
Henry  Larsen,  Lars  F.  Hill,  John  Hill,  Knud, 
Peter  and  Mat  Matheson.  The  well  known  lay- 
man, Amund  Amundsen  Hauge,  was  also  con- 
nected with  this  church  until  his  death. 

In  October,  1885,  a  missionary  offering  ($50), 
the  first  of  which  there  is  any  record,  was  sent 
to  the  Norwegian  Foreign  Mission  Society. 
Money  was  also  sent  to  the  "suffering  people  at 
Aalesund."  But  while  they  did  this  they  did  not 
forget  to  engage  a  teacher  at  $20  per  month  and 
board  for  four  months  of  the  year,  to  teach  in 
the  parochial  school.  The  minister's  salary  had 
been  raised  to  $200  per  annum  and  three  offer- 
ings. An  acre  of  land  had  been  bought  from 
Halvor  Monsen  for  a  cemetery  —  for  which  $50 
was  paid. 

In  1886  Rev.  Arvesen  resigned  and  Rev.  O. 
Saue  accepted  the  call.  In  the  second  year  of  his 
pastorate,  a  church  was  built  on  a  lot  donated 
by  Halvor  Monsen.  The  cost  of  this  church 
building  was  $1,640.77. 

On  the  12th  of  March,  1890,  the  church  was 
visited  by  Rev.  J.  N.  Kildahl,  who  preached  to 
them;  on  this  occasion  the  church  decided  to 
unite  with  the  United  Norwegian  Lutheran 
Church  of  America. 

In  August,  1890,  Rev.  Saue  resigned  and  Rev. 
P.  J.  Reinertsen  was  called.  He  served  till  1896. 
Temporarily  the  pulpit  was  now  supplied  by  Rev. 
N.  J.  Lockrem  until  the  spring  of  1897,  when 
the  undersigned  accepted  the  call. 

The  church  building  has  been  improved  with 
tower  and  gallery,  and  in  the  belfry  the  young 
people  have  placed  a  large  bell.  A  parsonage 
was  purchased  .  by.-'  this  congregation  and  the 
Gardner  church,  at  Gardner.  It  is  valued  at 
$1,500. 

The  church  has  a  young  people's  society,  Sun- 
day school  and  ladies'  aid  society. 

The  membership  'is  now  200.  Since  1874,  405 
have  been  baptized,  193  confirmed,  48  couples 
married,  and  .40  deaths  have  occurred. 

Chr.  Christiansen. 
*     *     * 

BETHLEHEM   CHURCH,   MORRIS,  ILL. 
By  Rev.  T.  Aarrestad. 

On  the  6th  day  of  July,  1880,  a  very  small 
Norwegian  Lutheran  congregation  was  organized 
in  Morris,  111.  The  original  members  were: 
Mrs.  Anna  Endresen  and  her  sister,  Mrs.  Susan 
Armbruster,  both  of  Tjeldberg,  Norway.  Miss 
Anna  Samuelsen  was  also  one  of  the  original 
members.  Mrs.  Armbruster  had  three  children. 
The  original  membership  was  six  souls,  all  told. 


The  name  of  the  congregation  was  "Skandina- 
via  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  of  Morris,  111." 
"Skandinavia"  was  changed  to  "Bethlehem"  in 
1902.  At  the  time  of  organization  very  few  Nor- 
wegian families  had  settled  in  Morris.  Some  of 
them  had  already  indentified  themselves  with 
other  churches;  others  did  not  care  to  belong  to 
any  church. 

A  number  of  Swedish  families  lived  in  Morris 
at  that  time,  and  Swedish  preachers  began  to 
visit  the  town.  These  were  not  Lutherans.  When 
the  Norwegians  who  went  to  hear  them  found 
that  they  were  Baptists  they  severed  their  con- 
nection with  them.  Being  very  few,  it  was  a' 
brave  deed.  They  were  not  afraid  to  show  their 
colors. 

Some  time  later  these  women  started  a  small 
Sunday  school.  The  services  were  held  in  pri- ' 
vate  houses.  In  1881  F.  Melby  joined  the  con- 
gregation,^ and  in  1883  Jacob  Olsen,  S.  P.  Carl- 
son, Karl  Karlsen,  John  F.  Nelson,  Berger  Mar- 
tin Jonasen,  Henry  Hansen  and  others  became 
members.  As  the  congregation  commenced  to 
grow  the  question  of  getting  a  church  home  was 
mooted.  An  old  church  was  bought  in  1884.  Thej 
price  was  about  $1,200.  This  church  had  been 
built  by  the  Methodists  and  afterward  sold  to ; 
the  German  Lutherans.  On  account  of  a  split 
among  the  Germans  they  terminated  their  ser- 
vices and  for  a  while  rented,  and  later  on  sold  '• 
their  church  property  to  the  Norwegians.  This 
church  was  used  for  a  number  of  years,  but 
when  the  congregation  grew  stronger  and  more 
Norwegian  Lutherans  moved  into  Morris  they 
began  to  plan  for  a  new  church.  The  old  one 
becoming  almost  unfit  for  use,  it  was  deemed 
wiser  to  erect  a^new  building  than  to  patch  the 
old  one.  The  congregation,  although  not  strong, 
thought  of  the  future  and  decided  not  only  to 
build  a  new  church  edifice,  but  also  to  secure  a 
more  advantageous  location.  This  was  wisely 
done.  A  very  desirable  location  was  secured;  in 
fact  the  very  best  in  the  town,  and  a  two-story 
structure  was  put  up.  Prominent  laymen  in  the 
construction  of  the  church  were:  Austin  Os- 
mon,  M.  Melby,  S.  P.  Carlson,  Svend  Bakke, 
Henry  Hansen,  John  Thorsen,  A.  C.  Johnsen,  S. 
Marvick  and  Thomas  Ostrem.  The  church  was 
dedicated  on  April  12,  1896.  Rev.  .G.  Hoyne, 
president  of  the  United  Norwegian  Lutheran 
Church  of  America,  preached  the  dedicatory  ser- 
mon. Other  ministers  present  were:  P.  J.  Rei- 
nertsen, Gardner;  J.  H.  Stenberg,  Leland;  N.  J. 
Lockrem,  Norway;  L.  A.  Vignes,  Ottawa;  L.  S. 
Marvick,  Hatton,  N.  Dak.;  and  T.  Aarrestad, 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


113 


Morris.  In  the  evening  Rev.  L.  S.  Marvick  and 
Rev.  A.  C.  Andersen  of  Bethel  church,  Chicago, 
preached.  The  lot  and  building  cost  about  $7,500. 
There  was  a  heavy  debt  on  the  property  till  Jan., 
1902,  when  every  cent  was  paid  and  the  church 
improved.  At  the  time  of  dedication  the  debt 
was  over  $3,000.  It  was  rather  hard  work  to 
keep  it  going  with  so  heavy  a  debt,  but  the 
ladies'  aid  society  was  a  great  help  in  those  days. 
At  that  time  it  was  almost  impossible  to  help  in 
general  missionary  work;  but  since  the  debt  was 
paid  the  congregation  and  the  different  societies 
have  given  money  to  children's  homes  and  char- 
itable institutions.  To  home  and  foreign  mis- 
sions it  has  given  about  $180  per  year. 

The  Swedish  Baptists  worked  hard  for  some 
time  in  order  to  persuade  the  Lutherans  to  join 
their  church,  but  with  very  few  exceptions  they 
did  not  succeed.  The  present  membership  is: 
souls,  315;  confirmed,  202;  voters,  58;  average 
attendance  at  worship,  175;  564  have  been  bap- 
tized and  203  confirmed  during  the  history  of  the 
church.  Both  Norwegian  and  English  have  been 
used.  The  congregation  has  not  yet  taken  any 
stand  regarding  secret  orders.  Parochial  school 
has  been  taught  for  several  years.  The  enroll- 
ment of  the  Sunday  school  is  87,  with  an  aver- 
age attendance  of  76  and  a  teachers'  force  of  12. 
Money  raised  by  the  Sunday  school  is  sent  to  the 
different  children's  homes.  A  young  people's 
society  that  is  literary,  devotional  and  social  has 
been  a  good  help  to  church  attendance  and  work. 
Money  raised  by  this  society  has  been  used  in 
various  ways,  but  especially  for  the  benefit  of  the 
local  church.  The  average  attendance  is  40. 

The  first  pastor  of  this  church  was  B.  P. 
Strand.  Rev.  Strand  preached  his  farewell  ser- 
mon on  April  9,  1882.  After  a  vacancy  of  fifteen 
months  Rev.  N.  G.  Nilsen  became  the  pastor. 
He  served  the  congregation  for  nine  years.  Sev- 
eral ministers,  and  among  them  Rev.  N.  J.  Lock- 
rem,  served  the  congregation  during  the  vacancy. 
He  also  installed  the  present  pastor,  Rev.  T.  Aar- 
restad,  on  the  26th  day  of  November,  1893. 

This  congregation  was  connected  with  the 
conference  of  the  Norwegian-Danish  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church  in  America  until  the  conference 
in  1890  was  merged  in  the  United  Norwegian 
Lutheran  Church  of  America.  Since  that  tin\e 
Bethlehem  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  of  Mor- 
ris, 111.,  has  been  connected  with  this  body. 
*  *  * 

HAUGE'S  CHURCH,  GRUNDY  COUNTY,  ILL. 

Was  organized  on  the  8th  day  of  July,  1876, 
in  Saratoga,  Grundy  county.  Leaders  in  this 


movement  were:  Halvor  Osmonsen  Rygh,  O.  H. 
Osmonsen,  Knut  M.  J.  Granville,  Halvor  Grun- 
stad,  Ole  Thompsen  Sorem,  Wier  Pedersen,  Tol- 
lef  Hauge,  Ole  Charles,  Erick  Grunstad,  John 
Fatland  and  John  J.  Enger. 

A  few  months  later  Erick  Johnsen,  Tobias  Hel- 
gesen,  Anders  Sorem  and  Anders  C.  Iversen 
joined  the  church.  The  majority  of  these  men 
previously  belonged  to  the  Lisbon  church,  Rev. 
P.  A.  Rasmussen,  pastor.  But  when  East  Prai- 
rie, as  it  is  called,  became  more  thickly  settled 
the  people  who  lived  there  wanted  a  church  of 
their  own.  This,  in  connection  with  some  dis- 
agreement, caused  these  people  to  leave  the  Lis- 
bon church  and  organize  a  congregation  on  East 
Prairie.  Rev.  Lars  Oftedal,  of  Stavanger,  Nor- 
way, visited  East  Prairie  in  1875,  and  it  may  be 
that  his  visit  had  a  little  to  do  with  the  organiza- 
tion of  this  congregation  later  on.  The  original 
membership  was  62,  and  at  the  end  of  the  year 
1876,  97  souls  belonged  to  the  church.  The  pres- 
ent membership  is:  souls,  285;  confirmed,  207; 
voters,  68.  The  average  attendance  of  worship 
is  about  100.  During  the  history  of  the  church 
525  have  been  baptized  and  327  have  been  con- 
firmed. 

When  the  congregation  was  organized  it  was 
found  necessary  to  get  a  house  of  worship  as 
soon  as  possible.  The  work  of  building  a  church 
was  started  in  1876,  and  a  neat  and  spacious 
house  was  erected  at  a  cost  of  $4,000.  The  church 
has  a  very  advantageous  location,  five  miles  north 
of  Morris,  county  seat  of  Grundy  county.  Mr. 
Halvor  Osmonsen  Rygh  donated  the  building 
ground,  and  he  and  the  men  above  named  were 
the  most  prominent  in  the  construction  of  the 
church.  The  dedication  of  the  church  took  place 
on  the  third  Sunday  after  Easter,  1877.  Prof. 
S.  Oftedal,  of  Augsburg  Seminary,  Minneapolis, 
Minn.,  preached  the  dedicatory  sermon.  M.  F. 
Gjertsen,  T.  J.  Solberg  and  other  ministers  were 
also  present  and  assisted. 

From  its  very  inception  the  congregation  was 
connected  with  the  Conference  for  the  Norweg- 
ian-Danish Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  in 
America.  Since  1890,  when  the  conference  was 
merged  in  the  United  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church 
of  America,  the  congregation  has  been  connected 
with  this  body. 

Several  ministers  visited  the  congregation  dur- 
ing the  first  year.  Among  these  were:  S.  Of- 
tedal, M.  F.  Gjertsen,  R.  O.  Hill,  P.  J.  Solberg 
and  Elling  Eielsen.  Rev.  N.  C.  Brun,  pastor  of 
Bethlehem  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  of  Chi- 


114 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


cago,  was  the  first  regularly  appointed  pastor  of 
the  Hauge  church.  He  served  this  congregation 
in  connection  with  his  Chicago  church  for  two 
years.  On  October  13,  1879,  Rev.  B.  P.  Strand 
was  installed  as  pastor.  He  served  the  congre- 
gation about  two  years  and  six  months  and 
preached  his  farewell  sermon  on  the  16th  day 
of  April,  1882. 

During  a  year's  vacancy  different  ministers 
visited  the  congregation.  On  the  first  day  of 
July,  1883,  Rev.  N.  G.  Nilsen  was  installed.  He 
served  the  congregation  for  nine  years  and 
preached  his  farewell  sermon  May  29,  1892,  being 
the  sixth  Sunday  after  Easter. 

After  a  vacancy  of  eighteen  months  Rev.  T. 
Aarrestad,  the  present  pastor,  was  called,  and  ac- 
cepted. He  was  installed  by  Rev.  N.  J.  Lockrem 
on  the  26th  day  of  November,  1893.  Rev.  Lock- 
rem had  had  charge  of  the  work  during  the 
vacancy.  Occasionally  representatives  of  other 
denominations  have  visited  the  settlement,  but 
without  exerting  any  marked  influence. 

The  congregation  has  not  taken  any  stand  to- 
ward secret  orders. 

For  many  years  the  congregation  as  such  has 
not  had  any  parochial  school.  The  members 
have  sought  a  more  private  way  to  give  their 
children  Christian  instruction.  In  the  Sunday 
school  the  average  attendance  has  been  about 
twenty,  with  two  or  three  teachers. 

For  many  years  the  ladies'  aid  society  has  been 
a  great  help  to  the  home  church,  but  especially 
to  the  different  missions.  The  congregation  has 
contributed  to  home  and  foreign  missions  for 
the  last  five  or  six  years  an  average  of  $200 
per  year. 

The  Norwegian  language  has  been  used  al- 
most exclusively.  Very  few  of  the  older  orig- 
inal members  are  still  with  us.  Among  these 
we  may  mention:  Halvor  Osmonsen  Rygh  and 
Wier  Pedersen.  The  majority  of  the  older  set- 
tlers were  born  in  Etne  and  Skaanevik,  Norway. 

*     *     * 

TRINITY  CHURCH,  SOUTH  CHICAGO,  ILL. 
By  Rev.  Olaus  Qualen. 

The  Trinity  Norwegian  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church  of  South  Chicago,  111.,  was  organized 
March  18,  1900,  by  Rev.  J.  H.  Meyer,  who  served 
the  congregation  as  its  pastor  for  nine  or  ten 
months.  In  the  beginning  the  place  of  worship 
was  at  the  Swedish  Lutheran  church,  Houston 
avenue,  near  Ninety-first  street,  but  as  it  was 
the  desire  of  both  pastor  and  congregation  to 
commence  a  Sunday  school,  and  this  could  not 


be  done  at  the  present  quarters,  it  was  decided 
that  the  church  seek  to  secure  some  other  place 
for  the  services.  Sherman  Hall,  on  Commercial 
avenue,  was  rented.  Here  a  Sunday  school  was 
also  commenced,  but  on  account  of  a  contagious 
disease,  it  was  closed  after  a  short  'existence. 

During  the  winter  of  1901  Rev.  Otto  Schmidt 
was  called  as  the  regular  pastor  for  the  church.   I 
He  accepted  the  call,  and  served  the  congrega-   I 
tion  for  more  than  six  months. 

In  the  summer  of  1901  Rev.  Olaus  Qualen,  the  i 
present  pastor,  was  called,  who  took  up  the  work 
immediately  after  his  predecessor  had  left.  The 
church  still  held  its  services  at  Sherman  Hall, 
and  considering  that  it  was  only  a  hall,  it  was 
about  as  good  a  place  as  could  be  found.  But 
a  hall,  that  is  used  for  nearly  all  purposes,  is  not 
the  most  appropriate  place  for  divine  worship. 
So  the  congregation  decided  to  go  back  to  the 
Swedish  Lutheran  Church,  providing  it  could  be 
had.  An  answer  to  the  request  of  the  congrega- 
tion was  given  in  the  affirmative,  and  the  con- 
gregation moved  back  to  the  place  of  its  organ- 
ization. It  was  also  possible  to  commence  a 
Sunday  school  there,  and  it  was  begun  as  early 
as  possible.  But  as  this  was  not  a  church  home 
for  the  congregation  in  the  true  sense  of  the 
word,  and  as  it  is  the  desire  of  an  organization 
as  well  as  of  an  individual  to  have  one's  own 
home,  it  was  the  wish  of  this  congregation  to 
get  something  of  their  own,  where  they  could 
gather  to  worship  the  one  common  Father. 

At  a  business  meeting  of  the  church  held  dur- 
ing the  winter  of  1903  it  was  decided  that  the 
congregation  proceed  to  buy  lots  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  church  edifice.  After. some  struggle 
two  lots  on  Sherman  avenue  near  Eightieth 
street  were  purchased  for  the  sum  of  $600.  The 
property  is  50  x  120  feet. 

At  another  business  meeting,  during  the  winter 
of  1905,  it  was  unanimously  agreed  that  the 
church  be  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the 
state  of  Illinois.  This  was  done.  It  was  further- 
more decided  that  the  congregation  proceed  to 
raise  the  necessary  funds  for  the  erection  of  a 
church  building  on  the  property.  The  money 
was  raised.  A  real  estate  firm  made  a  loan  of 
$500;  the  church  extension  fund  of  the  United 
Church  made  another  loan  of  $500;  the  remainder 
was  raised  by  subscriptions  and  collections  from 
various  sister  congregations. 

This  put  the  congregation  in  position  to  com- 
mence the  work  on  the  new  edifice,  which  was 
begun  in  the  summer  of  1905  and  completed  in  the 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


115 


fall  of  the  same  year.    The  church  was  dedicated 
Sept.  10,  with  appropriate  ceremonies. 

During  the  summer  of  1900  the  congregation 
was  admitted  into  the  United  Norwegian  Lu- 
theran Church  of  America,  and  has  since  that 
time  been  a  joint  congregation  with  Nazareth 
Norwegian  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  of  West 
Pullman,  the  two  constituting  one  charge.  As 
these  have  both  been  small  and  unable  to  sup- 
port a  pastor,  the  Home  Mission  Board  has 
contributed  annually  to  the  support  of  the  pas- 
tor. 

Trinity   Church   was   organized   with   51    souls. 
The    present   membership    is    67.      Progress    has 
:    been  slow  for  the  reason  that  only  a  few  of  our 
i    country-men  reside  in  that  part  of  the  city. 

The  Sunday  school,  that  began  with  very  few 
children,  has  now  an  enrollment  of  thirty-five 
children  and  five  teachers. 

During  the  history  of  the  church,  fifteen  have 
been  baptized  and  seven  confirmed. 

The  ladies'  aid  society,  which  has  a  member- 
ship of  about  eleven,  has  done  a  very  good  work 
from  the  beginning.  The  money  raised,  which' 
has  amounted  to  several  hundred  dollars,  has 
been  invested  in  the  new  church  edifice. 

Although  the  church  is  not  rich  in  money,  its 
object  has  been  to  take  part  in  the  noble  cause 
of  extending  the  borders  of  God's  kingdom.  Thus 
it  has  often  given  to  the  home  and  foreign  mis- 
sions and  many  of  the  institutions  connected  with 
our  church.  ,. 

*     *     * 

PONTOPPIDAN  CHURCH  AT  GIBSON 
CITY,  ILL. 

By  Rev.  J.  Lonne. 

Pontoppidan  Norwegian  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Congregation  in  Ford  county,  111.,  was  organized 
Aug.  20,  1876.  It  consisted  of  twenty-one  fam- 
ilies and  two  unmarried  persons.  The  first  pag- 
tor  was  Rev.  N.  Iversen,  who  served  the  con- 
gregation temporarily. 

On  July  14,  1877,  Student  of  Theology  Omland 
was  called  as  permanent  pastor.  He  entered 
upon  his  pastoral  duties  in  1878,  and  served  the 
congregation  until  Oct.  1,  1880. 

Rev.  B.  Strand  was  called  as  temporary  pastor 
when  Rev.  Omland  had  retired.  Rev.  Strand 
served  temporarily,  but  later  as  the  regular  pas- 
tor, until  Jan.  1,  1888. 

The  congregation  now  had  temporary  supplies 
until  it  called  Candidate  of  Theology  Framnes 
on  May  27,  1888.  Rev.  Framnes  served  the  con- 
gregation until  in  1896.  Rev.  Helge  HoVerstad 


was  called  as  pastor  Feb.  22,  1897,  and  served 
until  May  1,  1904.  The  writer  was  chosen  pastor 
on  July  4,  1904. 

The   congregation    has   now    (1906)    about    670 
members,  two  churches  and  a  parsonage. 


BETHEL  CHURCH,  CHICAGO,  ILL. 
By  Rev.  C.  E.  Tiller. 

Bethel  Lutheran  Congregation,  on  Humboldt 
street,  near  Armitage  avenue,  Chicago,  was  orig- 
inally made  up  of  two  separate  congregations. 
These  two  were  Bethel  congregation  and  Salem 
congregation.  Bethel  congregation  was  organ- 
ized by  Rev.  N.  C.  Brun,  Dec.  29,  1889,  and  wor- 
shiped most  of  the  time  in  Scharlau's  Hall,  on 
the  corner  of  North  and  California  avenues. 
This  congregation  was  admitted  into  the  United 
Church  at  the  first  meeting  of  that  body  in  1890. 
In  the  spring  of  1891  the  present  church  building 
was  bought  from  the  German  Lutheran  congre- 
gation on  Humboldt  street  and  moved  on  the 
two  lots  already  purchased  on  Humboldt  street, 
near  Armitage  avenue. 

Salem  congregation  was  organized  in  1891  by 
Rev.  N.  J.  Ellestad,  who  at  that  time  was  mis- 
sion superintendent  of  the;'United  Church.  This 
congregation  worshiped  in  Merrick's  Hall,  corner 
of  Milwaukee  and  Hofman  avenues.  As  the 
distance  between  these  two  congregations  was 
only  about  half  a  mile,  and  as  both  received 
financial  aid  from  the  Board  of  Home  Missions 
of  the  United  Church,  a  movement  was  begun 
for  the  union  of  the  two  into  one  body.  After 
several  meetings  it  was  agreed  that  Salem  con- 
gregation should  dissolve  its  organization  and, 
in  a  body  join  Bethel  congregation.  This  union 
was  entered  upon  New  Year's  day,  1893. 

Salem  congregation  had  up  to  this  time  been 
served  by  Rev.  Nils  Arveson,  who  also  had  Zion 
congregation  in  charge.  Rev.  N.  Arveson  re- 
mained in  charge  of  Zion  congregation  and  Rev. 
N.  C.  Brun  remained  as  pastor  for  the  new  Bethel 
congregation. 

After  a  short  time  Rev.  N.  C.  Brun  resigned 
and  Rev.  A.  C.  Anderson,  from  Albert  Lea,  Minn., 
was  called.  He  accepted  and  was  duly  installed 
by  Mr.  A.  Larson,  chairman  of  the  board  of  dea- 
cons, on  Sunday,  May  6,  1894.  During  the  three 
years'  labor  of  Rev.  Anderson  the  congregation 
had  a  rapid  growth  both  spiritually  and  financi- 


116 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


ally.  Rev.  Anderson's  health  failed,  and,  after  a 
lingering  illness,  he  was  called  away  from  his 
labors  in  the  church  militant  to  his  reward  in  the 
church  triumphant  in  heaven. 

Rev.  A.  Oefstedahl,  who-  was  called  as  pas- 
tor after  Rev.  Anderson,  entered  upon  his  duties 
Sunday,  Oct.  10,  1897.  He  was  installed  by  Rev. 
J.  N.  Kildahl.  He  served  the  congregation  faith- 
fully until  Nov.  4,  1900,  when  he  preached  his 
farewell  sermon,  and  entered  upon  his  new  field 
of  labor  at  Fertile,  Minn. 

Rev.  C.  E.  Tiller,  the  present  pastor,  was  in- 
stalled by  Rev.  N.  J.  Ellestad  on  Sunday,  June 
30,  1901. 

The  congregation  now  numbers  797  souls,  612 
confirmed  members  and  136  voting  members. 
The  finances  are  ably  taken  care  of  by  a  board 
of  trustees  consisting  of  nine  members.  A  board 
of  deacons  consists  of  six  members  together  with 
the  pastor  as  chairman. 

A  Sunday  school,  numbering  550  children,  is 
taken  care  of  by  about  sixty  teachers,  who  every 
Sunday  morning  at  9  o'clock  endeavor  to  comply 
with  the  Master's  command,  "Feed  my  lambs." 

The  Luther  League  numbers  over  100  members 
and  is  doing  good  work  in  the  congregation. 

The  ladies'  aid  society  has  a  membership  of 
about  ninety.  This  society  is  one  of  the  most 
active  in  the  congregation,  and  contributes  every 
year  a  large  amount  to  the  upbuilding  of  'the 
congregation. 

The  Dorcas,  a  society  of  young  ladies,  is  at 
the  present  working  hard  to  raise  funds  for  a 
pipe-organ  for  the  new  church. 

A  "Do  What  We  Can"  society,  consisting  of 
small  girls,  has  every  year  added  a  neat  sum 
in  the  coffers  of  the  church. 

A  mission  society  meets  every  last  Wednesday 
evening  of  the  month.  It  has  every  year  contrib- 
uted to  the  foreign  and  Jewish  missions,  besides 
supporting  a  parish  sister,  who  works  among  the 
sick  and  poor  in  the  congregation  and  vicinity. 

The  congregation  also  has  a  committee  for  the 
poor,  which  endeavors  to  help  the  poor  and 
needy  of  the  neighborhood. 

On  May  10,  1905,  the  congregation  purchased 
58  2-3  feet  by  156  feet  on  the  northeast  corner 
of  Humboldt  boulevard  and  Dickens  avenue  for 
a  consideration  of  $5,000,  on  which  in  the  near 
future  they  hope  to  erect  a  new  and  modern 
church  edifice. 

Carl  Edward  Tiller. 


FREEDOM,  ILL. 
By  Rev.  P.  P.  Hagen. 

"The   First   Norwegian   Free   and   Independent    \ 
Congregation,"    near    Leland,   111.,  comprised  all 
the  Norwegian  Lutherans  from  four  or  five  miles 
north    of   Leland    to    the   southern   boundary   of    : 
Freedom  township.     This  locates  it  in  La   Salle    { 
county,,  in  the  townships  of  Freedom,   Earl  and    I 
Adams. 

The    congregation    was    one,    but    consisted   of 
three  local  units,  with  equal  rights  and  privileges, 
and  a  church  building  at  each  place.    This  con- 
gregation, with  a  few  changes  of  greater  or  less    ! 
consequences,  stood    the    severe  tests  of  pioneer 
life,   and   the   disrupting    tendencies    of    the    ill-    i 
fated  controversies  between  the  larger  bodies  of 
the  church. 

In  1847,  on  the  18th  day  of  November,  it  was    ; 
organized,  and  in  1904,  on  the  4th  day  of  August,    , 
it  was  dissolved,  and  reorganized  into  three  in- 
dependent congregations,  "Freedom"  in  Freedom, 
"St.  Peter,"  near  Baker,  and  "Batavia"  at  Leland. 

Freedom  and  St.  Peter  congregations,  the  sub- 
jects of  this  sketch,  have  gone  through  the  same  ' 
steps  of  historical  changes  to  such  an  extent  that 
they  can,  in  the  main,  more  conveniently  be 
treated  under  one  head.  Yet,  each  locality,  or 
preaching  place,  which  has  in  many  respects  con- 
stituted a  unit  in  itself,  has  presented  peculiar 
phases  of  development  that  warrant  specific  con- 
sideration. 

Not  far  from  the  Big  Indian  Creek,  in  the 
humble  residence  of  Holje  Bakke,  the  organiza- 
tion of  the  congregation  was  effected.  This  his- 
torical event  took  place  on  the  18th  day  of  No- 
vember, 1847.  Be  it  said,  in  parenthesis,  that  Mr. 
Holje  Bakke  was  the  grandfather  of  Mr.  Henry 
Kittelson,  a  trustee  of  St.  Peter's  congregation. 
The  old  house,  in  which  one  of  the  first  Norweg- 
ian Lutheran  congregations  in  America  was  born, 
stood  where  Mr.  H.  Kittleson's  residence  now 
stands,  and  it  is  yet  to  be  seen,  though  not  used 
as  a  residence,  at  Mr.  Seward  Anderson's  place, 
not  far  from  the  original  location. 

The  name  given  to  the  congregation  was  "The 
Scandinavian  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  near 
Indian  Creek,  La  Salle  County,  111."  This  is 
a  longer  name  than  strictly  necessary,  but  con- 
sidering the  combination  of  ideas  it  conveys,  it 
amply  repays  its  production.  It  stands  for  the 
nationality,  the  confession  and  the  definite  loca- 
tion of  the  congregation.  It  defines  it  geograph- 
ically, ethnologically  and  theologically. 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


117 


Rev.  Ole  Andrewson,  who  served  the  congre- 
gation the  first  year,  presided  at  the  first  meet- 
ing. Hellek  Early  was  the  secretary.  The  first 
board  of  deacons  was  composed  of  four,  who 
were:  Halvor  Knudtson,  Hellek  Farly,  Knudt 
Halvorson  and  Knudt  Gutormson.  The  original 
membership  was  23.  The  congregation  was  des- 
tined to  grow,  however,  and  on  the  4th  day  of 
June,  1848,  31  members  were  added,  raising  the 
roll  to  a  total  of  54  souls.  Again,  on  the  5th 
of  April,  1849,  22  more  were  admitted,  making 
the  number  69.  The  5th  of  May,  1853,  the  first 
confirmation  class  was  entered  upon  the  roll  of 
membership,  increasing  it  by  22;  30  more  applied 
for  admission,  raising  the  membership  to  a  total 
of  119. 

It  appears  that  Ole  Andrewson  served  the 
congregation  the  first  year  only,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  Andreas  A.  Scheie.  The  latter  was 
again  succeeded  by  O.  I.  Hatlestad.  Rev.  Hatle- 
stad  came  to  Leland  in  1852  or  1853,  and  stayed 
there  until  in  the  fall  of  1859.  Peder  Pederson 
was  the  name  of  Hatlestad's  successor;  his  stay 
did  not  exceed  two  years.  Omond  Johnson 
served  the  congregation  as  pastor  during  the 
Civil  War  until  1865. 

Now  follows  a  period  of  vacancy  for  about 
two  years,  during  which  time  neighboring  and 
itinerant  ministers  made  the  congregation  occa- 
sional calls.  Among  those  who  called  were  T. 
H.  Dahl,  the  president  of  the  United  Church,  O. 
Iverson,  and  others.  Falk  M.  Gjertson,  upon  fin- 
ishing his  theological  course  at  Madison,  Wis., 
accepted  a  call  and  entered  upon  his  first  field 
of  labor  as  minister  at  Leland,  where  the  par- 
sonage was  located,  in  1867,  and  remained  in 
charge  for  six  years,  until  in  1873. 

The  division  of  the  old  "Augustana"  into  "Au- 
gustana  and  Konferensen"  had  its  doleful  influ- 
ence upon  the  individual  congregations.  So  also 
here.  In  the  year  1872  the  congregation  divided; 
one  part  adhered  to  that  branch  of  the  old  Au- 
gustana Synod  which  was  called  "Augustana"  and 
the  other  part  followed  "Konferensen."  The  Au- 
gustana, however,  had  no  following  in  Freedom 
and  very  few  at  Baker,  their  weight  being  in  Le- 
land. The  "Konferensen,"  on  the  other  hand, 
had  quite  a  strong  and  active  community  in  Free- 
dom, which  by  this  time  had  grown  into  a  power 
for  good,  both  in  point  of  numbers  and  in  spir- 
itual and  churchly  interest  and  intelligence.  At 
Baker,  however,  with  reference  to  synodical  af- 
filiations, they  were  divided  between  the  two, 
and  owing  to  unavoidable  friction  some  energy 
was  dissipated.  In  course  of  years,  however, 


with  the  growth  of  the  community,  the  church 
made  strides  of  progress  numerically  and  materi- 
ally in  spite  of  discouragements  and  drawbacks. 
Spiritually,  the  congregation  did  not  keep  pace 
with  the  external  progress.  Rather  the  reverse. 
Such  is  church  history. 

During  the  period  of  separation  Mr.  Tjoms- 
land,  who  died  about  a  year  ago  (1905)  at  Mt. 
Vernon,  S.  D.;  Mr.  C.  J.  Roseland,  the  secretary 
of  the  United  Church,  and  P.  J.  Reinertson,  at 
Elk  Point,  S.  D.,  served  in  succession  the  Au- 
gustana branch  of  the  congregation.  F.  O.  Iver- 
son, of  the  Free  Church,  at  Battle  Lake,  Minn., 
and  N.  E.  Bjzie,  at  Northwood,  Iowa,  respectively, 
filled  the  pulpit  of  the  other  division.  —  Iverson 
1872-1879,  B0e  1879-1889. 

In  1890  the  two  were  made  one  and  all 
was  well.  At  that  time  Harold  Erickson  came 
directly  from  Augsburg  Seminary,  Minneapolis, 
Minn.,  to  be  the  leader  of  the  united  whole,  and 
he  immediately  showed  himself  to  be  master  of 
the  situation.  He  was  a  true  pastor  and  an  able 
leader  for  a  Christian  Lutheran  congregation. 
He  became  endeared  to  all,  young  and  old,  rich 
and  poor.  He  enjoyed  the  love  and  respect  of 
all,  and  his  future  career  in  his  Master's  service 
seemed  hopeful  and  bright.  But  it  was  fraught 
with  sadness  and  gloom.  The  exceeding  sadness 
and  the  mystery  unspeakable,  which  are  open  to- 
the  unsearchable  wisdom  of  God  alone,  is  that 
such  an  industrious  and  consecrated  young  man 
was  not  allowed  to  continue  in  the  work  he  dearly 
loved.  "It  is  the  Lord's  doing,  and  it  is  marvel- 
ous in  our  eyes."  Erickson  was  permitted  to 
enter  into  his  eternal  Sabbath  of  rest  after  only 
about  two  years  of  service.  But  when  in  the 
army  of  the  Lord  of  Hosts  one  soldier  falls  out 
of  the  ranks  a  new  one  is  ready  to  step  in  and 
fill  the  vacant  place.  Another  young  man,  gifted, 
industrious,  interested  and  consecrated,  took  up 
the  work  where  Erickson  left  it.  It  was  H. 
Stenberg,  now  at  Duluth,  Minn.  He  immediately 
took  up  the  work  with  zeal  and  won  the  people's 
hearts.  In  1894  he  entered  upon  his  first  call, 
and  in  1904  he  resigned  for  his  new  charge  in 
Duluth,  Minn.,  to  the  regret  and  sorrow  of  the 
whole  congregation. 

In  the  meantime,  the  immigration  has  been 
pouring  in  year  by  year  and  enriching  this  lo- 
cality of  Freedom,  111.,  and  neighborhood  with 
honest  and  law-abiding  citizens  and  good  and 
faithful  followers  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  This 
has  added  strength  both  materially  and  spiritu- 
ally to  the  congregation.  The  result  is  that  the 
church  membership  is  counted  by  the  hundreds 


118 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


and  the  wealth  of  the  members  is  measured  by 
the  tens  of  thousands. 

The  original  founders  of  the  congregation  are 
all  dead  and  gone,  but  their  work  continues  to 
live  after  them.  The  hard  and  persevering  strug- 
gles, with  the  adverse  conditions  of  the  times, 
have  indeed  not  been  in  vain.  Their  lot  was,  as 
is  the  case  with  the  pioneers,  not  to  enjoy,  but 
to  fight  and  fall.  The  succeeding  generations 
reap  the  rich  fruits  of  the  labors  of  the  hardy 
and  faithful  fathers. 

The  pioneers  among  the  Norwegians  in  the 
congregation  in  Freedom  were  Torbj0rn  Arnt- 
son,  Vig  and  Knudt  Mosey.  The  former  im- 
migrated and  settled  in  New  York  state  in  1839 
and  came  to  Freedom,  111.,  in  1844.  The  latter 
immigrated  and  came  directly  to  Freedom  in 
1846.  Mr.  Arntson  was  an  interested  church 
worker,  and  became  one  of  the  leaders  of  the 
Lutheran  congregation.  He  was  originally,  how- 
ever, a  Methodist.  But  he  was  always  a  devoted 
church  member  and  Christian.  His  wife  was  a 
firm  Lutheran  from  the  beginning.  Mr.  Arntson 
died  in  1889,  his  wife  having  gone  to  rest  the  year 
before.  Their  family  counted  five  children,  three 
sons  and  two  daughters,  who  are  all  interested 
and  industrious  church  workers.  Their  grand- 
children, and  even  great-grandchildren,  are  found 
on  the  present  roll  of  membership.  Knudt  Mosey 
was  from  the  first  a  faithful  adherent  of  the 
Church  of  the  Reformation. 

Knudt  Mosey's  son,  Thomas,  was  a  deacon 
and  the  most  prominent  man  in  Freedom  church 
work  for  over  forty  years.  He  won  and  enjoyed 
the  respect  of  his  neighbors,  as  well  as  in  more 
distant  circles,  in  a  pre-eminent  degree,  on  ac- 
count of  his  sincere  piety  and  true  devotion  to 
his  church.  He  was  born  in  1827  and  died  in 
1901,  at  Leland,  where  he  lived  a  short  while  be- 
fore his  death.  His  wife  survives  him  and  is  a 
member  of  Batavia  congregation,  Leland,  and 
will  be  mentioned  in  another  place.  His  family 
numbers  eight,  two  sons  and  six  daughters.  Two 
daughters  are  married  to  ministers  —  F.  M. 
Gjertson,  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  and  O.  Guldbrand- 
son,  Blair,  Wis.;  one  is  married  to  Dr.  Laws  in 
Minneapolis,  Minn.;  one  is  Mrs.  A.  M.  Klove, 
Leland,  111.,  and  two  are  living  with  their  mother 
at  Leland.  They  are  all  Lutherans  and  have  the 
interests  of  the  church  at  heart. 

Sivert  Jameson  came  to  America  in  1866,  and 
after  a  brief  stay  in  Leland,  settled  on  his  home- 
stead in  Freedom,  111.,  where  he  lived  till  his 
death  in  1903.  He  was  kind  to  the  poor,  warm- 
hearted, liberal,  and  always  truly  interested  in  the 


church.  His  wife,  a  true  helpmate,  was  a  kind 
mother  and  faithful  wife.  She  is  now  in  her  80th 
year,  yet  is  able  to  attend  church,  which  she  has 
always  loved,  and  freely  mingles  with  the  neigh- 
bors. Their  children  number  nine  —  two  sons 
and  seven  daughters.  They  are  active  members 
of  the  church  of  Freedom. 

J0rgen  Johnson  lived  in  Freedom,  was  a  leader 
for  years,  and  served  as  deacon  of  the  congrega- 
tion. Nels  Nelson,  Brandaberg,  also  lived  here 
a  while,  and  identified  himself  with  the  church. 
He  moved  away.  O.  K.  Olson,  now  at  Des 
Moines,  Iowa,  was  a  staunch  Lutheran  and  able 
supporter  of  the  church.  He.  was  highly  re-, 
spected  and  rendered  valuable  services  in  the 
congregations  for  many  years.  He  succeeded 
himself  as  trustee  for  a  number  of  terms.  Louis 
Sampson  was  also  an  active  member  in  Freedom 
for  many  years,  but  moved  to  Iowa. 

Among  the  oldest  that  now  survive  in  Free- 
dom are  Ole  Albertson,  Ole  Thorson,  Barto 
Thompson  and  Ole  Eastegaard.  Barto  Thompson, 
who  is  a  younger  son  of  Knudt  Mosey,  came  with 
his  father  in  1846,  while  he  was  yet  a  boy.  He 
was  confirmed  and  grew  to  manhood  in  the  con- 
gregation. Mr.  Thompson,  though  not  so  prom- 
inent in  public  as  his  older  brother,  Tom  Mosey, 
has  always  been  a  faithful  and  interested  mem- 
ber of  the  congregation.  Ole  Albertson  joined 
the  church  here  in  1854  and  is  one  of  those  who 
speak  not  so  much,  but  think  more,  and  feel  the 
most.  He  has  loyally  contributed  according  to 
his  means.  Ole  Thorson,  one  of  the  pillars  of 
the  congregation,  has  been  a  deacon  for  twenty- 
five  or  thirty  years,  has  served  faithfully  in  posi- 
tions of  importance  and  trust,  and  has  always 
given  close  attention  to  the  welfare  of  the  con- 
gregation. Ole  Eastegaard  has  served  as  trustee 
for  a  number  of  years,  and  with  his  experience  in 
practical  pedagogy  as  a  young  man  in  Norway  he 
has  rendered  faithful  and  efficient  services  in 
various  positions  in  the  congregations.  Both  Mr. 
Thorson  and  Mr.  Eastegaard  have  always  with 
warm  and  consecrated  hearts  contributed  liber- 
ally of  their  substance  in  the  service  of  the 
church,  and  in  charity  generally.  Mr.  Jakob  Ol- 
son served  faithfully  for  over  twenty  years  as 
janitor  at  Freedom  church.  He  is  no  longer  able 
to  be  around,  but  is  confined  to  his  bed.  He  is 
making  his  home  at  Knute  Fosse's. 

Of  the  younger  generations  that  are  coming  to 
the  front  in  the  congregation  may  be  mentioned 
Gabriel  Jameson,  son  of  Sivert  Jameson,  who 
has  served  ably  and  conscientiously  as  deacon, 
Sunday  school  superintendent  and  trustee;  Henry 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


119 


Mosey,  son  of  Tom  Mosey,  a  loyal  supporter  of 
the  church;  Knute  Fosse,  who  now  serves  as 
deacon,  and  promises  well  for  the  future  of  the 
church  in  Freedom,  with  his  earnest  forethought 
and  ready  means  of  support;  Joe  E.  Thompson, 
a  good  and  interested  member,  who  has  served 
the  congregation  as  trustee  —  he  is  Barto  Thomp- 
son's son,  and  Knudt  Mosey's  grandson;  Louis 
Chally,  a  new  member  of  the  congregation 
but  from  services  rendered,  from  his  gifts  and  ac- 
complishments, and  from  his  earnest  and  sincere 
devotion  to  the  congregation  which  he  now  serves 
as  a  deacon,  the  church  may  well  depend  for 
its  future  growth  and  prosperity  upon  his  sin- 
cere devotion,  whole-hearted  consecration  and 
•efficient  services  and  support.  Several  others 
might  be  mentioned,  but  time  and  space  do  not 
allow. 

The  church  building  in  Freedom  has  under- 
gone changes.  In  1854  or  1855,  the  Lutherans 
built  a  house  of  worship  together  with  a  few 
Baptists  and  a  few  Methodists.  Each  was  too 
poor  to  build  alone.  This  house  was  used  until 
in  1883,  when  the  present  church  building,  with 
the  exception  of  a  later  addition,  was  built.  The 
first  one  was  a  building  of  about  16  x  24,  and  the 
present  one  is  about  30x60  feet. 

In  1885,  in  the  month  of  September,  the  ladies 
•of  Freedom  organized  the  ladies'  aid  society. 
In  the  earlier  years  they  prepared  articles  of 
clothing,  and  sold  at  sales,  but  in  later  years  they 
have  contributed  money  at  each  monthly  meet- 
ing. The  money  thus  gathered  is  given  to  for- 
eign missions. 

A  Luther  league  has  been  in  existence  for  many 
years  in  Freedom.  The  meetings  have  been  al- 
most altogether  devotional  in  character.  The 
young  people  have  not  been  trained  to  take  much 
active  part  in  the  meetings.  The  programme  has 
consisted  so  far  chiefly  of  songs  by  the  choir  and 
.audience,  and  a  talk  or  sermon  by  the  pastor. 

The  funds  of  the  congregation  are  collected 
by  assessment,  by  free  subscriptions  and  by  col- 
lections. To  place  the  money  on  the  altar  in  the 
form  of  an  offering  has  never  been  introduced 
in  these  congregations.  The  minister's  salary  is 
•collected  by  means  of  free  subscription.  The 
janitor's  fee  is  collected  by  means  of  assessment. 
Money  for  the  home  and  foreign  missions  and 
for  charitable  institutions  at  home  is  gathered 
by  means  of  free-will  collections. 

The  congregation  has  about  six  weeks  of  paro- 
chial school  every  year,  and  has  had  school  dur- 
ing the  last  ten  or  twelve  years.  Previous  to 
that  time,  however,  there  was  little  or  no  such 
school.  There  has  been  regular  and  earnest  at- 


tention given  to  Sunday  school  work.  The-  con- 
gregation has  called  into  action  its  best  and 
choicest  talents,  and  marked  results  have  been 
obtained  from  the  work. 

The  language  question  has  also  claimed  due 
attention.  Freedom,  as  well  as  St.  Peter,  were 
not  at  all  vexed  and  annoyed  by  the  question 
until  within  the  last  decade  or  so.  Norwegian 
was  spoken,  Norwegian  was  understood  and 
Norwegian  was  loved.  But  conditions  have 
changed.  The  rising  generation  feels  differently, 
thinks  differently  and  speaks  differently.  Those 
who  were  born  and  grew  to  manhood  and  wo- 
manhood in  the  old  country  had  the  feelings  of 
the  old  country,  thought  the  thoughts  of  the  old 
country,  and  spoke  the  language  of  the  old 
country,  but  those  who  grow  up  to  manhood  and 
womanhood  in  this  country,  on  American  soil, 
put  away  those  things  of  the  old  country.  The 
result  is  that  English  has  been  introduced.  The 
Sunday  school  has  English  classes,  some  chil- 
dren in  Freedom  and  St.  Peter  are  being  con- 
firmed every  year  in  English,  and  a  good  share 
of  the  Sunday  evening  services  are  being  con- 
ducted in  English. 

*     *     * 

BIG  INDIAN  CREEK,  ILL. 
By  Rev.  P.  P.  Hagen. 

At  Big  Indian  Creek,  which  is  now  called  St. 
Peter  congregation,  there  are  not  very  many, 
only  two  or  three  men,  who  have  served  in  any 
important  position  for  any  length  of  time.  The 
original  founders,  some  of  whom  lived  near 
Baker  —  such  as  Holje  Bakke,  Hellek  Farley  and 
others  —  did  not  count  anything  too  costly  for 
the  welfare  of  the  church.  Many  were  the  strug- 
gles they  had  to  go  through  and  the  burdens 
they  hau  to  carry,  and  mainly  for  the  good  of 
posterity.  All  honor  to  their  memories! 

Still,  the  younger  generation  did  not  prove 
less  industrious  in  doing  its  duty,  nor  less 
faithful  to  its  trust.  Among  those  who  car- 
ried the  weight  of  the  burden  in  St.  Peter  from 
the  '60's,  and  down  to  the  present  may  be  men- 
tioned: Holje  Pederson,  Mathias  Sawyer,  Nils 
Erickson,  A.  B.  Anderson  and  Nels  Halvorson. 
Mr.  Holje  Peterson  was  for  forty  years  or  more 
the  mainstay  of  the  congregation  from  .that  part, 
and  especially  as  trustee;  his  services  were  emi- 
nently efficient.  0sten  Sanderson,  who  is  now 
living  at  Leland,  is  one  of  the  heaviest  land- 
owners .around  Baker,  and  also  figures  prom- 
inently in  church  affairs  at  that  place.  Mr.  San- 
derson has  contributed  liberally  to  the  church 
for  the  various  funds  of  the  congregation,  and 


120 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


especially   in    the    erection   of   the    local    church- 
building.   Two  of  his  nephews,  Henry  and  Knudt 
Kittleson,  are  prominent  and  active  members  of 
St.  Peter  congregation.     Mathias  Sawyer  was  for 
many  years  a  leader,  and  served  during  several 
terms  as  deacon  of  the  congregation.     His   son 
and    family    are   now   interested  and  industrious 
church  workers.     Nels   Halvorson   was   for   sev- 
eral years  a  leading  member  of  the   Big  Indian 
locality,  and  rendered  very  valuable  services  for 
the  maintenance  of  the  church  at  that  place.     A. 
B.   Anderson   is   one   of   the   earliest,   if   not   the 
earliest  member  of  the  Leland  church  still  living. 
While  Mr.  Anderson  now  resides  at  Leland  and 
will  .be  more  fully  treated  under  that  head,  yet 
he  has  spent  most  of  his  days  at  Big  Indian,  and 
a  few  reflections  upon  his  work  are  appropriate 
here.     Mr.  Anderson  came  here  in  the  "50's  and 
made    the    Big     Indian     locality     his    home    for 
rather   more   than    half   a   century.     The    church 
was  his  all-absorbing  interest.     He  served  in  dif- 
ferent   positions    in  the  congregation  and  never 
spared  efforts  or  means  to  make  it  prosper  and 
grow.      His    sons,   who    are    at    present   faithful 
members  of  St.  Peter,  take  after  their  father  in 
that  respect.     Mr.  Nels  Erickson  is  undoubtedly 
the    oldest    member  of  St.   Peter  who  is   in   at- 
tendance and  service.     Mr.  Erickson  is  now  past 
fourscore,  and  retains  a  wonderful  degree  of  vi- 
tality,   both    physical    and    mental.      The    only 
marked    effect    of   old   age    is   a    serious    lack   of 
hearing.     This  is  a  very  burdensome   defect  and 
deprives  him  of  much  benefit  and  blessing  which 
comes  from  the  hearing  of  the  preaching  of  the 
Word  of  God.     Mr.   Erickson  arrived  at  Leland 
from    Stavanger,   Norway,   in    1859,   and   immedi- 
ately afterward  settled  on  his  homestead  not  far 
from   Baker.     In   less   than   two   years   after   his 
arrival  he  became  a  deacon  of  the  congregation, 
and  filled  that  position  until  less  than  five  years 
ago.     It  was  only  with  regret  that  the  congrega- 
tion   could    not    keep    him    any    longer    with    his 
modesty,  care  and  devotion  in  that  important  of- 
fice of  the  church.     But  he  was  unable  to  serve 
any  longer.     Mr.  T.  H.  Pederson  has  been  living 
at  Big  Indian  since  1864  and  has  been  an  active 
member   of  the   congregation   since.     Mr.   Henry 
Kittleson,  grandson  of  Holje   Bakke,  one  of  the 
original    founders     of     the    Leland    congregation, 
was  born  in  the  house  in  which  the  congregation 
was   organized,  in   the  year  1850.     He   has   lived 
near   Baker  all   his  life  with  the  exception   of  a 
few  years  near  Newark,  111.     He   has  served  as 
trustee  of  the  congregation  for  many  years.     He 
is   now   assisted   in   that   position   by   Mr.    Endre 
Ohme,  a  successful  young  farmer  devoted  to  the 


welfare  of  the  church,  and  John  A.  Johnson,  an 
equally  sincere  and  interested  worker  of  the  con- 
gregation. Among  those  who  have  served  as 
deacons  at  Big  Indian  since  the  days  of  the  ser- 
vice of  Mathias  Sawyer  and  Nels  Erickson  may 
be  mentioned:  Bendik  Fr0nik,  Ole  Watland, 
Benjamin  Henrickson,  John  Erikson  (son  of  Nels 
Erikson)  and  Enevold  Stangeland. 

For  the  first  twenty  years  the  Big  Indian  wasj 
not  in  possession  of  any  church  edifice,  but  made 
use  of  school-houses  and  residences.  About  thir- 
ty-five years  ago  the  present  church  building  was 
erected.  It  measures  about  30x40,  with  gallery, 
and  seats  a  fair-sized  audience. 

About  thirty  years  ago  "The  Western  Ladies' 
Aid"  was  organized,  and  has  been  in  operation 
ever  since.  It  has  worked  for  missions,  home 
and  foreign,  and  other  church  institutions.  A  fev 
years  later,  about  fifteen  years  ago,  another,  called 
"The  Eastern  Ladies'  Aid,"  was  formed,  also 
aiding  the  church  at  home  and  abroad  with  its 
work  and  money.  A  few  years  ago  a  Luther 
league  was  organized,  but  can  hardly  be  said  to 
have  kept  up  the  work  in  any  organized  form, 
the  members  having  in  the  meantime  married  and 
moved  away,  thus  reducing  the  membership. 
Services,  however,  are  being  conducted  especi- 
ally for  the  young,  and  these  meetings  are  prin- 
cipally of  a  devotional  nature.  The  young  people 
here,  as  in  Freedom,  have  not  been  sufficiently 
trained  to  take  active  part  in  the  meeting. 

The  funds  here  in  St.  Peter  are  raised  in  vari- 
ous ways,  as  in  Freedom  —  partly  by  free  sub- 
scription, partly  by  assessment  and  collection. 
Offering,  a.s  used  in  most  of  our  churches,  is  not 
used  here.  Three  or  four  years  ago  the  young 
people  of  the  congregation  formed  a  society  to 
work  for  the  congregation.  The  name  of  this 
society  is  "Helping  Hand."  Their  main  object 
was  to  fix  up  the  church  building.  First  they 
bought  a  church  bell,  then  they  furnished  the 
church  with  light,  and  at  present  they  are  at  work 
to  furnish  the  church  with  new  pews. 

The  English  language  is  used  exclusively  in 
the  evening  at  St.  Peter.  In  the  Sunday  school 
both  languages  are  used.  The  English  language 
has  gradually  increased  in  use  and  in  due  time 
it  will  undoubtedly  supplant  the  Norwegian  alto- 
gether. 

Both  St.  Peter  and  Freedom  have  by  consti- 
tutional enactment  taken  a  very  firm  and  positive 
stand  against  secret  orders.  They  recognize 
lodgism  as  diametrically  opposed  to  the  Chris- 
tian religion  and  contrary  to  the  best  interests 
of  the  state.  The  very  essence  of  the  Christian 
religion  is  the  doctrine  of  salvation  by  grace  of 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


121 


God  through  faith  in  Christ's  vicarious  atone- 
ment; the  religion  of  the  lodge  is  salvation  by 
man's  own  efforts.  These  two  are  incompatible. 
One  can  not  hold  both  these  religions  at  the 
same  time.  The  lodge  is  contrary  to  the  best 
interests  of  the  state,  because  the  natural  tend- 
ency of  its  oaths  and  obligations  is  to  hinder  or 
defeat  the  execution  of  justice. 


ST.  TIMOTHY  CHURCH,  CHICAGO,  ILL. 
By  Lyle  Halvorson. 

In  the  year  1899  Rev.  Ellestad,  superintend- 
ent of  the  home  missions  of  the  United  Church, 
visited  the  suburb  Hermosa,  lying  in  the  north- 
west outskirts  of  Chicago,  with  the  object  of  es- 
tablishing a  mission  Sunday  school.  He  then 
reported  to  the  congregation  of  Bethel  Lutheran 
Church,  which  is  located  about  two  miles  east, 
that  there  were  good  prospects  for  establishing 
a  mission.  He  asked  Bethel  congregation  to  be 
sponsor  for  this  new  mission,  promising  them 
that  they  would  not  have  to  bear  any  of  the  ex- 
penses, but  simply  see  to  it  that  the  work  was 
carried  on. 

In  the  fall  of  that  year  Rev.  A.  Oefstedal,  of 
Bethel  Church,  made  a  thorough  canvass  of  this 
suburb.  Mr.  A.  Larson,  Sr.,  assisted  him  in  this. 
On  Oct.  13,  Mr.  Larson  rented  a  small  frame 
store  at  1639  Armitage  avenue,  and  also  sent 
around  hand  bills  announcing  that  a  Lutheran 
Sunday  school  would  be  started  on  Sunday,  Oct. 
22.  This  was  the  beginning  of  St.  Timothy 
Church.  Rev.  A.  Oefstedal  and  Mr.  A.  Larson 
were  present  that  Sunday  and  organized  the  Sun- 
day school.  There  were  present  also  twelve 
girls,  eight  boys,  three  visitors  and  four  teachers, 
making  a  total  of  twenty-seven.  Mr.  Larson 
acted  as  superintendent  for  the  school  for  the 
remainder  of  that  year.  The  teachers  of  the 
school  were  all  members  of  Bethel  Church,  with 
one  exception,  Miss  Anna  Magnussen. 

The  place  where  this.  Sunday  school  was  first 
held  was  not  inviting,  but  still  the  children  came, 
and  we  were  able  to  hold  our  first  Christmas 
festival  that  year.  The  tree  and  all  its  trimmings 
were  brought  from  Bethel  Church,  Mr.  Larson 
and  Miss  Magnussen  doing  nearly  all  the  work. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  year  1900  Mr.  Larson 
was  unable  to  continue  longer  with  the  school, 
and  Bethel  congregation  elected  Mr.  Lyle  Hal- 
vorson as  superintendent.  He  continued  in  that 


capacity  until  the  mission  became  an  organized 
congregation,  Mr.  Leth  acting  as  assistant. 

The  school  was  now  no  longer  a  novelty,  and 
the  people  of  Hermosa  began  to  realize  that  it 
had  come  to  stay.  Those  who  had  come  at  first 
to  assist  us,  perhaps  out  of  mere  curiosity,  drop- 
ped off  one  by  one,  and  finally  only  three  of  the 
teachers  from  Bethel  Church  remained.  They 
were  Mr.  D.  Leth,  Miss  M.  Leth  and  Mr.  Lyle 
Halvorson.  These  three,  with  Miss  Magnussen 
from  Hermote,  were  the  only  teachers  the  Sun- 
day school  had  until  the  fall  of  1903. 

The  school  was  conducted  in  two  languages. 
Miss  Leth,  although  not  yet  confirmed,  had  the 
class  of  smaller  ones  in  English;  Miss  Magnus- 
sen,  the  smaller  ones  in  Norwegian;  Mr.  Leth, 
the  older  boys;  and  Mr.  Halvorson,  the  older 
girls.  Miss  Mabel  Leth  also  acted  as  organist, 
and  continued  in  that  capacity  until  the  fall  of 
1903,  when  she,  together  with  Mr.  Leth,  were 
called  back  to  their  own  church.  But  the  troubles 
of  the  mission  had  just  begun.  April  8  was 
Easter  Sunday,  and  the  school  had  planned  for  a 
special  service,  but  during  that  week  the  party 
who  was  the  owner  of  the  place  had  rented  the 
store  to  some  one  else  without  notifying  the 
mission,  and  when  the  scholars  came  to  their 
Sunday  school  that  Easter  afternoon  they  found 
a  tea  store  in  the  place  where  the  Sunday  before 
had  been  their  Sunday  school.  All  this  had  been 
done  through  a  misunderstanding,  and  as  no 
other  place  could  be  had  to  hold  the  school,  after 
a  search  had  been  made  that  Sunday  morning, 
permission  was  had  to  hold  the  school  in  the 
kitchen  back  of  a  delicatessen  store.  It  was  also 
necessary  to  hold  the  school  in  the  same  place 
the  next  Sunday.  Permission  was  then  received 
from  Mr.  Nirison,  a  real  estate  man,  to  use  the 
vacant  house  on  the  corner  of  Forty-third  avenue 
and  Cortland  street.  This  house  was  in  a  very 
poor  condition;  canvas  was  spread  over  the  walls 
in  some  of  the  rooms  in  place  of  plaster,  and 
in  other  rooms  there  was  nothing  but  the  bare 
scantlings.  The  school  paid  no  rent  for  the 
place  and  stayed  there  until  Sept.  30.  This  was 
a  most  unfavorable  place  for  a  Sunday  school, 
and  the  attendance  diminished  until  we  had  only 
about  eighteen  or  twenty  during  the  summer  of 
that  year.  During  the  month  of  September  this 
house  was  invaded  and  some  of  our  property  de- 
stroyed. On  Sunday,  Oct.  30,  when  we  came  to 
hold  the  Sunday  school,  we  found  people  living 
in  the  place  and  all  our  things  stored  up  in  the 
garret.  This  was  the  second  time  we  had  been 
thrown  out  without  warning.  That  Sunday  after- 


122 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


noon  we  gathered  the  children  together  on  a 
street  corner,  distributed  the  papers,  took  up  the 
collection,  and  dismissed  the  scholars  with  the 
promise  that  we  would  send  them  postals  during 
the  week  notifying  them  where  our  next  service 
would  be  held.  That  afternoon  Mr.  Leth  and 
Mr.  Halvorson  canvassed  the  neighborhood  for 
a  new  place  for  the  Sunday  school. 

Although  these  were  severe  trials,  God  was 
with  this,  school.  On  that  afternoon,  after  a 
search,  a  German  mission  was  located  in  a  cot- 
tage at  1075  Tripp  avenue.  Permission  was  se- 
cured to  hold  the  Sunday  school  there  the  next 
Sunday  afternoon,  as  they  held  their  school  and 
services  on  Sunday  mornings.  This  was  only 
temporary,  but  Mr.  Koepke,  a  trustee,  promised 
to  bring  it  before  his  congregation.  They  agreed 
to  rent  the  place  to  us  for  $5  a  month.  The  cot- 
tage was  supplied  with  a  pulpit  and  altar,  and 
was  the  best  place  the  school  had  had  so  far. 
Here  the  school  remained  until  Sept.  1,  1902, 
when  the  store  just  across  the  street,  at  1602, 
was  rented  from  Mr.  August  Patsky. 

During  the  year  1901,  and  while  the  school  was 
yet  in  the  cottage,  the  Germans  built  a  church 
of  their  own  and  the  school  had  to  bear  the  ex- 
pense of  the  cottage  alone  until  April  15,  1902, 
when  the  school  rented  the  rear  rooms  to  a  fam- 
ily by  the  name  of  Nelson.  Some  of  the  neigh- 
bors objected  to  this;  as  the  husband  was  sick 
with  consumption,  they  said  that  the  house  was 
not  in  proper  condition.  Some  of  the  parents 
also  objected  to  sending  their  children.  Then 
the  school  again  diminished.  This  affair  also 
caused  a  great  deal  of  trouble  and  worry,  and 
the  school  was  obliged  to  look  for  new  quarters, 
which  were  found  in  the  home  of  Mr.  Patsky, 
three  doors  west.  Again  the  school  moved  to 
the  cottage,  and  stayed  there  until  arrangements 
were  made  to  move  into  a  vacant  store  building 
across  the  street. 

The  first  church  service  was  held  September 
29,  1901.  Ten  people  from  Hermosa  and  some 
visitors  from  Bethel  Church  were  present.  Rev. 
C.  E.  Tiller  conducted  the  service.  After  the 
service,  a  short  meeting  was  held  and  nine  per- 
sons promised  to  support  the  mission.  These, 
together  with  a  few  others,  continued  to  contri- 
bute thereafter.  They  were:  Mrs.  Ramstad,  Mrs. 
Johnson,  Mrs.  Bergsgo,  Mrs.  Lydia  Christiansen, 
Mrs.  Joel  Hanson,  Mrs.  Claus  Amundson,  Mrs. 
E.  Hansen,  Mrs.  Grant,  Mrs.  T.  Gunderson,  Miss 
Anna  Magnussen,  Mr.  A.  Evanson,  Mrs.  Olsen. 

A  few  more  services  were  held  that  fall.  All 
these  were  in  the  Norwegian  language.  An  Eng- 


lish service  was  announced  for  December  8,  but 
as  Mr.  Meyers,  of  the  Seminary  at  Lake  View, 
did  not  come,  the  service  was  not  held. 

In  the  first  part  of  the  year  1902  a  few  Eng- 
lish services  were  held.  Rev.  Tiller  conducted 
most  of  these  services.  He  was  assisted  by  J. 
Liaboe,  Adolph  Larson  and  J.  P.  Hovland. 

In  the  year  1902  the  mission  board  of  the 
United  Church  took  over  the  mission  and  sent 
Rev.  Ditman  Larsen  to  take  charge.  He  also 
had  charge  of  Emmaus  Church,  about  a  mile  and 
a  half  south.  Rev.  Larsen  conducted  the  first 
service  Sunday  evening,  July  6,  1902,  in  the  Eng- 
lish language.  The  attendance  was  small. 

In  the  afternoon  of  July  28  a  formal  opening 
of  the  mission  took  place;  for  it  now  had  a  pas- 
tor in  charge  and  was  supported  by  the  mission 
board.  The  store  had  been  made  to  resemble  a 
church,  being  fitted  up  with  a  pulpit,  altar,  altar 
railing,  etc.  Much  of  this  work  had  been  done 
by  Rev.  Larsen  himself.  About  fifty  were  pres- 
ent that  afternoon.  Rev.  Ditman  Larsen  presided 
Rev.  C.  E.  Tiller,  Rev.  G.  T.  Rygh  and  Mr.  A. 
Larson  spoke.  The  superintendent  of  the  Sunday 
school  also  said  a  few  words  in  regard  to  the 
mission's  past. 

A  confirmation  class  was  now  started.  The 
members  of  this  class  were  Mabel  Grant,  Amy 
Grant,  Josephine  Olsted  and  Emily  Halvorsen. 
They  were  confirmed  May  10,  1903,  together  with 
the  class  from  Emmaus  Church,  the  confirma- 
tion being  held  in  that  church.  This  was  the 
first  class  confirmed  in  the  mission,  although  Ar- 
thur Thoreson  and  Herbert  Olsted  had  been  con- 
firmed in  Bethel  Church  and  Clara  Hansen  and 
Anna  Larson  had  been  confirmed  in  Saron  Swed- 
ish Lutheran  Church  the  year  before.  Another 
member  of  the  Sunday  school,  Harry  Olsen,  was 
also  confirmed  in  Saron  Swedish  Lutheran 
Church  in  1903. 

Rev.  Ditman  Larsen  now  accepted  a  call  to 
Elgin,  and  preached  for  the  last  time  May  31. 
Then  followed  another  gloomy  period  for  St. 
Timothy,  as  no  organization  had  been  effected, 
no  more  services  were  held,  and  the  mission  had 
no  means  of  support  except  the  Sunday  school 
collections  and  a  little  money  that  was  volun- 
tarily contributed  by  its  friends. 

When  Mr.  Leth  and  Miss  Mabel  Leth  left  to 
go  back  to  their  own  church  in  the  fall  of  this 
year  the  Sunday  school  was  reorganized  and 
more  classes  were  formed.  The  new  teachers 
were  young  ladies  who  had  grown  up  in  the 
Sunday  school,  with  two  others,  Miss  Agnes  El- 
lison and  Miss  Ella  Ellison,  who  came  from 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


123 


Bethel  Church.  Miss  Agnes  Ellison  also  acted 
as  organist  for  some  time.  Miss  Mabel  Grant, 
one  of  the  members  that  had  grown  up  in  the 
Sunday  school,  was  the  first  to  act  as  treasurer 
of  the  mission.  Miss  Emily  Halvorsen  was  the 
first  secretary,  she  having  been  doing  some  of 
that  work  before  she  was  confirmed. 

In  the  latter  part  of  this  year  those  who  had 
been  interested  in  the  mission's  welfare  began  to 
discuss  plans  for  the  organization  of  a  congre- 
gation. Jan.  14,  1904,  was  finally  set  as  the  day 
for  organizing. 

Rev.  C.  E.  Tiller  had  now  secured  the  services 
of  Mr.  Andreas  M.  Skindlov,  who  was  to  hold 
services  and  to  do  some  visiting.  He  called  for 
the  first  time  Sunday  morning,  Dec.  20,  and  ad- 
dressed the  Sunday  school.  He  also  spoke  at  the 
Christmas  festival,  Dec.  30,  and  held  service  on 
New  Year's  day,  which  was  well  attended.  On 
Sunday,  Jan.  10,  Mr.  Skindlov  preached  to  seven- 
teen grown  persons  and  two  children.  The  next 
Sunday  there  were  thirty  persons  present.  Mr. 
Skindlov  preached  in  the  morning,  went  visiting 
in  the  afternoon,  and  attended  Luther  league  in 
the  evening.  He  was  a  zealous  worker  and  was 
well  liked  by  the  people,  and  had  good  success, 
especially  with  the  Norwegian  services. 

A  special  meeting  was  now  announced  for  Jan. 
14,  with  the  object  of  organizing  a  congregation. 
Seventeen  persons,  including  Rev.  C.  E.  Tiller 
and  B.  D.  Larson  from  Bethel  Church,  were  pres- 
ent. Mr.  Lyle  Halvorsen,  the  Sunday  school 
superintendent,  called  the  meeting  to  order.  Rev. 
C.  E.  Tiller  was  elected  temporary  chairman; 
Mr.  Lyle  Halvorson  was  elected  temporary  sec- 
retary. After  the  report  for  the  past  year  was 
read  an  organization  was  effected.  Sixty  souls 
were  enrolled,  nine  of  whom  were  voting  mem- 
bers. Women  were  given  the  right  to  vote  at 
the  meeting.  A  committee  of  five  —  consisting 
of  Mr.  Emil  C.  Hanson,  John  Riiser,  P.  M. 
Grant,  Martin  Halvorsen  and  Anton  Christen- 
son  —  was  appointed  to  draw  up  a  constitution. 
Mr.  B.  D.  Larson  also  acted  as  advisory  member 
of  this  committee,  the  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  school  also  being  present.  It  was  voted 
to  retain  the  old  name  of  St.  Timothy  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church,  this  name  having  been  adopted 
by  members  of  the  Sunday  school.  The  charter 
members  were:  Emil  C.  Hanson,  wife  and  five 
children;  Martin  Halvorsen;  P.  M.  Grant,  wife 
and  four  children;  Sadie  Mabel  Grant;  Amy 
Marie  Grant;  Anfind  Olsen,  wife  and  seven  chil- 
dren; John  Riiser,  wife  and  five  children;  Andrew 
H.  O.  Stavoe,  wife  and  three  children;  Lewis 


Hansen  and  wife;  Anton  Christensen,  wife  and 
four  children;  John  Hansen,  wife  and  three  chil- 
dren; Anna  Magnussen;  Ella  Hansen;  Mrs.  Han- 
na  Eidem  and  six  children;  Rodney  Eidem;  M. 
Lyle  Halvorsen. 

Meetings  were  held  Jan.  28,  and  Feb.  11,  at 
which  Mr.  A.  Larson  presided.  Mr.  Skindlov 
presided  at  the  meetings  held  Feb.  25  and  March 
10.  At  these  meetings  the  work  of  organizing 
was  continued. 

The  first  board  of  deacons  consisted  of  Mr. 
Martin  Halvorsen,  chairman;  Anton  Christensen, 
secretary;  Miss  Anna  Magnussen.  The  board  of 
trustees  consisted  of  Louis  Hansen,  chairman; 
Emil  Hansen,  secretary;  Mrs.  Hanna  Eidem, 
treasurer;  Mr.  A.  H.  O.  Stavoe;  P.  N.  Grant. 
The  first  secretary  elected  was  Mr.  A.  H.  C. 
Stavoe.  Mr.  Halvorsen  was  elected  as  superin- 
tendent of  the  Sunday  school  and  Mr.  A.  M. 
Skindlov  was  elected  to  serve  the  congregation. 

A  committee  of  three  —  Martin  Halvorsen, 
Lyle  M.  Halvorsen  and  Mr.  A.  H.  O.  Stavoe  — 
was  elected  to  represent  the  congregation  before 
the  meeting  of  the  mission  board  at  the  home  of 
Mr.  Adolph  Larson.  This  committee  pleaded  the 
cause  of  the  congregation  before  the  mission 
board. 

From  May  1  to  Oct.  1  Mr.  Skindlov  gave  all 
his  time  to  the  work  of  the  church,  for  which  he 
received  $60  per  month.  He  canvassed  the  neigh- 
borhood thoroughly  and  succeeded  in  inducing 
a  great  many  people  to  join.  Many  of  these  had 
not  attended  any  of  the  services  before  they 
joined,  and  dropped  off  after  Mr.  Skindlov  left. 
A  parochial  school  was  conducted  during  the 
summer  and  a  confirmation  class  was  also  start- 
ed. Mr.  Skindlov  preached  his  farewell  sermon 
Sunday,  Oct.  2,  and  in  the  evening  Rev.  C.  E. 
Tiller  held  communion  service,  which  was  largely 
attended.  Mr.  Skindlov  left  to  continue  his 
studies  at  St.  Paul.  When  he  left  the  congrega- 
tion had  a  membership  of  127  souls.  The  Nor- 
wegian services  during  the  summer  while  Mr. 
Skindlov  was  there  were  well  attended,  there  be- 
ing about  twenty-five  present.  The  English  ser- 
vices were  also  fairly  attended,  but  most  of  these 
were  young  people  and  children. 

But  God  had  again  taken  care  of  his  people, 
for  Rev.  C.  E.  Tiller  had  secured  the  services 
of  Mr.  R.  O.  Sigmond,  a  student  at  Chicago  Lu- 
theran Seminary.  Mr.  Sigmond  preached  for  the 
first  time  Oct.  9. 

The  mission  board  now  sent  Rev.  O.  N.  Nel- 
son from  Meckinock,  N.  D.,  to  take  charge  of 
both  St.  Timothy  and  Emmaus  churches.  He 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


preached  his  first  sermon  to  St.  Timothy  Church 
Sunday  evening  Jan.  22,  1904,  and  was  installed 
the  next  Sunday  morning  by  Rev.  C.  E.  Tiller, 
of  Bethel  Church.  He  remained  with  St.  Tim- 
othy until  June  25,  1905,  and  then  took  charge 
of  Emmaus  Church  only.  While  he  had  both 
congregations,  Mr.  R.  A.  Sigmond  assisted  him 
by  preaching  alternately  at  Emmaus  Church  and 
St.  Timothy  Church,  thus  giving  both  congrega- 
tions two  services  each  Sunday. 

After  Rev.  O.  N.  Nelson  left,  the  congregation, 
at  a  meeting  held  May  22,  called  Mr.  Sigmond 
to  take  charge  until  a  pastor  could  be  secured. 

Lots  located  on  the  northwest  corner  of  Forty- 
third  and  Dickens  avenues,  50  feet  front  by  117 
feet  deep,  have  been  purchased  for  a  church 
building. 


The  Luther  League  was  organized  Jan.  9,  1903, 
Rev.  Ditman  Larsen  acting  as  temporary  chair- 
man and  Miss  Mabel  Grant  as  secretary.  The 
following  officers  were  elected:  Mr.  M.  Lyle  Hal- 
vorsen,  president;  Miss  Mabel  Grant,  secretary; 
Miss  Mabel  Leth,  treasurer.  Meetings  were  held 
Sunday  evenings,  as  there  were  no  services  at  that 
time.  These  meetings  were  fairly  well  attended. 
Later  the  meetings  were  changed  to  a  week  day 
and  the  league  became  more  of  a  young  people's 
society.  The  membership  at  the  beginning  of 
the  year  1906  was  thirty-two.  The  average  at- 
tendance at  the  meetings  was  eighteen.  This 
society  gave  $25  to  the  purchase  of  the  church 
lots,  aided  in  decorating  the  church  for  Christ- 
mas, Easter,  etc.,  and  also  assisted  in  other  ways. 


On  Saturday,  Feb.  24,  1906,  another  auxiliary 
society,  composed,  of  girls,  known  as  the  Busy 
Bees,  that  have  for  their  object  the  raising  of 
money  for  the  church  building,  was  organized  at 
the  home  of  Mrs.  Eidem.  The  officers  were  Dor- 
othy Ramstad,  president;  Mildred  Eidem,  vice- 
president;  Ragnhild  Johansen,  treasurer;  Jennie 
Gunderson,  secretary. 


During  the  summer  of  1904  an  English  choir 
was  organized.  A  Norwegian  choir  was  attempted 
a  little  later,  but  was  not  successful.  Mr.  Abra- 
hamson  became  the  instructor.  In  February, 
1905,  Rev.  Nelson  led  the  choir  himself.  After 


he  left,  Mr.  Leth  was  called  back  to  St.  Timothy 
and  took  charge  of  the  choir,  Miss  Mabel  Leth 
being  organist  again.  At  a  concert  given  Sept. 
16  of  that  year  over  $40  was  raised  for  the 
church  lots. 


The  first  auxiliary  society  organized  was  the 
Alpha  Club.  It  was  organized  April  9,  1902,  and 
was  composed  of  girls.  Its  first  officers  were: 
Miss  Mabel  Leth,  president;  Miss  Mabel  Grant, 
secretary;  Miss  Attie  Amundson,  treasurer.  The 
first  meeting  was  held  at  the  home  of  Miss  Anna 
Magnussen,  1085  N.  Forty-first  court.  The  first 
entertainment  of  any  kind  for  the  benefit  of  the 
mission  was  given  by  this  society,  June  18,  at  the 
home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cressman,  an  American 
family  belonging  to  the  Congregational  Church. 
Mr.  Cressman,  being  in  sympathy  with  our  Lu- 
theran mission,  often  aided  us  in  this  manner. 


The  Ladies'  Aid  Society  was  organized  Thurs- 
day, Sept.  6,  1902,  at  the  home  of  Mrs.  Emil  Han- 
sen.  The  officers  elected  were:  Mrs.  Eliza  John- 
son, president;  Mrs.  Maren  Hansen,  treasurer; 
Mrs.  Gertrude  Gunderson,  secretary.  The  soci- 
ety has  been  a  great  help  to  the  church.  It  has 
often  aided  in  paying  the  rent  of  the  mission. 
In  like  manner  it  also  assisted  the  congregation 
to  meet  its  current  expenses  when  first  organized. 
It  gave  $300  to  the  purchase  of  the  lots  for  the 
church. 

About  the  first  of  June,  1905,  the  Ladies'  Aid 
Society  lost  one  of  its  first  members,  in  the  per- 
son of  Miss  Anna  Magnussen,  as  she  moved  to 
Lake  Bluff  with  the  Cressman  family,  with  whom 
she  lived.  Not  only  this  society,  but  also  the 
congregation,  and  the  Sunday  school  especially, 
lost  one  of  its  best  members,  as  she  had  been 
with  the  congregation  from  the  very  beginning 
and  had  perhaps  done  more  than  any  other  one 
person  in  the  building  up  of  St.  Timothy.  She 
seemed  to  know  every  child  in  the  Sunday  school. 
Whenever  she  knew  of  any  one  being  absent  she 
would  visit  the  child;  she  also  visited  the  sick 
in  the  congregation  and  did  whatever  she  could 
to  relieve  them.  She  never  failed  of  an  oppor- 
tunity to  bring  a  new  child  to  Sunday  school  or 
some  one  to  church  when  it  was  within  her 
power  to  do  so.  All  the  good  she  has  done  and 
the  sacrifice  she  has  made  probably  no  one  will 
be  able  to  estimate. 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


125 


ZION  CHURCH,  CHICAGO. 
By  Rev.  C.  K.  Solberg,  Pastor. 

Zion  Norwegian  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church 
is  located  in  Chicago,  on  the  corner  of  Potomac 
and  Artesian  avenues.  The  congregation  is  af- 
filiated with  the  United  Norwegian  Lutheran 
Church  of  America.  Following  is  a  brief  state- 
ment of  the  circumstances  and  events  leading  up 
to  the  organization  of  the  congregation: 

A  large  number  of  the  Norwegian  Lutherans 
having  settled  east  of  Humboldt  Park,  steps  were 
taken  in  1891  to  hold  preaching  services  there 
occasionally.  Shortly  after  New  Year's  Rev.  J. 
N.  Kildahl,  who  at  that  time  was  pastor  of  Beth- 
lehem Norwegian  Lutheran  Church,  on  Huron 
street  and  Center  avenue,  began  these  services. 
In  March  of  the  same  year,  together  with  Rev. 
N.  J.  Ellestad,  mission  superintendent  of  the 
United  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church,  he  estab- 
lished a  mission.  A  vacant  store  on  the  corner 
of  Washtenaw  avenue  and  Crystal  street  was 
rented  and  equipped  with  the  most  necessary 
furniture.  Here  the  mission  held  its  first  regular 
morning  service  on  the  last  Sunday  in  March, 
Rev.  Ellestad  preaching  the  sermon.  At  3.  p.  m. 
the  same  day  Rev.  Kildahl,  with  nine  of  his 
Sunday  school  workers,  started  an  English  Sun- 
day school  with  thirty-one  pupils.  Mr.  L.  B. 
Johnsen,  now  a  member  of  Covenant  English 
Lutheran  Church,  this  city,  was  elected  superin- 
tendent and  served  for  four  years.  Revs.  Kildahl 
and  Ellestad  served  the  mission  alternately  till 
the  month  of  June.  In  that  month  the  mission 
had  to  give  up  its  quarters.  Two  lots  and  a 
cottage  were  then  purchased  on  the  corner  of 
Artesian  and  Potomac  avenues.  In  this  cottage 
the  mission  held  its  services  and  Sunday  school 
till  in  the  fall,  when  the  Church  Extension  Fund 
erected  a  chapel  on  these  lots  for  the  use  of  this 
mission.  Rev.  N.  Arvesen  was  then  called  by  the 
mission  committee  of  the  United  Church  to  have 
charge  of  the  Zion  Mission.  He  entered  upon 
his  duties  the  second  Sunday  in  January,  1892. 
On  February  15,  Zion  Norwegian  Lutheran  Con- 
gregation was  organized,  with  Rev.  Arvesen  as 
pastor.  The  charter  members  were:  Oswald  R0s- 
ler,  Jacob  Conrad  and  Carl  Sommerschield.  The 
total  original  membership  was  sixteen  souls. 

The  congregation  has  in  the  course  of  time  en- 
joyed a  steady  and  vigorous  growth.  Its  present 
membership  is  508  souls,  of  whom  305  are  con- 
firmed members  and  110  voting  members.  The 
membership  is  fairly  local,  with  but  a  few  fam- 


ilies scattered  in  other  parts  of  the  city.  Though 
the  members  have  come  chiefly  from  our  own 
synod,  yet  quite  a  number  have  come  from  the 
Scandinavian  Lutheran  sister  synods. 

The  chapel  erected  by  the  Church  Extension 
Fund  of  the  synod  was  later  purchased  by  the 
congregation. 

In  the  year  1901  the  present  house  of  worship 
was  completed,  a  beautiful  red  brick  structure, 
at  a  cost  of  $19,000.  It  has  a  seating  capacity  of 
400.  The  old  cottage  was  moved  to  the  rear  of 
the  lot  and  remodeled  and  equipped  as  a  two- 
story  flat  building.  The  entire  church  property 
is  valued  at  $36,000. 

Preaching  services  are  held  regularly  every  Sun- 
day, Norwegian  in  the  morning  and  English  in 
the  evening.  Regular  mid-week  prayer  meetings 
are  also  held  every  Thursday  evening.  The  aver- 
age attendance  of  services  every  Sunday  fore- 
noon is  about  275,  and  about  200  at  the  evening 
services. 

During  the  history  of  the  church  440  have  been 
baptized  and  195  confirmed. 

The  congregation  has  been  served  by  the  fol- 
lowing pastors:  Rev.  N.  Arvesen,  from  January, 
1892  to  June,  1893;  Rev.  O.  Guldseth,  from  1893 
to  1897;  Rev.  J.  H.  Meyer,  from  July,  1897,  to 
September,  1904;  in  May,  1905,  Rev.  C.  K.  Sol- 
berg,  the  present  pastor,  took  charge. 

Sunday  school  meets  every  Sunday  morning  at 
9:15.  It  has  now  an  enrollment  of  325  pupils  and 
30  teachers  and  officers — 16  men  and  14  women. 
The  average  attendance  of  pupils  is  225.  Three 
classes  receive  their  instruction  in  Norwegian; 
twenty-two  classes  in  English. 

The  other  organizations  of  the  church  are  as 
follows:  The  Luther  League,  with  a  membership 
of  100  young  persons,  holds  weekly  devotional 
meetings  every  Wednesday  evening.  Its  main 
object  is  to  aid  the  congregation  in  caring  for  the 
young  people  after  their  confirmation  and  train- 
ing them  for  intelligent,  active  and  useful  mem- 
bership in  the  church.  It  is  affiliated  with  the 
State  Luther  League  of  Illinois.  The  Ladies'  Aid 
Society,  with  a  membership  of  fifty-four,  holds 
monthly  meetings.  By  monthly  dues,  sales,  ba- 
zars and  socials,  between  $500  and  $600  is  realized 
annually.  The  Helpers,  a  young  ladies'  society, 
also  gives  valuable  financial  aid  to  the  congrega- 
tion. It  has  a  membership  of  twenty-four  and 
meets  once  a  month.  The  Busy  Bee,  a  girls' 
society,  with  eighteen  members,  meets  every 
month  and  works  exclusively  for  the  support  of 
the  children's  homes.  The  Young  Men's  League 
meets  every  second  and  fourth  Monday  in  the 


126 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


month  and  by  literary  and  social  meetings  aims 
to  develop  in  its  members  intelligent  citizenship, 
sociability  and  good  fellowship,  and  also  tends  to 
bring  the  young  men  into  the  church  to  its  var- 
ious devotional  gatherings.  It  has  a  membership 
of  thirty-seven. 

No  parochial  school  is  maintained.  After  the 
child  has  been  instructed  in  the  catechism  and 
Bible  history1  in  Sunday  school  it  is  at  the  age 
of  fourteen  or  more  admitted  into  the  pastor's 
catechetical  class,  and  after  a  course  of  religious 
instruction  lasting  eight  months  is  received  into 
communicant  membership  of  the  church  by  con- 
firmation. After  confirmation  the  young  people 
enter  the  Bible  class,  which  is  taught  by  the  pas- 
tor every  Sunday  morning  at  9:30. 

The  congregation  has  in  the  past  struggled 
hard  to  pay  for  its  new  house  of  worship,  and  be- 
cause of  its  heavy  financial  burdens  at  home  it 
has  not  been  able  to  contribute  much  to  the  mis- 
sions and  charitable  institutions  of  the  synod. 
Four  missionary  services  are  held  every  year  and 
offerings  are  taken  for  home  and  foreign  mis- 
sions and  charitable  institutions. 

In  the  year  1905  the  congregation  raised  by 
subscription,  offerings,  donations  and  through  the 
efforts  of  the  various  aid  societies,  a  sum  of 
$2,051.  Of  this  sum  $1,323  was  used  for  current 
expenses  of  the  church,  $639  for  paying  debts  and 
$89  for  the  missions  and  current  expenses  of  the 
synod.  Besides,  the  Busy  Bee  society  realized 
$90  that  was  divided  among  several  orphanages. 

Located  as  it  is  in  the  heart  of  a  large  Nor- 
wegian I-utheran  community,  Zion  Lutheran  con- 
gregation has  promising  prospects  of  vigorous 
growth  and  effective  work. 


EMMAUS  CHURCH,  CHICAGO. 
By  Rev.  O.  N.  Nelson. 

Emmans  Evangelical  Lutheran  Congregation 
was  organized  in  the  year  1892.  The  leaders  in 
this  movement  were  Prof.  J.  N.  Kildahl,  president 
of  St.  Olaf  College,  Northfield,  Minn.,  who  at 
that  time  was  pastor  of  Bethlehem  Church  of 
this  city,  and  Rev.  N.  J.  Ellestad,  of  Kenyon, 
Minn.,  at  that  time  superintendent  of  home  mis- 
sions in  the  United  Lutheran  Church  of  America. 

The  congregation  was  organized  with  only  ten 
families  as  charter  members.  The  first  perma- 
nent pastor  was  Rev.  John  Hetland,  who  served 
the  congregation  for  six  years.  The  present  pas- 
tor, Rev.  O.  N.  Nelson,  took  charge  of  the  con- 
gregation Jan.  20,  1905.  The  congregation  then 
had  a  membership  of  73  souls.  At  present  it  has 


a  membership  of  130  souls  —  83  confirmed  and  28 
voting  members.  The  average  attendance  is 
about  90.  During  the  history  of  the  congrega- 
171  have  been  baptized  and  80  confirmed. 

The  church,  which  is  located  on  the  corner  of 
Springfield  avenue  and  Iowa  street,  was  erected 
in  1892  and  dedicated  to  the  service  of  the  Lord 
in  1893.  It  has  a  seating  capacity  of  200. 

The  congregation  looks  forward  with  great 
hope.  Scandinavians  who  are  interested  in  church 
work  are  moving  into  the  neighborhood.  Many 
have  joined  the  congregation  the  last  year.  The 
younger  element  is  taking  an  active  part.  The 
young  people  are  the  hope  of  the  church. 

The  Sunday  school  has  at  present  an  enroll- 
ment of  175,  with  14  teachers  and  officers  and  an 
average  attendance  of  120.  Classes  are  conducted 
in  both  English  and  Norwegian. 

The  Bible  class,  which  is  English,  is  led  by  the 
pastor  of  the  church. 

Children's  services  have  since  the  beginning  of 
1905  been  held  on  the  second  Sunday  of  each 
quarter,  under  the  auspices  of  the  Sunday  school 
board.  These  services  have  proved  a  great  bless- 
ing both  to  the  church  and  Sunday  school.  A 
free-will  offering  is  alwavs  taken  at  these  ser- 
vices, which  in  turn  is  given  to  the  United  Church 
missions,  both  home  and  foreign,  and  the  congre- 
gation with  which  the  Sunday  school  is  con- 
nected. 

Another  organization  which  adds  much  to  the 
upbuilding  of  the  congregation  is  the  Luther 
League. 

The  young  people  had  tried  to  organize  a  young 
people's  society  with  literary  and  social  meetings, 
but  had  failed  until  they  organized  as  a  Luther 
league,  with  devotional  meetings  every  week,  ex- 
cepting the  first  meeting  each  month,  which  is 
a  business  meeting.  The  Luther  league  started 
about  two  years  ago  with  only  15  members.  At 
present  it  has  a  membership  of  50,  with  an  aver- 
age attendance  of  about  35  at  each  meeting.  This 
society  is  a  great  help  to  the  church,  both  spir- 
itually and  financially. 

Another  society  lately  organized  is  "The  Daugh- 
ters of  Emmaus."  They  are,  as  the  name  implies, 
supporters  of  the  church.  They  meet  twice  a 
month  and  prepare  useful  articles  to  be  sold  for 
the  exclusive  benefit  of  the  church.  The  mem- 
bers are  girls  from  the  confirmation  age  and  up- 
wards. The  members  are  very  enthusiastic  and 
ardent  workers. 

The  Ladies'  Aid  Society  is  also  a  great  help  to 
the  church,  bringing  the  church  an  average  of 
$300  a  year. 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


127 


The  Bethesda  Aid  Society  is  an  organization  for 
the  purpose  of  helping  the  poor  and  needy  in 
that  part  of  the  city.  This  society  has  also  done 
a  good  and  noble  work. 

A  small  church  in  a  large  city  has  its  hardships 
to  endure.  But  the  future  for  this  church  looks 
brighter  than  ever  before. 


BETHLEHEM  CHURCH. 
By  Rev.  George  T.  Rygh. 

The  Bethlehem  Evangelical  Lutheran  Congre- 
gation of  Chicago  was  organized  in  1870.  Its  first 
pastor  was  Rev.  S.  M.  Krogness,  who  served  the 
congregation  from  1870  until  the  summer  of  1874. 
He  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  C.  B.  Jacobsen,  who 
preached  his  first  sermon  to  the  congregation 
Oct.  18,  1874.  His  successor  was  Rev.  O.  Bostad, 
who  served  the  congregation  as  temporary  sup- 
ply, from  the  fourth  Sunday  in  Advent,  1876,  un- 
til the  third  Sunday  in  Trinity,  1877.  Thereupon 
Prof.  S.  R.  Gunderson  served  the  congregation 
for  a  short  term.  Rev.  N.  C.  Brun  delivered  his 
introductory  sermon  as  pastor  on  Sunday,  Sept. 
30,  1877. 

In  December,  1888,  Zion  congregation,  which 
was  made  up  of  people  who  had  left  Our  Savior's 
Church  on  account  of  the  predestination  contro- 
versy, joined  the  Bethlehem  congregation. 

Rev.  N.  C.  Brun  delivered  his  farewell  sermon 
the  30th  of  June,  1889,  the  second  Sunday  in  Trin- 
ity, and  was  succeeded  by  Rev.  J.  N.  Kildahl,  who 
began  his  ministrations  on  July  7,  1889,  the  third 
Sunday  in  Trinity.  Rev.  J.  N.  Kildahl  delivered  his 
farewell  sermon  to  the  congregation  the  28th  of 
August,  1899,  the  thirteenth  Sunday  in  Trinity. 
His  successor  was  Rev.  George  T.  Rygh,  the 
present  pastor,  who  delivered  his  initiatory  ser- 
mon Sept.  3,  the  fourteenth  Sunday  after  Trinity. 

At  present  (1906)  the  congregation  numbers 
809  souls,  of  whom  617  are  confirmed  members. 
One  unique  feature  of  this  congregation  is  the 
constitutional  provision  granting  women  the  right 
of  suffrage,  the  result  being  that  there  are  326 
voting  members.  There  are  446  Sunday  school 
children  and  40  teachers.  Parochial  school  has 
been  conducted  on  Saturdays  during  the  fall  and 
winter  seasons. 

Among  the  various  agencies  of  the  church  may 
be  mentioned  the  mission  meeting,  once  a  month; 
the  Ladies'  Aid  Society  which  meets  twice  a 
month;  the  Sewing  Society,  which  meets  once  a 
month;  the  Dorcas  Society,  which  meets  twice  a 
month;  the  Luther  league,  which  meets  once  a 


week,  and  the  Norwegian  Young  People's  Society, 
which  also  meets  once  a  week. 

The  church  is  located  at  the  corner  of  W.  Hu- 
ron street  and  N.  Center  avenue.  The  parsonage 
and  the  janitor's  residence  are  immediately  back 
of  the  church  building,  on  Center  avenue.  The 
net  value  of  all  the  church  property  is  $19,768.17. 

*      *      * 

NAZARETH  CHURCH,  WEST  PULLMAN, 

ILLINOIS. 
By  Rev.  Olaus  Qualen. 

The  Nazareth  Norwegian  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church  of  West  Pullman,  111.,  was  organized  dur- 
ing the  summer  of  1896  by  Anton  Lea,  who  was 
then  a  student  at  the  seminary  at  Minneapolis. 
The  congregation  applied  for  admission  into  the 
United  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  of  America, 
and  was  admitted. 

In  the  beginning  services  were  held  in  private 
houses;  but  seing  that  this  was  inadequate,  and 
not  altogether  well  for  the  development  of  the 
church,  an  old  school  house,  located  on  Michigan 
avenue,  near  the  Chicago  &  Eastern  Illinois 
tracks,  was  bought  for  a  very  small  sum  of  money. 
Mr.  A.  Lea  was  at  that  time  serving  the  con- 
gregation. Having  received  the  information  that 
the  building  on  Michigan  avenue  was  for  sale,  he 
lost  no  time  in  availing  himself  of  the  opportun- 
ity to  buy  it.  He  called  on  Rev.  J.  N.  Kildahl, 
who  was  then  a  member  of  the  Church  Extension 
Fund  Board,  and  presented  the  matter  to  him, 
asking  for  aid  for  the  congregation  to  purchase 
the  school  house.  This  was  promised,  and  in  a 
short  time  the  building  was  in  possession  of  the 
church. 

The  school-house  was  moved  to  its  present  lo- 
cation on  Yale  avenue,  near  One  Hundred  and 
Eighteenth  street,  and  overhauled  and  remodeled, 
so  as  to  make  a  Sunday  school  room  out  of  the 
first  story  and  the  auditorium  out  of  the  second. 

At  the  beginning  the  church  consisted  of  about 
70  souls,  principally  people  from  Piano,  111.,  who 
moved  to  West  Pullman  when  the  Piano  Har- 
vester Works  moved,  and  located  not  far  from 
here.  The  progress  since  that  time  has  been 
slow,  due  to  the  fact  that  not  many  Norwegians 
are  to  be  found  in  this  part  of  our  great  city. 

Rev.  Otto  Schmidt,  who  served  the  church  from 
1897  to  1901,  was  an  earnest  and  zealous  worker, 
and  did  a  great  deal  to  put  the  church  on  a  good 
financial  basis.  He  also  organized  a  young  peo- 
ple's society,  put  the  Sunday  school  on  a  good 
footing,  and  labored  diligently  for  the  welfare  of 
the  church. 


128 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


As  his  successor  came  Rev.  Olaus  Qualen,  the 
present  pastor.  During  the  earlier  part  of  his 
activity  some  new  members  were  added  to  the 
church,  but  for  two  years  there  has  been  a  de- 
cline, as  some  of  the  families,  have  moved  toother 
places,  because  of  slack  work  here.  The  present 
membership  of  the  church  is  a  little  below  one 
hundred. 

During  the  history  of  the  church  there  have 
been  86  baptisms;  40  have  been  confirmed. 

As  to  the  various  organizations  within  the 
church,  it  can  be  said  that  in  all  respects  they 
have  been  an  aid  and  not  a  hindrance  to  the 
growth  of  the  church.  The  ladies'  aid  society  has 
done  a  great  deal  in  defraying  current  expenses; 
but  for  this  organization  the  church  would  not 
have  seen  the  success  that  it  has. 

The  young  people's  society,  which  consists  of 
19  members,  has  done  its  work  to  retain  the 
young  people  for  the  church.  They  meet  every 
other  Wednesday  evening  in  the  Sunday  school 
room  of  the  church.  The  meetings  are  of  vari- 
ous kinds — devotional,  literary  and  social.  The 
first  mentioned  are  the  most  largely  attended. 

The  Sunday  school  has  an  enrollment  of  about 
sixty  children.  Most  of  these  are  children  from 
families  belonging  to  the  church,  but  also  from 
homes  that  have  no  church  connection.  The  pas- 
tors have  up  to  this  time  taught  parochial  school 
during  summer  vacation.  Although  the  term  has 
been  of  three  or  -four  weeks'  duration  only,  it  has 
been  of  great  help  to  the  children.  Both  the  Nor- 
wegian  and  English  languages  have  been  used. 

Although  this  church  has  been  a  mission 
church,  receiving  quite  a  sum  annually  from  the 
home  mission  funds,  nevertheless  it  has  always 
been  its  desire  to  contribute  to  the  various 
branches  of  church  work,  such  as  home  and  for- 
eign missions,  orphans'  homes  and  the  current 
expenses  of  the  United  Lutheran  Church. 


EVANSTON,  ILL. 
By  Mr.  C.  Hendricksen. 

The  Norwegian-Danish  Lutheran  Church  of 
Evanston,  111.,  whose  place  of  worship  is  at  the 
corner  of  Greenwood  street  and  Sherman  avenue, 
was  organized  July  29,  1891,  in  the  home  of  Mr. 
Carl  Magnusen,  corner  of  Church  street  and 
Sherman  avenue.  The  congregation  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  United  Church  of  America.  The  mem- 
bers of  the  congregation  at  the  time  of  its  or- 
ganization were  mostly  laboring  people,  and 
money  was  scarce.  The  leaders  in  the  organiz- 
ing movement  were  Rev.  J.  N.  Kildahl,  Rev.  N. 


J.    Ellestad,    C.    Magnusen   and    C.    Hendricksen. 
There  were   thirty-five   charter  members. 

In  the  year  1895  the  membership  was  seventy- 
five;  today  (1906)  the  congregation  has  fifty  vot- 
ing members.  The  average  attendance  upon  di- 
vine worship  is  seventy-five.  Fourteen  have  been 
confirmed  during  the  years  of  the  congregations' 
existence,  and  twenty-four  have  been  baptized. 

The  original  home  of  the  congregation  was 
Union  Hall  on  Davis  street,  and  this  continued 
to  be  the  meeting  place  until  1898.  In  that  year 
the  congregation  purchased  the  Swedish  Luther- 
an church  and  moved  it  to  its  present  site.  The 
total  cost  of  the  church  as  it  stands  to-day,  to- 
gether with  the  ground,  is  $1,900,  all  paid.  The 
church'  is  centrally  located.  The  congregation 
has  no  parsonage,  nor  does  it  sustain  a  parochial 
school.  There  is  a  small  Sunday  school  (fifteen 
children),  but  few  families  belonging  to  the 
church.  The  membership  is  composed  largely  of 
unmarried  young  people  in  domestic  or  other 
service.  The  congregation  disapproves  of  secret 
orders.  The  Ladies'  Aid  Society  has  very  mater- 
ially assisted  in  paying  for  the  church  property 
and  in  defraying  current  expenses.  The  total  ex- 
penses of  the  congregation  during  the  fifteen 
years  of  its  existence  is  about  $8,000.  The  board 
of  home  missions  of  the  United  Church  has  also 
lent  a  helping  hand.  Occasionally  the  congrega- 
ation  has  rendered  assistance  to  various  children's 
homes. 

The  Young  People's  Society  holds  literary,  so- 
cial and  devotional  meetings,  and  has  assisted  the 
congregation  financially. 

At  various  times  the  congregation  has  sent 
contributions  to  home,  Jewish,  and  foreign  mis- 
sions. 

The  various  pastors  serving  the  congregation 
have  been,  Rev.  J.  N.  Kildahl,  N.  Arvesen,  L.  S. 
Marvick,  John  Hetland,  Ditman  Larsen,  and  T. 
S.  Kolste.  In  large  measure  the  congregation  has 
been  served  by  students  attending  the  Lutheran 
Theological  Seminary  in  Lake  View,  Chicago.  At 
present  Student  Westberg  is  in  charge. 


LISBON,   ILL. 
By  Rev.  N.  G.  Peterso'n. 

The  Lisbon  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  was 
begun  in  the  early  '50's  by  Rev.  Elling  Eielson, 
who  made  several  visits  here.  In  the  year  1852 
he  brought  with  him  a  young  man,  Peter  Andreas 
Rasmussen,  well  educated  and  highly  gifted  as  a 
speaker.  He  served  as  teacher  in  the  school  and 
on  Sunday  preached  to  the  congregation.  The 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


129 


The  Lutheran  Church  at  Leland,  111. 


130 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


congregation,  being  without  a  settled  pastor,  ten- 
dered a  call  to  Rasmussen  to  become  their  pas- 
tor. After  having  taken  a  course  in  theology  of 
one  year  at  Ft.  Wayne,  Ind.,  he  was  ordained  by 
the  Missouri  Synod  on  Palm.  Sunday,  1854.  Rev. 
Rasmussen  served  this  church  for  about  forty- 
four  years,  when  the  present  pastor  took  charge 
in  1898.  Under  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Rasmussen 
the  church  grew  to  be  one  of  the  strongest  and 
most  prosperous  churches  among  the  Norweg- 
ians in  this  country,  numbering  about  1,200  souls. 
It  consists  mostly  of  a  farming  community,  sit- 
uated in  the  southern  part  of  Kendall  county  and 
the  northern  part  of  Grundy  county.  The  con- 
gregation has  two  church  edifices,  one  near  Lis- 
bon and  one  at  Helmar,  called  the  North  Lisbon 
Lutheran  Church. 

The  congregation  has  maintained  parochial 
schools  in  each  parish,vand  still  gives  thousands 
of '  dollars  every  year  to  missions  and  other 
works  of  mercy.  •  It 

The  church  was  without  arijis'ynodical  connec- 
tion until  the  organization  ori^fhe  United  Nor- 
wegian Lutheran  Church  of  America,  in  the  year 
1890.  Since  then  the  Lisbon  Lutheran  Church  has 
proved  one  of  the  most  faithful  churches  in  said 
body.  It  represents  "the  old  orthodox,  pietistic 
element  in  thfti  Lutheran  church. 

The  present  pastor  is  Rev.  N.  G.  Peterson,  who 
was  born  in  Freeborn  county,  Minnesota,  Nov. 
2,  1857.  He  graduated  in  1887  from  Red  Wing 
Theological  Seminary,  at  Red  Wing,  Minn.  He 
served  churches  in  Hamilton  county,  Iowa,  and 
at  Chicago,  Ill.y  from  whence  he  came  to  Lisbon. 


LELAND  CONGREGATION,    LELAND,  ILL. 
By  Henry  I.  Noss,  Pastor. 

A  meeting  was  held  at  the  home  of  Helge 
Bakke  on  Nov.  18,  1847,  where  Rev.  Ole  Andrew- 
son  organized  the  Leland  congregation  under  the 
name  of  the  "Scandinavian  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Congregation"  in  the  Town  of  Adams,  La  Lalle 
county.  111.  Before  this  time  they  had  been  vis- 
ited occasionally  by  Rev.  Elling  Eielsen,  a  lay- 
man, who  was  ordained  the  third  day  of  Oct., 
1843,  by  Rev.  F.  A.  Hoffman,  a  German  Lutheran 
minister  of  Chicago. 

The  constitution  adopted  at  a  conference  held 
at  Jefferson  Prairie,  Rock  county,  Wis.,  the  13th 
and  14th  of  May,  1846,  together  with  the  by-laws 
added  at  a  meeting  held  at  Mission  Point  the 
14th  and  15th  of  June,  1847,  were  sanctioned  and 
undersigned  by  the  twenty-three  charter  mem- 
bers of  the  congregation.  Besides  the  pastor,  the 


other  leaders  of  the  movement  were  Halvor 
Knudsen,  Hellik  Farley,  Knut  Halvorsen,  and 
Knut  Gutormsen,  who  constituted  the  church 
council.  Mr.  H.'  Farley  was  the  first  secretary 
of  the  congregation. 

Until  the  year  1850  they,  conducted  their  ser- 
vices in  private  houses  throughout  the  country. 
In  those  days  people  were  more  than  willing  to 
walk  as  far  as  eight  miles  to  hear  a  sermon.  At 
a  meeting  held  on  the  16th  day  of  Dec.,  1850, 
the  Lutherans  and  the  Baptists  decided  to  join 
hands  in  erecting  a  house  of  public  worship.  The 
project  seemed  very  plausible  until  the  church 
was  just  about  ready;  then,  owing  to  some  minor 
dissensions,  the  two  denominations  decided  to  dis- 
solve partnership  on  the  20th  day  of  Aug.,  the 
year  following.  By  mutual  agreement,  the  prop- 
erty then  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Baptists.  As 
a  relic  of  olden  days,  that  old  church  building 
can  be  seen  relegated  to  the  rear  in  one  of  Le- 
land's  most  prominent  streets,  serving  the  pur- 
pose of  a  wagon  shop  and  a  general  store  house 
for  sundry  articles. 

The  Lutheran^  were  then  without  a  church 
building  until  the  year  1858.  During  that  lapse 
of  time  they  conducted  the  services  at  the  homes 
of  the  different  members,  occasionally  making  use 
of  a  school-house  in  that  neighborhood.  At  a 
meeting  held  the  29th  day  of  Oct.,  1856,  it  was 
decided  Unbuild  a  church  fifty  feet  long,  thirty- 
two  jfeefi  wide  and  eighteen  feet  high.  But  owing 
to  pecuniary  circumstances,  it  .seems  as  if  noth- 
ing was  accomplished  until  the  year  1858.  Then 
the.  building  was  erected  in  ^  few  months  and 
dedicated  on  the  llth  day  of  Dec.  the  same  year. 
This  was  a  great  event.  Besides  Rev.  Hatlestad, 
pastor  loci,  Rev.  Martin  and  Rev.  Peterson  frdm 
Chicago  were  also  present.  It  is  to  be  noted  in 
this  connection  that  Rev.  Martin  conducted  ser- 
vices in  the  English  language.  Even  at  that  early 
date  the  Norwegian  community  at  Leland  had  a 
taste  for  English,  which  at  the  present  day  has 
almost  entirely  supplanted  the  mother  tongue^ 

On  the  28th  day  of  May,  1860,  during  the  p£s- 
torate.  of  Rev.  Peterson,  the  congregation  with- 
drew from  the  Northern  Synod  of  Illinois,  with 
which  it  had  been  affiliated  since  the  day  of  the 
organization  of  the  synod  in  1851.  It  then  re- 
mained outside  of  any  synodical  connection  until 
shortly  after  when  it  joined  the  Scandinavian  Au- 
gustana  Synod,  organized  June,  1860,  at  Jefferson 
Prairie,  Wisconsin,  under  the  leadership  of  the 
Swedish  professor  L.  P.  Esbjetrn. 

In  the  year  1867,  the  church  building  was  moved 
into  the  village  of  Leland,  having  up  till  that 


NORWEGIAN    CHURCHES   IN    ILLINOIS 


131 


time  been  located  a  couple  of  miles  south  of  the 
town. 

Beginning  with  the  year  1862,  and  continuing 
during  the  pastorates  of  the  Revs.  Peterson, 
Johnsen  and  Gjertson,  there  was  a  bitter  struggle 
between  two  factions  in  the  congregation  as  to 
the  use  of  certain  portions  of  the  Norwegian 
"Alterbog."  After  a  series  of  long  discussions 
the  agitation  finally  subsided  and  a  peaceful  agree- 
ment was  the  outcome.  Some  disagreement  was 
also  manifest  at  one  time  as  to  the  question  of 
having  sponsors  in  baptism;  but  the  real  rupture 
came  in  the  year  1873,  when  the  congregation 
was  divided  into  the  Free  Church  and  Augustana 
Synod  factions.  The  Augustana  people,  under  the 
leadership  of  the  well-known  eminent  layman,  A. 
A.  Klove,  retained  their  half  of  the  church  prop- 
erty, although  they  were  decidedly  in  the  minor- 
ity. But  in  spite  of  the  division,  the  two  parties 
had  a  common  Sunday  school,  and  their  two  pas- 
tors conducted  services  every  alternate  Sunday  in 
the  same  old  church  building  until  about  the  year 
1880,  when  the  Free  Church  congregation  erected 
a  little  brick  church  a  few  blocks  from  their  old 
house  of  worship. 

The  one  who  figured  most  prominently  in  the 
various  church  activities  of  the  Free  Church  con- 
gregation was  Mr.  O.  Simonsen,  a  venerable  old 
gentleman,  who  is  now  serving  in  the  capacity 
of  secretary  and  deacon  of  the  present  congrega- 
tion. His  church  never  joined  the  "Conference," 
which  was  organized  at  St.  Ansgar,  Iowa,  in  1870, 
but  ministers  from  that  synod  always  served 
them.  Among  those  may  be  mentioned,  Rev.  N. 
Iversen  1873-1879,  and  Rev.  N.  Boe,  1879-1889. 
In  this  connection  may  be  mentioned  the  names 
of  all  the  ministers  who  have  served  at  Leland: 
O.  Andrewson,  1847;  A.  A.  Scheie,  1848-1854;  O. 
J.  Hatlestad,  1854-1859;  P.  H.  Peterson,  1859- 
1861;  Amon  Johnsen,  1862-1865;  M.  Falk  Gjert- 
son, 1868-1872;  O.  O.  Tjomsland,  1873-1874;  O. 
Andrewson,  1875-1882;  J.  E.  Roseland,  1882-1885; 
P.  Reinertson,  1885-1890;  N.  Iversen,  1873-1879; 
N.  Boe,  1879-1889;  Erickson,  1890-1893;  J.  Sten- 
berg,  1894-1904;  and  Henry  Noss,  the  present  pas- 
tor, who  entered  upon  his  duties  as  a  minister  at 
Leland  the  16th  of  July,  1905. 

The  13th  day  of  June,  1890,  marks  the  birthday 
of  the  United  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  of 
America.  The  three  factions,  the  Conference,  the 
Norwegian  Augustana  Synod,  and  the  Anti-Mis- 
sourians,  were  on  that  occasion  amalgamated  in- 
to that  one  great  body.  The  Leland  Free  Church 
was  then  admitted  into  the  United  Church,  and 
the  Leland  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church,  belong- 


ing to  the  Norwegian  Augustana  Synod,  was  nat- 
urally merged  into  that  same  body.  By  this  act 
the  two  Leland  congregations  were  finally 
brought  under  one  head  again  and  this  renewed 
the  old  friendly  relationship  which  eventually  re- 
sulted in  the  union  of  the  two  congregations  in 
the  year  1902,  during  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Erick- 
son. 

At  that  time  the  only  property  belonging  to 
the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Congregation  was  the 
old  church  building  which  was  in  a  somewhat 
dilapidated  condition.  But  the  Free  Church  had, 
during  the  short  time  of  its  existence,  built  two- 
branch  churches  and  a  parsonage,  property  valued 
at  about  $9,000.  This  fact  necessitated  a  com- 
promise. After  some  deliberation  it  was  at  last 
agreed  that  the  Evangelical  Church  should  pay 
the  Free  Church  a  sum  of  $800  in  cash  and  give 
over  the  church  bell  and  other  inventories,  be- 
sides selling  their  old  church  with  the  under- 
standing that  it  should  never  be  used  for  that 
purpose  again,  and  hand  the  money  over  to  the 
trustees  of  the  Free  Church  to  be  deposited  into 
the  common  treasury.  The  two  factions  now 
worked  harmoniously  together.  Seeing  the  neces- 
sity of  a  larger  house  of  worship,  they  erected 
a  beautiful  $10,000  brick  edifice  in  the  year  1898. 
That  is  now  the  present  Lutheran  Church, of  Le- 
land. It  presents  a  very  neat  and  handsome  ap- 
pearance both  externally  and  internally,  and  is- 
certainly  an  ornament  to  the  city  of  Leland.  With 
the  slanting  floor  and  the  opera  chairs  arranged 
in  a  semi-circle  in  front  of  a  high  platform  it 
makes  it  an  exceptional  church  acoustically.  The 
language  transition  has  already  taken  place,  and 
it  is  only  a  question  of  time  when  the  English 
will  be  the  church  language  exclusively.  Three- 
fourths  of  the  preaching  is  now  conducted  in  the 
English  language  and  one-fourth  in  the  Norweg- 
ian. The  twenty-nine  members  of  the  catechism 
class  all  use  English.  There  is  no  Norwegian 
in  the  Sunday  school  with  its  eight  teach- 
ers and  an  average  attendance  of  100  scholars. 
About  forty  young  men  and  women  are  regular 
attendants  of  the  Bible  class.  The  Luther  league 
with  an  enrollment  of  seventy-six,  meets  every 
other  Thursday  evening  and  discusses  the  Luther 
league  topics.  The  attendance  is  good  and  the 
young  people  take  an  active  part  in  the  work. 
There  is  an  excellent  choir  in  the  church  under 
the  able  leadership  of  Fritz  Noel,  editor  of  the 
"Leland  Times."  The  ladies  have  three  socie- 
ties, the  ladies'  aid  for  the  old  gray-haired 
women;  the  Bethany  society  for  the  middle  aged 
women;  and  the  Dorcas  society,  consisting  of 


132 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


only  young  women.  The  church  membership  is 
about  375,  of  whom  250  are  confirmed,  and  of 
those  120  are  voters.  The  average  attendance  at 
the  church  services  is  about  300.  Over  $300  was 
sent  out  from  this  congregation  for  missionary 
and  other  benevolent  purposes  during  the  year 
of  1905.  As  to  the  number  of  confirmed  and  bap- 
tized during  the  history  of  this  church  it  is  very 
difficult  to  give  any  satisfactory  report  as  the  old 
church  records  are  very  incomplete.  During  the 
last  ten  years,  however,  241  children  have  been 
confirmed  and  549  have  been  baptized. 

By  dividing  the  call  in  1904,  the  Bethany  con- 
gregation of  Leland,  111.,  was  readmitted  into  the 
United  Lutheran  Church  of  America  at  the  yearly 
meeting  of  said  conference  in  session  at  Minne- 
apolis, Minn.,  June,  1905. 

Only  one  charter  member  is  still  living;  if  Mr. 
Nils  Halvorsen  lingers  until  the  18th  day  of  No- 
vember, 1907,  he  will  have  been  a  member  of  the 
Leland  congregation  for  sixty  years. 

A.  M.  Klove,  Frank  Hill  and  Lewis  Peterson 
are  the  trustees  of  the  present  congregation,  and 
O.  Simonsen,  C.  Halvorsen  and  B.  Anderson 

•deacons. 

*     *     * 

PLEASANT  VIEW  LUTHER  COLLEGE, 

OTTAWA,  ILL. 
By  Prof.  L.  A.  Vigness. 

On  the  Fourth  of  July,  1893,  a  large  gathering 
•of  Norwegian  Lutherans  had  met  in  Stevens 
Grove,  Kendall  county,  to  express  their  patriotic 
feelings  and  their  admiring  memory  of  the  his- 
torical events  commemorated  on  the  day  of  In- 
dependence. On  this  occasion  an  address  was 
delivered  by  Rev.  N.  J.  Lockrem,  at  that  time 
pastor  of  the  Fox  River  and  Stavanger  charge. 
The  speaker  took  occasion  to  urge  upon  his  hear- 
ers the  educational  needs  of  the  rising  genera- 
tion. The  burden  of  his  address  was  an  appeal 
to  the  people  to  take  active  steps  toward  realizing 
a  long  cherished  plan  to  establish  in  some  suit- 
able location  in  Illinois  a  school  for  the  Christian 
education  of  their  children.  Other  influential  men 
rallied  about  the  cause,  and  the  proposition,  which 
had  in  a  more  quiet  way  been  agitated  for  some 
time,  began  to  shape  itself  into  more  vigorous 
action. 

When  the  semi-annual  meeting  of  the  Chicago 
District  of  the  United  Norwegian  Church  was 
held  at  Stavanger  in  September  of  the  same  year, 
1893,  the  movement  had  assumed  such  propor- 
tions that  its  advocates  considered  it  safe  and 
wise  to  bring  it  up  for  discussion  on  the  floor 
of  the  convention.  It  found  so  ready  a  response 


that  the  convention  at  once  decided  to  take  active 
steps  toward  realizing  the  proposed  plans.  Ac- 
cordingly, a  committee  was  elected  to  take  the 
matter  under  more  definite  consideration,  and,  as 
far  as  possible,  to  mature  definite  plans.  This 
committee  consisted  of  the  following  members: 
Rev.  N.  J.  Lockrem,  Rev.  J.  N.  Kildahl  and 
Messrs.  A.  A.  Klove,  H.  O.  Rygh,  Mikal  Mon- 
son  and  E.  S.  Holland. 

After  this  committee  had,  in  the  course  of  the 
following  months,  held  several  meetings  and  in- 
vestigated carefully  all  the  chief  matters  that 
would  present  themselves  in  this  connection,  it 
issued  a  call  for  a  meeting  of  the  people  of  the 
Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  in  Illinois,  to  be 
held  on  the  17th  of  April,  1895,  in  Bethlehem 
Lutheran  Church,  Morris,  111.,  Rev.  T.  Aarrestad, 
pastor. 

The  substantial  result  of  this  meeting  was  the 
careful  selection,  through  a  committee  on  nom- 
inations, of  thirty-two  leading  men  from  different 
parts  of  the  Chicago  District  of  the  United 
Church  and  the  Hauge's  Synod.  These  men,  con- 
stituting a  well  balanced  representation  of  the 
district,  were  instructed  to  form  a  corporation  to 
take  control  of  all  the  details  connected  with  the 
enterprise  of  establishing  the  proposed  college. 

After  adjournment  of  this  meeting  the  thirty- 
two  men  formed  a  temporary  organization  by  the 
election  of  Rev.  N.  J.  Lockrem  as  chairman  and 
Rev.  P.  J.  Reinertson  as  secretary. 

After  the  appointment  of  a  committee  on  in- 
corporation—  consisting  of  Rev.  N.  J.  Lockrem, 
Rev.  J.  H.  Stenberg  and  Mr.  A.  A.  Bjelland  — 
the  assembly  adjourned  to  meet  in  Ottawa,  on 
the  approaching  first  day  of  May. 

Pursuant  to  this  resolution  the  College  asso- 
ciation assembled  in  the  courthouse  at  Ottawa  on 
the  appointed  date.  The  substantial  results  of 
the  work  of  this  meeting  are  as  follows: 

1.  Articles     of     incorporation     were     adopted. 
"Illinois    Lutheran    College   Association"   became 
the  corporate  name. 

2.  The  following  persons  were  elected  as  the 
first  board  of  trustees:    Rev.  N.  J.  Lockrem,  Rev. 
O.  Andresen,  Rev.  O.  R.  Sletten,  Rev.  P.  J.  Rei- 
nertson and  Messrs.  A.  A.  Klove,  Adolph  Nilson. 
E.  S.  Holland,  H.  O.  Rygh,  S.  E.  Bergeson. 

3.  It  was   decided  that  the   board  of  trustees 
shall  elect  their  own  officers,  who  shall  also  be 
the  officers  of  the  association.     In  a  separate  ses- 
sion the  board  elected  the  following:    Rev.  N.  J. 
Lockrem,    president;    Mr.    A.    Nilson,    vice-presi- 
dent;    Rev.    P.   J.    Reinertson,    secretary.       Later 
Mr.   E.  S.   Holland  was  elected  treasurer. 


NORWEGIAN    CHURCHES    IN    ILLINOIS 


133 


4.  Following  committees  were  elected:  On  sub- 
scriptions —  Rev.   N.  J.    Lockrem,   Messrs.   Mikal 
Monson  and  S.  Myraboe.    On  buildings  —  Messrs. 
A.  Nilson,  A.  A.  Klove  and  E.  S.  Holland;  later 
were  added  Rev.  N.  J.  Lockrem  and  Prof.  L.  A. 
Vigness.     On  by-laws  —  Rev.  J.  N.  Kildahl,  Rev. 
J.  H.   Stenberg  and   Mr.   A.   Nilson. 

5.  It  was  decided  that  the  association  proceed 
to  raise  by  subscriptions  the  sum  of  $20,000  for 
a  building  fund. 

6.  The  following  resolutions  were  adopted: 
Whereas,  A  first-class    institution    of    learning 


city  which  shall  offer  the  best  and  most  advan- 
tageous inducements. 

Resolved,  That  the  school  shall  be  in  all  re- 
spects an  American  institution  employing  only 
such  teachers  as  have  been  trained  under  Amer- 
ican educational  influences  and  art  entirely  cap- 
able of  imparting  instruction  in  the  English  lan- 
guage; that  the  school  shall  be  fully  abreast  of 
the  times  in  its  equipments,  in  its  faculty  and  in 
all  its  work  and  methods  of  instruction. 

Resolved,  That  it  shall  be  a  Lutheran  school, 
which  means,  not  adherence  to  foreignism,  but 


Pleasant  View  Luther  College,   Ottawa,   Illinois. 


has  been  a  long  felt  want  among  the  Scandinavi- 
ans of  Illinois;  and, 

Whereas,  The  movement  to  establish  an  insti- 
tution of  that  kind  in  our  midst  has  now  pro- 
ceeded to  such  an  extent  that  active  measures 
may  be  taken;  therefore  be  it 

Resolved,  by  the  Illinois  Lutheran  College  As- 
sociation, That  it  proceed  to  gather  in  its  own 
name  $20,000  for  the  beginning  of  such  an  in- 
stitution. 

Resolved,  That   the   school   be  located  in   that 


an  earnest,  thorough  training  to  loyal  American 
citizenship  under  the  influence  of  those  prin- 
ciples which  have  been  embodied  in  that  type  of 
Christianity. 

A  meeting  of  the  Association  was  held  again 
on  July  2,  1895.  The  progress  made  at  this  time 
is  indicated  by  the  following  resolutions: 

1.  After  considerable  discussion  upon  the 
merits  of  various  locations,  it  was  decided  by  a 
large  majority  that  Ottawa  be  selected  as  the 
place  in  which  to  build  the  school.  The  vote  on 
this  resolution  was  then  made  unanimous.  The 


134 


A   HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


bonus  offered  by  the  citizens'  committee  of  Ot- 
tawa consisted  of  about  thirteen  acres  of  land 
on  a  high  and  beautiful  elevation  in  the  south 
part  of  the  city;  and  besides  this  somewhat  more 
than  fifty  lots  located  in  various  parts  of  the  im- 
mediate vicinity. 

2.  The  association  elected  as  president  of  the 
college  Rev.  Prof.  L.  A.  Vigness,  then  president 
of  Jewell  Lutheran  College,  Jewell,  Iowa. 

During  the  autumn  and  winter  of  1895-96  the 
committee  on  subscriptions  was  engaged  in  se- 
curing funds. 

On  March  10,  1896,  the  association  held  a  meet- 
ing to  devise  further  measures  in  the  cause.  The 
sessions  were  held  at  the  courthouse  in  Ottawa. 
By  unanimous  vote  instructions  were  given  to  the 
committee  to  take  steps  at  once  looking  toward 
the  erection  of  a  building.  The  sum  of  $15,000 
was  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  committee. 

To  indicate  the  disposition  of  this  movement 
to  our  public  schools,  the  association  at  this  meet- 
ing adopted  the  following  resolutions: 

Whereas,  In  the  recent  past  the  action  of  cer- 
tain parts  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  regard  to 
certain  educational  measures  pertaining  to  the 
public  schools  has  placed  the  attitude  of  the 
Lutheran  Church  at  large  toward  these  schools 
in  a  false  light  before  the  Amerian  public;  there- 
fore be  it 

Resolved,  by  the  Illinois  Lutheran  College  As- 
sociation, That  we  regard  with  great  apprecia- 
tion the  privileges  of  our  American  citizenship, 
that  we  are  not  only  willing  but  happy  to  add 
our  share  as  citizens  toward  the  support  of  the 
public  schools  and  to  utilize  for  our  children  the 
opportunities  offered  by  these  schools;  and 

Resolved,  That  in  establishing  and  maintain- 
ing the  school  contemplated  by  this  association 
there  lies  no  element  of  antagonism  to  the  public 
schools,  but  only  an  intention  in  good  faith  to 
avail  ourselves  of  the  valued  privilege  accorded 
by  our  government  —  the  privilege  to  train  our 
sons  and  daughters  to  loyal  and  patriotic  citizen- 
ship in  this  great  and  liberal  country  under  the 
influence  of  that  form  of  the  Christian  faith 
which  we  have  received  from  our  fathers.  It  is 
our  design  to  stand  in  most  friendly  relation  to 
the  public  schools  and  to  co-operate  with  them 
in  their  great  and  noble  purpose. 

After  this  meeting  the  building  committee  pro- 
ceeded to  carry  out  its  duties.  Based  on  plans 
and  specifications  prepared  by  the  architect,  Mr. 
Jason  F.  Richardson,  of  Ottawa,  the  bid  of  San- 
ders Bros.  Manufacturing  Company,  general  con- 
tractors, was  accepted.  Ground  was  broken  on 


the  18th  day  of  April,  1896,  for  the  new  building. 

In  the  course  of  the  summer  of  1896  the  board 
of  trustees  elected  the  following  additional  teach- 
ers: Prof.  C.  O.  Solberg,  to  have  charge  of  Latin, 
Greek  and  English;  Prof.  W.  Guy  Rosebery,  as 
principal  of  the  commercial  department;  Dr.  J. 
N.  Downs,  to  have  charge  of  the  work  in  physi- 
ology and  act  as  college  physician;  Miss  Carrie 
Scott,  as  teacher  of  piano  and  organ;  Miss  Mar- 
guerite Osman,  as  teacher  of  stringed  instru- 
ments. 

Thus  organized,  the  institution  was  opened  in 
the  new  building  on  Sept.  19,  1896.  It  has  co.n- 
tinued  its  work  uninterruptedly  and  has  in  this 
time  graduated  from  its  various  departments  174 
young  men  and  women.  Of  these  some  have  en- 
tered the  ministry,  some  law  and  some  medicine; 
some  have  gone  into  business  pursuits,  some  are 
teaching  and  others  are  farming. 

It  does  not  come  within  the  purpose  of  this 
sketch  to  trace  all  minor  changes  that  have  been 
made  in  various  matters  pertaining  to  the  or- 
ganization of  the  practical  educational  work. 
Suffice  it  here  to  state  that  the  institution  has 
arranged  its  work  with  the  following  distinct 
aims  in  view: 

1.  To  prepare    students    for   entrance  to   col- 
leges and  universities. 

2.  To    prepare    teachers    for  our  common  and 
parochial  schools. 

3.  To  give  efficient  training  to  those  who  de- 
sire  to    enter   upon    practical    business   pursuits, 
including  stenography. 

4.  To  afford  opportunities  to  those  who  wish 
to  obtain  a  thorough  training  in  .the  art  of  music. 

No  strictly  collegiate  work  is  attempted  as  yet. 

Pleasant  View  Luther  College  is  fully  aware  of 
the  superior  claims  made  by  much  of  the  recent 
thought  in  the  sphere  of  religion  —  even  the 
Christian  religion.  It  has  not  been  able  to  find 
in  these  so-called  progressive  views  a  sufficient 
amount  of  truth  to  justify  it  in  departing  confes- 
sionally  from  the  great  principles  of  faith  which 
are  the  consentient  product  of  the  universal  con- 
sciousness of  the  church  in  its  study,  its  labor,  its 
suffering,  its  prayer,  through  all  the  centuries  of 
its  history.  The  institution  believes  in  conserva- 
tive reformation.  It  accordingly  makes  its  offt- 
cial  statement  of  purpose  in  the  following  words: 

The  Lutheran  Church  is  conservative  in  faith 
and  doctrine.  It  is  judiciously  progressive  in 
matters  of  education  and  practice.  Doctrinally  it 
adheres  strictly  to  the  teachings  of  the  Word  of 
God,  understood  in  accordance  with  the  general 
creeds  of  early  Christianity  and  with  the  Lu- 


NORWEGIAN    CHURCHES   IN    ILLINOIS 


135 


theran  confessional  writings.  Educationally,  it 
seeks  to  utilize  the  best  results  of  modern  peda- 
gogical research. 

To  give  the  rising  generation  a  thorough  train- 
ing on  a  basis  doctrinally  conservative,  educa- 
tionally progressive,  is  the  purpose  of  Pleasant 
View  Luther  College. 

*     *     * 

TRINITY  CONGREGATION,  OTTAWA,  ILL. 
By  Prof.   L.  A.  Vigness. 

Trinity  Congregation  in  Ottawa,  Illinois,  was 
organized  by  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Reinertsen,  while  he 
was  pastor  resident  in  Aurora.  As  only  a  few 
Norwegian  families  have  settled  in  Ottawa  this 
congregation  is  one  of  the  smaller  congregations 
among  our  people  in  Illinois.  After  the  resig- 
nation of  Rev.  Reinertsen,  this  congregation  was 
served  for  several  years  by  Rev.  N.  J.  Lockrem, 
who  at  that  time  was  the  pastor  of  the  Fox 
River  and  Stavanger  churches.  Later,  a  call  was 
issued  to  the  Rev.  A.  C.  Barron,  who  accepted 
the  call,  moved  to  Ottawa,  and  served  the  con- 
gregation two  years.  During  the  vacancy  caused 
by  the  resignation  of  Rev.  Barron,  Prof.  L.  A. 
Vigness,  president  of  Pleasant  View  Luther  Col- 
lege, was  elected  on  the  22d  of  October,  1901,  to 
serve  the  congregation  temporarily  as  its  pas- 
tor. This  call  was  later  made  a  permanent  call. 
Prof.  Vigness  is  still  (October,  1906)  the  pastor 
of  this  congregation.  Thus  the  congregation 
stands  in  connection  with  Pleasant  View  Luther 

College. 

*     *     * 

THE  NORWEGIAN   LUTHERAN   DEA- 
CONESS  HOME  AND   HOSPITAL, 
CHICAGO,  ILL. 

By  Rev.  H.  B.  Kildahl. 

In  the  fall  of  1885  Rev.  A.  Mortensen,  of 
Christiania,  Norway,  preached  a  sermon  on  the 
subject  "The  Female  Diaconate"  in  Bethlehem 
Church,  corner  Centre  avenue  and  Huron  street, 
Chicago.  The  effect  of  this  sermon  was  that  a 
mass  meeting  of  Norwegians,  mostly  women, 
was  held  Nov.  3,  1885,  and  resulted  in  the  organi- 
zation of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Tabitha  So- 
ciety. So  great  was  the  enthusiasm  for  the  dea- 
coness cause  that  the  members  of  the  society  im- 
mediately began  actual  deaconess  work  by  col- 
lecting money,  food  and  clothing  for  distribution 
among  the  poor  and  sick.  Gradually  a  building 
fund  was  collected,  as  it  became  evident  to  those 
interested  that  if  the  work  was  to  become  perma- 
nent and  effective  it  would  be  necessary  to  pro- 
vide a  deaconess  home. 


As  the  society  grew  in  membership  it  became 
evident  that  there  existed  two  distinct  tenden- 
cies— one  of  which  favored  the  hospital  phase 
and  the  other  favored  the  deaconess  home  phase 
of  the  work.  This  division  became  so  pronounced 
and  painful  that  the  charter  members  who  fav- 
ored the  deaconess-home  idea  withdrew  from 
the  society;  but  not  from  their  purpose. 

These  members  soon  organized  another  so- 
ciety and  called  it  "The  Original  Norwegian 
Lutheran  Tabitha  Society,"  whose  object  was 
"the  establishment  and  maintenance  of  a  dea- 
coness home  and  hospital";  and  in  the  spring  of 
1891  they  had  carried  the  work  so  far  that  they 
had  secured  the  services  of  three  sisters  from 
the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Deaconess  Institute, 
Minneapolis,  Minn.  Their  names  were  Sisters 
Amalia  Kittelson,  Martha  Berg  and  Marie  Lang- 
aunet.  These  three  'sisters  began  the  service  in 
the  form  of  parish  work. 

Nov.  3,  1891,  six  years  after  the  organization 
of  the  first  society',  a  house  on  Humboldt  street, 
which  the  society  had  bought,  was  dedicated  as 
the  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital. 

The  first  patient  was  received  in  this  home  De- 
cember 7,  1891,  and  the  work  was  carried  on 
with  moderate  success  until  August,  1893,  when 
the  home  was  destroyed  by  fire. 

Interested  men  and  women  both  in  and  outside 
of  the  two  societies  labored  for  the  union  of  the 
two  societies.  At  the  invitation  of  twelve  promi- 
nent men,  who  were  not  members  of  either  so- 
ciety, a  meeting  was  held,  June  7,  1892,  of  these 
twelve  men  and  the  boards  of  directors  of  the 
two  societies  in  Our  Savior's  Church,  corner  May 
and  Erie  streets,  and  resulted  in  the  election  of 
a  committee  to  settle  the  differences  between  the 
two  societies.  This  committee  finally  agreed  that 
both  the  existing  societies  should  disband,  and 
that  a  new  society  should  be  organized.  This 
proposition  was  favorably  received.  The  old  so- 
cieties disbanded  and  a  new  one  was  organized, 
retaining  the  original  name,  "The  Norwegian 
Lutheran  Tabitha  Society." 

The  enthusiasm  for  the  work  was  great.  Funds 
were  collected  and  the  Tabitha  Deaconess  Home 
and  Hospital,  Francisco  and  Thomas  streets,  was 
erected.  The  cornerstone  was  laid  June  3,  1893, 
and  the  work  was  begun  on  the  new  building 
that  fall.  Prosperity  and  success  seemed  to  at- 
tend the  work.  The  new  home  was  completed 
and  funds  were  readily  subscribed;  but  it  soon 
became  more  and  more  evident  that,  while  there 
was  only  one  society,  the  two  old  conflicting  ten- 
dencies still  existed.  The  articles  of  union  and 
the  constitution  of  the  united  society  provided 


180 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


that  the  newly  erected  building  should  be  a 
"deaconess  home  and  hospital."  But  a  faction  in 
the  society  insisted  that  it  should  be  a  Nor- 
wegian national  hospital. 

A  division  in  the  society  was  inevitable.  This 
came  in  1895.  The  Norwegian  Lutheran  Tabitha 
Society  consisted  of  twelve  branches.  At  the 
annual  meeting  of  the  society  Jan.,  1895,  seven  of 
these  branches  protested  against  this  breach  of 
the  articles  of  union,  and  when  it  was  found  that 
a  friendly  agreement  could  not  be  effected,  an 
effort  was  made  on  the  part  of  the  seven  branches 


aged,  one  branch  proposed  establishing  an  or- 
phanage, and  only  a  few  members  of  one  branch 
still  clung  to  the  deaconess-home  idea,  and  for 
the  third  time  they  began  to  work  for  the  dea- 
coness cause. 

After  a  number  of  meetings  "The  Norwegian 
Lutheran  Deaconess  Society"  of  Chicago  was 
organized  Feb.  17,  1896,  in  Bethel  Church,  Hum- 
boldt  street  and  Armitage  avenue.  The  society 
was  small,  of  limited  means,  and  after  repeated 
defeats  did  not  feel  very  enthusiastic.  The  new 
society  was  incorporated  by  Dr.  N.  T.  Quales, 


The  Norwegian  Lutheran  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital,  Chicago. 


for  a  division  of  the  assets,  over  half  of  which 
the  seven  branches  had  provided.  The  seven 
branches  offered  to  buy  out  the  five  branches,  or 
to  sell  their  share  of  the  institution  to  them;  but 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  property  was  worth 
at  least  $25,000  the  seven  left  it  all  rather  than 
go  into  court  over  it. 

During  1895  the  seven  branches  held  a  number 
of  meetings  for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a  new 
society.  .  A  committee  was  elected  for  the  pur- 
pose of  proposing  a  constitution.  When  this 
committee  reported  it  appeared  that  five  branches 
favored  the  establishment  of  a  home  for  the 


Rev.  A.  C.  Anderson  and  Mr.  Adolph  Larson, 
Sept.  17,  1896.  A  two-flat  house  on  the  corner 
of  Artesian  avenue  and  Lemoyne  street  was 
rented  the  1st  of  May,  1897.  This  house,  to- 
gether with  the  rear  house,  contained  twenty- 
five  rooms. 

The  first  board  of  directors  was  Rev.  A.  C. 
Anderson,  Dr.  N.  T.  Quales,  Mrs.  A.  P.  Johnson, 
Mrs.  J.  P.  Hovland,  Rev.  J.  N.  Kildahl,  Mr. 
Adolph  Larson,  Mrs.  S.  Dahl,  Rev.  Olaf  Guld- 
seth  and  Mrs.  Adolph  Larson. 

The  first  officers  were  Rev.  A.  C.  Anderson, 
president;  Mr.  Adolph  Larson,  vice-president; 


NORWEGIAN    CHURCHES    IN    ILLINOIS 


187 


Rev.  Olaf  Guldseth,  secretary;  Mrs.  S.  Dahl, 
treasurer. 

The  first  question  that  confronted  the  new  so- 
ciety was  to  secure  a  deaconess  to  head  the  in- 
stitution. Rev.  Olaf  Guldseth,  being  in  Norway 
on  a  visit,  was  instructed  to  try  to  secure  one 
from  the  Motherhouse  in  Christiania,  Norway. 
He  did  secure  Deaconess  Anna  Tofte,  but  on  ac- 
count of  ill  health  she  resigned  and  left  the  in- 
stitution in  November,  1897. 

Finally  arrangements  were  made  with  Sister 
Ingeborg  Oberg,  formerly  of  the  Norwegian  Lu- 


the  United  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  of 
America. 

Nov.  lj  1902,  the  new  building  was  completed 
and  taken  possession  of  by  the  sisters  and  pa- 
tients. 

The  dedication  of  the  new  building  took  place 
the  24th  of  May,  1903,  by  President  T.  H.  Dahl 
of  the  United  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  of 
America. 

This  building,  which  is  one-half  of  the  pro- 
posed structure,  is  125  by  85  feet.  It  is  four 
stories  high  besides  basement,  and  is  fitted  up  as 


A  group  of  Deaconesses  of  the  Deaconess  Home. 


theran  Deaconess  Institute,  Minneapolis,  Minn., 
to  take  charge  of  the  new  institution  in  Chicago. 
She  took  up  the  work  in  November,  1897. 

April  25,  1899,  the  society  purchased  four  lots 
on  the  northwest  corner  of  Haddon  avenue  and 
Leavitt  street.  Later  another  lot  was  added.  It 
was  decided  to  proceed  to  the  erection  of  a  build- 
ing on  this  land.  Ground  was  broken  October 
28,  1901. 

The  cornerstone  of  the  new  building  was  laid 
May  11,  1902,  by  Rev.  T.  H.  Dahl,  president  of 


a  first-class  modern  hospital.  The  accompanying 
cut  represents  the  building  as  it  will  appear  when 
completed. 

Nov.  1,  1902,  when  the  society  took  up  the 
work  in  the  new  building,  Deaconess  Ingeborg 
Oberg,  having  resigned  as  acting  sister  superior, 
left  the  service,  and  Deaconess  Marie  Larson 
was  called  to  take  her  place. 

The  work  had  grown  to  such  an  extent  that  it 
became  more  and  more  evident  to  the  board  of 
directors  that  it  was  necessary  to  call  a  rector 


138 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


for  the  institution.  Several  pastors  in  the  United 
Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  of  America  were 
called  or  approached,  but  declined.  Finally  Rev. 
H.  B.  Kildahl,  pastor  of  Covenant  Lutheran 
Church  in  Chicago,  was  called.  He  accepted  the 
position,  and  entered  upon  his  new  duties  Nov. 
1,  1902. 

The  United  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  of 
America,  at  its  annual  meeting  in  1900,  appointed 
a  committee  to  propose  a  plan  by  which  the 
church  could  assume  control  of  the  institution. 
This  committee  consisted  of  Consul  Halle  Stens- 
land,  Rev.  G.  G.  Krostu  and  Rev.  S.  Gunderson. 


which  the  institution  could  be  deeded  to  the 
church.  Such  a  plan  was  proposed  and  accepted 
both  by  the  church  and  the  institution,  and  on 
the  9th'  of  November,  1904,  in  Minneapolis,  Minn., 
Mr.  Adolph  Larson,  who  had  been  the  president 
of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Deaconess  Soci- 
ety since  Rev.  A.  C.  Anderson  died,  Dec.  21, 
1896,  gave  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  United 
Church  a  deed  to  all  the  property  of  the  society. ' 
The  present  board  of  directors  are  Mr.  Adolph 
Larson  president;  Rev.  N.  J.  Lockrem,  vice-pres- 
ident; Rev.  C.  E.  Tiller,  secretary;  Mr.  Hakon 
Thompson,  treasurer;  Hon.  Halle  Stensland;  Rev. 


Deaconesses  in  Foreign  Mission  Work  from  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Deaconess  Home. 


The  board  of  directors  of  the  Deaconess  So- 
ciety elected  Mr.  A.  P.  Johnson,  Dr.  N.  T.  Quales 
and  Mr.  Adolph  Larson  as  a  committee  to  work 
with  the  committee  from  the  church. 

Acting  on  the  recommendation  of  this  com- 
mittee, the  church  instructed  its  board  of  trustees 
to  accept  the  property  of  the  Norwegian  Lu- 
theran Deaconess  Society  in  Chicago  under 
deed  of  trust  when  the  new  building  was  com- 
pleted. This  transfer  was  effected  in  June,  1903. 

At  its  annual  meeting  in  Minneapolis,  Minn., 
1903,  the  church  appointed  Revs.  M.  H.  Hegge, 
N.  J.  Lockrem,  S.  Gunderson  and  Mr.  Adolph 
Larson  as  a  committee  to  propose  a  plan  by 


M.  H.  Hegge;  Rev.  O.  R.  Sletten;  Rev.  G.  O. 
Belsheim;  Rev.  H.  B.  Kildahl,  rector;  and  Dea- 
coness Caroline  Williams. 

The  United  Church  at  its  annual  meeting  in 
1905  called  Deaconess  Ingeborg  Sponland  to  the 
position  of  permanent  sister  superior.  The  pres- 
ent acting  sister  superior  is  Deaconess  Caroline 
Williams,  Deaconess  Marie  Larson  having  been 
giving  leave  of  absence  for  four  months  from 
Jan.  1,  1906. 

In  1899  the  institution  had  9  sisters;  in  1900, 
15;  in  1901,  22;  in  1902,  25;  in  1903,  26;  in  1904,  31; 
in  1905,  42;  and  in  1906,  55. 

Of    these,    2    are    serving   Bethesda   Hospital, 


NORWEGIAN    CHURCHES    IN    ILLINOIS 


139 


Crookston,    Minn.;    2,     the    Deaconess    Hospital,          The   first  year   of  its   existence   the   institution 

Grafton,   N.   D.;  2,   Ebenezer  Hospital,   Madison,  cared  for  102  patients;  in  1899,  142;  in  1900,  149; 

Minn.;    1,    the    Deaconess    Hospital,    Northwood,  in   1901,   146;   in   1902,   192;   in   1903,  268;   in   1904, 

N.  D.;  1,  St.  Olaf  Hospital,  Austin,  Minn.;  1,  in  378;  in  1905,  503. 


Group  of  Sisters,  Norwegian  Lutheran  Deaconess  Home. 


the  mission  field  in  Madagascar;  2,  in  the  mis-  The  accounts  of  the  institution  show  that  from 
sion  field  in  China,  and  the  rest  are  at  the  Moth-  Oct.  1,  1903,  to  May  1,  1905,  $38,787.51  had  been 
erhouse  in  Chicago.  received  and  disbursed. 


140 


A  HISTORY   OF  THE  NORWEGIANS   OF   ILLINOIS 


Hauge's   Synod 

By  Rev.  K.  O.  Eittreim. 

The  history  of  that  body  of  Norwegian  Luther- 
ans in  America,  popularly  called  Hauge's  Synod, 
has  its  beginning  in  our  fatherland,  Norway. 

Different  ^tendencies  have  at  all  times  existed 
i-n  the  Christian  church  and  have  finally  led  to 
'the  formation  of  new  denominations.  Not  only 
in  the  Christian  church  at  large  and  in  these 
general  bodies  do  we  find  differences,  but  also 
within  each  denomination  and  that  to  such  an 
extent  that  they  have  led  to  the  formation  of 
new  synods.  Could  we  carry  this  thought  down 
to  the  bottom  we  should  probably  find  few,  if 
any,  congregations  even  in  which  all  members 
fully  agree  on  all  points  of  Christian  doctrine 
and  practice. 

Whether  this  state  of  things  in  the  church  is 
excusable,  or  inexcusable;  whether  it  is  a  sign 
of  weakness,  or  of  strength;  of  life,  or  of  death, 
it  is  not  our  purpose  here  to  discuss.  -We  simply 
state  that  so  it  has  been  and  so  it  is.  So  we 
find  it  also  in  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church. 

In  the  mother  church,  on  account  of  her  or- 
ganization and  union  with  the  state,  such  different 
tendencies  have  hitherto  had  little  chance  to  de- 
velop into  recognized  parties.  In  this  land  of 
religious  liberty  each  tendency  has  been  free  to 
form  itself  and  develop  according  to  its  own  bent. 

In  Norway  in  the  latter  part  of  the  eighteenth 
and  beginning  of  the  nineteenth  centuries,  Hans 
N.  Hauge,  a  layman  extraordinarily  gifted,  began 
to  preach  against  the  rationalism  and  secularism 
so  prevalent  at  that  time  among  the  Norwegian 
clergy,  and  consequently  among  the  people.  He 
laid  stress  upon  an  experimental  Christian  life 
and  the  spiritual  priesthood  of  all  Christians. 
He  won  many  followers  who  were  called  "Read- 
ers", or  "Haugeans."  Neither  Hauge  nor  his 
followers  by  word  or  example  incited  to  separa- 
tion from  the  state  church.  They  have  on  the 
contrary  the  reputation  of  being  the  most  faith- 
ful members  of  the  church. 

When  the  Norwegians  began  to  emigrate  to 
America  some  of  these  Haugeans  also  were 
among  them. 

The  first  one  was  Ole  Olson  Hetletveit  who 
came  on  the  "sloop"  in  1825,  and  is  said  to  have 
been  the  only  one  of  that  company  who  remained 
true  to  the  Lutheran  faith.  In  Norway  he  had 
been  a  schoolmaster  and  in  America  he  went 
about  as  a  lay  preacher. 


The  father  of  Hauge's  Synod,  however,  is  Elling 
Eielsen.  He  was  born  in  Vos,  Norway,  Sept.  19, 
1804.  His  parents  were  Haugeans.  As  a  young 
man  he  traveled  through  many  parts  of  Norway 
as  a  lay  preacher.  In  1839  he  came  to  America. 
Arrived  in  Chicago  he  gathered  a  few  Norweg- 
ians who  lived  there  together  in  a  house  owned 
by  an  English  woman,  and  there  he  preached 
his  first  sermon  in  America.  He  did  not  remain 
long  in  Chicago  then,  but  together  with  one 
Christen  Olson  traveled  about  70  miles  south- 
west to  the  Fox  River  Settlement.  Here  Eiel- 
sen became  the  religious  leader  of  his  people, 
and  soon  built  a  meeting  house  which  no  doubt 
must  be  considered  the  first  meeting  house  for 
religious  worship,  which  was  built  by  the  Nor- 
wegians in  America. 

He  soon  began  to  look  up  his  countrymen  in 
Wisconsin  and  other  places  where  they  had  settled, 
gathering  them  about  God's  Word,  which  he 
preached  in  a  simple  and  straightforward  man- 
ner, laying  great  stress  upon  repentance  and 
faith  and  a  pious  life. 

His  work  bore  fruit,  and  had  he  laid  more 
stress  upon  properly  organizing  his  converts  into 
well  ordered  congregations,  this  early  and  im- 
portant part  of  our  church  history  would  not 
now  be  so  obscure  as  it  is,  and  perhaps  also 
many  unpleasant  things  would  have  been  averted. 

In  1843  the  people  in  Fox  River  district  called 
Eielsen  to  be  their  pastor,  which  call  he  ac- 
cepted and  was  accordingly  ordained  to  the  min- 
istry Oct.  3,  1843,  by  Rev.  F.  A.  Hoffman,  D.D., 
a  German  Lutheran  pastor.  The  ordination  was 
performed  in  Chicago.  Eielsen  was  the  first 
Norwegian  Lutheran  pastor  in  America. 

As  the  work  progressed  he  began  to  see  the 
necessity  of  having  an  outward  form.  A  meet- 
ing was  accordingly  held  April  13  and  14,  1846, 
on  Jefferson  Prairie,  Rock  county,  Wis.,  where 
representatives  were  present  from  his  followers 
in  Illinois  and  Wisconsin,  and  a  synod  was  or- 
ganized bearing  the  name,  "The  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church  in  North  America."  The  con- 
stitution of  this  body  was  dictated  by  Eielsen 
and  written  by  O.  Andrewson,  one  of  Eielsen's 
converts,  who  was  later  ordained  to  the  min- 
istry. How  many  were  present  at  this  first 
meeting  we  are  not  informed.  The  same  con- 
stitution was  again  adopted  by  a  larger  meeting 
at  Koshkonong,  Wis.,  Oct.  15  and  16,  1850,  and 
was  then  subscribed  to  by  thirty-five  men. 

The  pastors  who  soon  after  Eielsen  came  from 
Norway  and  were  trained  by  the  mother  church 
represented  a  different  type  of  Christian  life  from 
Eielsen  and  his  followers  who  were  of  a  de- 


NORWEGIAN    CHURCHES    IN    ILLINOIS 


141 


cidedly  pietistic  type.  They  claimed  to  be 
orthodox,  but  it  was  found  that  they  were  more 
or  less  infected  with  the  peculiar  views  of  Grundt- 
vig.  Still  the  Christianity  on  either  side  would 
certainly  not  have  necessitated  such  a  breach  be- 
tween them,  but  the  "Old  Adam"  was  struggling 
for  a  place.  Eielsen  in  spite  of  his  piety  was 
by  nature  very  headstrong,  and  was  not  disposed 
to  be  ruled  by  any  one.  This  he  showed  through 
his  whole  life,  and  not  the  least  when  he  long 
after  separated  himself  from  his  own  followers 
because  they  found  it  necessary  to  improve  upon 
his  work.  The  others  were  also  perhaps  equally 
headstrong  in  their  way  and  did  not  meet  Eiel- 
sen in  the  most  charitable  manner.  Having  a 
superior  education,  and  the  moral  backing  of  the 
mother  church,  they  of  course  did  not  feel  dis- 
posed to  prostrate  themselves  under  the  thumb 
of  a  layman,  which  we  can  not  wonder  at.  It 
was  thoroughly  human.  The  only  thing  possible 
seemed  to  be  to  separate,  and  so  it  went.  Eiel- 
sen continued  in  the  way  he  had  begun  and  the 
others  organized  their  own  synod.  Perhaps  it 
was  better  so.  Perhaps  each  had  their  own  mis- 
sion, but  if  so  have  they  not  soon  performed  it 
so  we  could  join  hands  again  in  our  common 
cause? 

Hauge's  Synod  still  stands  for  the  pietistic 
type  of  the  Lutheran  faith  in  theory  at  least. 
Whether  we  now  have  more  of  true  piety  than 
our  sister  synods  may  be  questioned. 

As  the  synod  grew  the  need  of  more  ministers 
became  more  and  more  apparent.  This  need  was 
met  from  time  to  time  by  calling  and  ordaining 
pious  men  from  their  own  midst.  Though  un- 
learned many  of  these  men  were  highly  gifted 
and  did  excellent  work.  Still  it  was  from  the 
very  beginning  realized  that  this  method  of  sup- 
plying workers  was  not  adequate  to  the  needs. 

Hence  the  question  of  erecting  a  school  for 
training  pastors  soon  became  a  leading  issue  with 
them  and  remained  so  for  many  years.  Before 
they  finally  succeeded  four  different  attempts 
were  made  to  begin  such  a  school:  in  Lisbon, 
111.,  1855,  Deerfield,  Wis.,  1865,  Red  Wing,  Minn., 
1868,  and  in  Chicago,  1870.  No  doubt  the  peo- 
ple learned  something  from  these  many  failures, 
but  some  of  them  at  least  were  very  expensive. 
•  It  is  a  strong  proof  of  how  determined  these 
people  were  to  have  a  school,  that  after  all  these 
disappointments  they  did  not  give  up. 

Another  bone  of  contention  for  many  years 
was  the  constitution  of  the  synod.  As  might  be 
expected  and  is  more  or  less  the  case  with  all 
human  productions,  it  did  not  prove  to  be  in 
all  things  adequate  to  the  requirements.  After 


much  discussion  a  thoroughly  revised  constitu- 
tion was  adopted  at  the  annual  meeting  held  in 
Fillmore  county,  Minn.,  June  5-13,  1875. 

The  preamble  and  first  article  of  this  consti- 
tution are  in  a  literal  translation  as  follows: 
"That  church  body  which  by  Hauge's  friends  was 
organized  April  13  and  14,  1846,  on  Jefferson 
Prairie,  Rock  county,  Wis.,  and  which  hitherto 
has  been  called,  'The  Evangelical  Lutheran 
Church  in  America,'  hereby  adopts 

The  Name 

(§  1)  "Hauge's  Norwegian  Evangelical  Lu- 
theran Synod  in  America." 

Thus  while  the  synod  itself  dates  from  1846, 
the  present  name  dates  only  from  1875. 

The  school  question  was  still  a  live  issue  and 
was  now  soon  to  be  settled  more  satisfactorily 
than  hitherto.  In  1878  an  appropriate  school 
property  was  purchased  in  Red  Wing,  Minn. 
Sept.  17,  1879,  Red  Wing  Seminary  was  ded- 
icated and  opened  its  doors  with  two  professors 
and  thirteen  students.  Instruction  was  offered 
in  two  departments,  a  preparatory  and  a  theo- 
logical. Rev.  I.  Eisteinson  was  the  first  princi- 
pal of  the  school  and  instructor  in  theology,  and 
G.  O.  Brohaugh  was  at  the  head  of  the  prepar- 
atory department.  The  standard  of  instruction 
has  been  gradually  raised  and  extended  until  they 
now  have  an  academical  course  of  three  years, 
a  collegiate  course  of  five  years  and  a  theological 
course  of  three  years.  Instruction  in  the  theolog- 
ical department  is  now  also  offered  in  both  the 
Norwegian  and  English  languages.  The  faculty 
at  present  numbers  seven  and  the  usual  attend- 
ance about  140.  From  the  college  department 
202  young  men  have  graduated,  and  from  the 
theological  department  118.  Of  the  129  pastors, 
professors,  and  missionaries,  now  in  the  synod 
ninety-six  are  graduates  from  the  theological  de- 
partment of  the  seminary.  Prof.  M.  G.  Hanson 
is  the  principal.  Our  property  in  Red  Wing  is 
valued  at  $121,000. 

The  synod  also  has  a  college  in  Jewell  Jet., 
Iowa.  This  college  was  founded  in  1893  by  the 
"Jewell  Lutheran  College  Association."  In  1897 
it  was  transferred  to  the  Iowa  district  of  Hau- 
ge's Syno^.,  and  in  1905  it  was  again  transferred 
to  the  synod  at  large.  Here  an  average  of  about 
115  young  men  and  women  are  being  trained  in 
the  usual  college  studies,  besides  being  under  the 
influence  of  Christian  surroundings.  Rev.  Prof. 
N.  J.  Lohre,  B.  L.,  is  the  principal.  The  property 
is  valued  at  $35,000. 

A  printing  establishment  and  a  book  depart- 
ment are  operated  in  connection  with  Red  Wing 


142 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Seminary.  Here  are  issued  the  official  organ  of 
the  synod,  "Budbsereren,"  a  weekly  paper,  now 
in  its  thirty-eighth  year;  "Bjzirnevennen,"  a  weekly 
Sunday  school  paper,  in  its  twenty-ninth  year; 
and  "The  Little  Messenger,"  an  English  weekly 
Sunday  school  paper,  in  its  second  year.  During 
the  school  year  the  students  of  Red  Wing  Semi- 
nary issue  a  monthly  paper  called  "Hemnica." 

At  Beresford,  S.  D.,  the  synod  owns  and  oper- 
ates "Bethesda  Orphans'  Home."  Here  from 
50  to  60  children  are  cared  for  and  trained  in 
secular  and  religious  knowledge.  Three  hundred 
acres  of  land  are  owned  by  the  home,  and  the 
whole  property  is  valued  at  $35,000. 

In  1905  Severt  K.  Rong  of  Wanamingo,  Minn., 
gave  to  the  synod  by  a  last  will  his  whole  estate 
consisting  of  578  acres  of  land  and  personal 
property  together  valued  at  about  $28,000  on  the 
condition  that  the  synod  shall  within  5  years  after 
the  settlement  of  the  estate  establish  hereon  and 
thereafter  maintain  an  orphans'  home.  At  the 
annual  meeting  in  1906,  the  synod  resolved  to 
accept  the  gift  on  the  conditions  named  in  the 
will.  Prof.  M.  G.  Hanson  is  holding  the  property 
in  trust  for  the  synod,  until  the  provisions  of 
the  will  shall  have  been  fulfilled. 

For  about  fifteen  years  the  synod  has  carried 
on  missionary  work  at  Fau  Cheng,  China,  and 
vicinity.  Four  main  stations  with  twenty-four 
outlying  stations  have  been  opened.  Fifteen  mis- 
sionaries are  at  present  active  in  the  service  and 
sixty-five  native  workers  are  employed.  They 
have  children's  schools  with  thirty  teachers  and 
about  900  children,  a  boarding  school  for  girls 
with  forty-one  girls  attending  and  a  high  school 
for  boys  with  attendance  of  twelve.  A  medical 
mission  is  maintained  and  does  much  to  open  the 
way  for  the  gospel  message.  Nearly  $150,000 
have  been  expended  on  our  China  mission  thus 
far  and  the  demands  have  been  steadily  growing. 
Still  the  necessary  amounts  are  being  raised  with 
comparatively  little  effort.  Last  year  alone  an 
amount  of  $26,871.20  was  received  for  this  mis- 
sion. Other  missions  such  as  among  the  Jews, 
to  Madagascar,  etc.,  are  not  forgotten,  but  are 
more  or  less  liberally  supported.  This  shows  a 
commendable  missionary  spirit  in  Hauge's  Synod. 
The  property  value  of  the  China  mission  is  esti- 
mated at  about  $15,000. 

Home  missionary  work  is  carried  on  with  in- 
creasing zeal  every  year.  A  permanent  mission- 
ary superintendent  is  employed  who  constantly 
travels  within  the  synod  in  the  interests  of  mis- 
sions, home  and  foreign. 

A  matter  of  much  interest  and  great  import- 
ance to  the  synod  is  the  language  question. 


The  demand  for  English  grows  year  by  year, 
while  the  demand  for  Norwegian  continues  and 
in  many  places  holds  its  own.  These  demands 
are  being  met  by  preparing  candidates  for  the 
ministry  as  far  as  possible  with  ability  to  work 
in  both  languages.  An  effort  is  now  being  made 
to  give  theological  instruction  also  in  the  English 
language,  at  our  own  seminary,  but  heretofore 
many  of  our  students  and  pastors  have  found  it 
necessary  to  attend  English  Lutheran  seminaries 
in  order  to  get  their  training.  Quite  a  number 
of  our  pastors  have  spent  from  one  to  three  years 
at  the  English  Lutheran  Seminary  in  Chicago. 
A  permanent  "Board  of  Directors  for  English 
Work,"  consisting  of  five  members,  whose  term 
of  office  is  three  years  has  been  established.  An 
English  conference  is  held  once  a  year,  and  one 
or  .two  sessions  of  the  regular  annual  meeting  is 
usually  set  aside  for  English  work. 

The  synod  at  present  consists  of  121  pastors 
and  290  congregations  with  a  total  of  36,000 
members. 

The  bulk  of  Hauge's  Synod  is  found  in  Illi- 
nois, Wisconsin,  Iowa,  Minnesota,  and  the  Da- 
kotas,  but  we  also  have  members  as  far  south 
as  Texas  and  Louisana,  west  to  the  Pacific  coast, 
north  to  Alberta,  Canada  and  east  to  Michigan. 

For  convenience  the  synod  has  been  divided 
into  districts.  These  districts  are  governed  by 
district  rules  made  by  the  synod  in  common  for 
all  but  they  hold  their  own  conferences  and  have 
jurisdiction  over  such  affairs  as  are  purely  local. 

The  Chicago  District  of  Hauge's  Synod  em- 
braces Michigan,  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  southern 
Wisconsin.  It  consists  of  fourteen  pastors,  nine 
of  whom  are  in  Illinois,  and  twenty-seven  con- 
gregations, fifteen  of  which  are  in  Illinois.  A 
short  sketch  of  each  of  these  fifteen  congrega- 
tions will  here  be  given. 


Trinity  Church,  Chicago. 

It  has  before  been  mentioned  that  Elling  Eiel- 
sen  preached  his  first  sermon  on  American  soil 
in  Chicago,  in  1839.  He  returned  later,  and  the 
flock  he  gathered  about  him  was  the  beginning 
of  Trinity  Church.  Meetings  were  held  in  pri- 
vate houses  on  Ohio,  Erie,  and  Desplaines  streets 
and  vicinity.  They  also  for  a  while  worshipped 
in  a  hall  on  the  North  Side.  The  congregation 
was  thus  in  existence  already  in  the  early  '40's. 

In  1857  Trinity  Church  was  formally  organized 
adopting  a  constitution  and  making  a  list  of 
members.  They  built  a  frame  edifice  on  Indiana 
and  Peoria  streets,  which  caused  some  ill  feeling 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


143 


because  it  was  so  far  out  on  the  "prairie."  Kiel- 
sen  was  the  first  pastor,  and  after  him  Paul  An- 
derson served  them.  Rev.  Krohn,  pastor  of  Our 
Saviour's  Church,  also  served  them  a  short  time 
Rev.  P.  A.  Rasmussen  from  Lisbon,  111.,  was 
their  pastor  some  years,  and  Rev.  Widding  a 
short  time.  Rev.  Krognes  then  became  their 
pastor.  Some  disagreement  arose  between  Rev. 
Krognes  and  the  congregation,  though  quite  a 
number  of  the  members  sided  with  him.  The 
result  was  that  his  friends  left  Trinity  Church 
and  organized  Bethlehem  Church. 

The  exact  dates  of  the  various  changes  up  to 
this  time  I  have  been  unable  to  ascertain,  nor  am 
I  sure  that  they  are  here  given  in  their  chrono- 
logical order  as  the  sources  from  which  the  facts 
have  been  gathered  vary  slightly. 

In  1869  Rev.  J.  Z.  Torgersen,  a  gifted,  energetic 
and  well  trained  young  man  became  pastor  of 
Trinity  Church  and  during  his  pastorate  the 
church  flourished.  The  parochial  reports  from 
his  time  show  that  the  membership  rose  to  more 
than  1,200  souls.  The  old  church  became  too 
small,  and  the  building  of  a  larger  one  became 
necessary. 

A  movement  was  now  started  to  unite  with 
Trinity  Church,  the  college  and  theological  semi- 
nary which  the  synod  was  endeavoring  to  get 
started.  The  church  was  accordingly  built  to  ac- 
commodate both.-  The  first  story  was  fitted  out 
as  class  rooms  for  the  school,  and  the  upper 
story  as  church.  The.  basement,  the  old  church, 
and  one  or  two  other  buildings  belonging  to  the 
church  property  were  to  be  rented  out  and  thus 
help  to  defray  the  expenses.  The  corner  stone 
of  the  new  structure  was  laid  Aug.  27,  1871,  on 
which  occasion  Rev.  E.  Eielsen  delivered  the 
main  address.  The  outlook  was  bright  and 
hopes  ran  high  in  all  those  who  were  in  favor 
of  this  double  undertaking.  But  throughout  the 
west  there  was  from  the  beginning  a  strong  op- 
position to  the  location  of  the  school,  and  hence 
they  did  little  to  support  it.  The  great  Chicago 
fire  which  occurred  in  the  fall  made  it  hard  for 
the  Chicago  people  to  carry  their  end,  though  it 
must  be  said  that  they  did  well.  After  seven 
years  of  heated  discussions  and  hard  attempts 
to  keep  the  school  going  the  whole  undertaking 
was  abandoned  by  the  synod  and  the  property 
turned  over  to  Trinity  Church  on  condition  that 
it  assume  the  whole  indebtedness.  The  property 
had  cost  about  $34,000  and  the  debt  was  about 
$13,000. 

Thus  the  church  was  left  with  a  larger  financial 
burden  than  they  had  anticipated.  Notwithstand- 
ing this,  the  prospects  of  the  church  were  good. 


The  church,  large  as  it  was,  was  too  small  to 
accommodate  the  audiences  which  Pastor  Torger- 
sen by  his  eloquence  drew.  There  was  a  strong 
agitation  to  build  an  addition  to  the  length  of 
the  church,  and  this  would  no  doubt  have  been 
done,  but  for  the  sad  disruption  which  soon  after 
took  place. 

The  pastor  began  to  entertain  and  advocate 
some  doctrines  which  did  not  agree  with  the 
confession  of  the  congregation  and  the  synod  of 
which  they  were  a  part.  In  1879  or  1880  he  left 
the  church  and  synod  and  with  his  friends  who  fol- 
lowed him  organized  Bethany  Church  on  Indiana 
and  Carpenter  streets  a  few  blocks  from  Trinitv. 
Bethany  Church  and  its  pastor  remained  inde- 
pendent, though  calling  themselves  Lutherans. 
He  was  popular  even  unto  his  recent  death,  and 
his  church  enjoyed  considerable  progress  so  long 
as  he  was  young  and  vigorous,  but  as  by  reason 
of  age  -feebleness  crept  over  him,  his  church  be- 
came equally  feeble,  and  when  he  died,  in  1905, 
his  church  died  with  him. 

Trinity  Church  was  of  course  very  much 
weakened,  its  membership  being  cut  down  to 
about  half  of  what  it  used  to  be.  Rev.  M.  Nel- 
son was  its  next  pastor  but  stayed  only  a  very 
short  time.  Rev.  C.  O.  Brohaug  was  called  to 
the  pastorate  in  1880  and  remained  about  thir- 
teen years. 

The  pastors  who  have  served  since  that  time 
are:  I  Eisteinsen,  1893-1894;  N.G.Peterson,  1895- 
1898;  H.  A.  Hanson,  1898-1901;  S.  C.  Simonson, 
1902-1905;  and  the  present  pastor  is  again  H.  A. 
Hanson. 

During  all  these  years  the  congregation  has 
been  struggling  along,  and  but  for  her  former 
glory  and  the  thought  of  what  she  might  have 
been,  would  be  considered  a  prosperous  church 
still.  And  indeed  none  of  our  other  churches 
in  the  city  has  so  far  been  able  to  measure  itself 
with  Trinity. 

In  1900  a  number  of  families  residing  in  the 
northwest  part  of  the  city  left  Trinity  Church 
and  organized  "Hauge's"  Church,  Central  Park 
and  Waubansia  avenues. 

The  church  debt  was  not  materially  reduced 
during  all  these  years,  and  the  value  of  the 
property  decreased.  As  the  city  grew,  the  Nor- 
wegians moved  away  from  this  neighborhood  in 
large  numbers,  and  all  these  things  worked  to- 
gether to  make  it  necessary  at  last  to  offer  the 
old  church  property  which  on  account  of  its  as- 
sociations was  so  dear  to  many  of  us,  for  sale. 
In  1899  it  was  sold  to  an  independent  Italian 
Catholic  congregation  who  dedicated  it  to  their 


144 


A   HISTORY   OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF   ILLINOIS 


use,  but  complications  arose  among  them  so  that 
they  could  not  pay  for  it,  and  the  Trinity  peo- 
ple had  to  take  it  back  after  a  short  time.  They 
now  worshipped  in  it  another  four  years  when  it 
was  again  sold.  This  time  to  orthodox  Catholics. 
The  purchase  price  was  $21,900.  This  together 
with  a  testamentary  gift  amounting  to  several 
thousand  dollars  from  Mrs.  O.  Nelson,  an  old 
member  of  the  church,  enabled  the  congregation 
to  purchase  a  smaller  edifice  at  Huron  a  id  Noble 
streets  and  still  have  enough  money  left  over 
to  make  necessary  repairs  and  alterations.  They 
now  have  a  cozy  and  inviting  place  of  worship. 

The  present  membership  is  said  to  be  about 
525  and  of  late  has  been  on  the  increase.  Active 
work  is  carried  on  in  all  the  different  branches 
customary  in  our  churches  at  this  time.  About 
half  of  the  work  is  done  in  the  English  language. 

Trinity  Church  deserves  honorable  mention  in 
the  history  of  the  Lutheran  church  in  Chicago. 
Several  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  churches 
there  are  the  direct  offspring  of  Trinity,  and  in 
many,  if  not  all,  of  the  Norwegian  churches,  and 
the  English  Lutheran  as  well,  may  be  found 
former  members  of  old  Trinity.  She  deserves 
to  be  called  the  mother  church. 


Hauge's  Norwegian  Evangelical  Church, 
at  Norway,  111. 

This  congregation  was  organized  Nov.  20,  1847, 
by  Elling  Eielsen  with  about  50  members.  It 
was  here  he  first  settled  and  here  he  built  the 
first  church,  before  mentioned.  A  frame  edifice 
30  x  40  feet  was  built  in  1847  and  is  still  used. 
It  is  located  in.  the  village  of  Norway,  has  1% 
acres  of  land  with  it  and  is  valued  at  $3,000. 
The  congregation  also  owns  a  half  interest  in  a 
parsonage  at  Newark,  about  five  miles  from  Nor- 
way. The  congregation  has  never  been  very 
large.  The  highest  membership  according  to 
statistics  at  hand  was,  in  1902,  166  members.  The 
present  membership  is  140. 

Several  of  the  important  meetings  in  the  early 
history  of  the  synod  were  held  in  this  church. 

The  pastors  who  served  them  from  the  begin- 
ning up  to  1870  were  E.  Eielsen,  A.  Scheie,  Ole 
Andrewsen,  Peter  Mehus,  Iverson,  Endre  Johan- 
neson,  and  Johnson.  Rev.  H.  W.  Abelson  served 
from  1871  to  1886,  Rev.  Theo.  Hanson  1886  and 
1887,  Rev.  O.  Andrewsen  1887-1899,  and  the  pres- 
ent pastor,  Rev.  A.  O.  Mortvedt,  from  1900. 

They  have  a  Sunday  school  of  about  forty 
members,  a  ladies'  missionary  society,  and  a 
young  ladies'  missionary  society.  Being  a  part  of 


a  larger  parish  they  have  preaching  services  only 
every  third  Sunday  morning.  The  language  is 
mostly  Norwegian,  but  occasionally  English  is 
used. 


Capron,  111. 

Among  our  oldest  congregations  in  Illinois  is 
one  near  Capron  in  Boone  county.  It  was  or- 
ganized by  E.  Eielsen  in  1858  and  served  by  him 
for  some  time.  Who  their  other  early  pastors 
were,  the  writer  has  been  unable  to  ascertain. 
From  about  1870  to  1898  they  were  served  by  the 
pastors  from  Lee  county,  Revs.  R.  O.  Hill,  J.  N. 
Sandven,  and  C.  E.  Tiller.  From  that  time  what 
preaching  they  have  had  has  been  mostly  by  Chi- 
cago pastors,  but  now  for  several  years  they  have 
had  no  regular  services.  The  congregation  has 
never  been  very  strong.  The  parochial  reports 
from  1874  to  1894  which  are  the  only  ones  avail- 
able to  the  writer  show  an  average  membership 
of  about  ninety.  Very  few  of  these  are  now  left, 
some  having  died,  some  moved  away  and  some 
joined  other  churches. 

The  sad  effects  of  the  church  partisanship 
among  our  people  may  here  be  seen  to  perfec- 
tion. No  less  than  four  Norwegian  Lutheran 
churches  have  here  been  built  within  a  radius 
of  about  one  mile,  all  of  them  struggling  for  ex- 
istence and  none  of  them  able  to  support  a  pas- 
tor. The  Hauge  church  can  plead  the  excuse  of 
being  the  first  one  in  the  field. 

They  own  a  little  red  brick  church  which  is 
one  of  the  landmarks  of  the  neighborhood,  and  a 
cemetery  where  many  of  the  pioneers  rest. 


The  Norwegian  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church, 
near  Creston. 

This  congregation  was  organized  in  1870  and 
was  temporarily  served  by  Rev.  J.  Z.  Torgersen 
for  about  a  year.  Rev.  R.  O.  Hill  who  was  a 
farmer  in  the  neighborhood,  but  had  prepared 
himself  for  the  ministry,  was  called  and  took  up 
the  work  as  permanent  pastor  in  1872.  He  served 
until  his  death  in  1887  though  he  did  not  reside 
in  the  congregation  all  the  time.  For  a  number 
of  years  he  lived  in  Wisconsin,  where  he  also 
served  several  congregations.  Rev.  J.  N.  Sand- 
ven was  pastor  from  1888  to  1893,  Rev.  C.  E.  Til- 
ler from  1894  to  1898.  After  Rev.  Tiller  left  they 
were  without  a  pastor  nearly  two  years.  The 
present  pastor,  Rev.  K.  O.  Eittreim,  was  installed 
July  1,  1900. 


NORWEGIAN    CHURCHES    IN    ILLINOIS 


145 


Their  church,  which  is  a  frame  structure  about 
40x60,  was  built  in  1870  and  enlarged  with  an 
addition  and  a  tower  some  years  later.  Value 
about  $3,500. 

Every  summer  from  two  to  four  months  a 
parochial  school  has  been  held  and  a  Sunday 
school  is  conducted  about  six  months  during  the 
summer.  The  young  people  have  a  Luther  league 
which  meets  every  other  Sunday  evening.  A 
large  ladies'  aid  societv  meeting  every  other 
Thursday  works  for  missions.  Preaching  services 
are  held  in  the  church  on  every  Sunday  in  the 
•year  except  six. 

The  English  language  has  come  into  use  more 
and  more  for  many  years.  Every  third  Sunday 
morning  the  regular  services  are  English.  The 
Sunday  evening  services  are  nearly  all  so.  The 
Sunday  school,  parochial  school,  catechetical  in- 
struction, and  young  people's  society  are  all 
conducted  wholly,  or  nearly  so,  in  the  English 
language. 

The  exact  number  of  members  at  the  organ- 
ization of  the  congregation  I  do  not  know,  but 
four  years  later  the  report  shows  250.  A  steady 
growth  has  been  enjoyed  ever  since  and  the 
membership  now  numbers  457. 


Rooks   Creek   Evangelical   Lutheran   Church, 
Pontiac. 

Rev.  H.  W.  Abelson  preached  the  gospel  and 
administered  the  sacraments  in  the  neighborhood 
of  Pontiac,  as  far  back  as  1873  but  no  organiza- 
tion was  effected  until  1880  when  Rooks  Creek 
congregation  was  organized  with  about  fifteen 
communicant  members  and  "Abel's"  congrega- 
tion with  eleven  families.  "Mud  Creek"  congre- 
gation was  also  organized  about  the  same  time. 
In  1882  these  three  joined  together  in  one  call 
to  be  served  by  the  same  pastor.  About  1890 
"Mud  Creek"  joined  the  United  church,  and  a 
little  later  "Abel's"  congregation  disbanded  and 
joined  in  with  Rooks  Creek. 

A  frame  church  was  built  about  ten  miles 
northwest  from  Pontiac  in  1878,  and  in  Pontiac, 
where  several  of  the  members  now  reside,  a  frame 
church  38  x  60,  valued  at  $3,000,  has  been  bought. 

After  Rev.  Abelson  Rev.  Theo.  Hanson  was 
pastor  from  1882  to  1892.  Rev.  O.  Andresen  re- 
siding at  Newark  then  served  them  for  about 
two  years  after  which  Rev.  A.  J.  Krogstad  was 
their  resident  pastor  from  1894  to  1896.  During 
the  last  ten  years  their  pastoral  service  has  been 
somewhat  unsteady,  Rev.  C.  Harrison,  Rev.  O. 


O.  Risvold,  Rev.  L.  H.  Chally,  and  others  having 
served  them  during  this  time.  At  present  Rev. 
O.  O.  Risvold,  residing  in  Joliet,  is  their  tempor- 
ary pastor.  The  work  in  this  place  has  now 
gone  over  almost  exclusively  to  English.  The 
present  membership  is  about  100. 


The  Norwegian  Evangelical  Lutheran  Congrega- 
tion of  the  Unaltered  Augsburg  Confession, 
Platteville. 

This  congregation  is  situated  in  Kendall  county 
and  was  organized  by  Rev.  P.  A.  Rasmussen 
with  eighty-two  members  in  the  year  1881.  They 
joined  Hauge's  Synod  in  1890  when  the  member- 
ship had  grown  to  one  hundred  and  eleven.  Rev. 
Rasmussen  served  as  pastor  till  1884;  Rev.  N. 
G.  Nelson  1884  to  1889.  After  a  vacancy  of  a 
year  or  more  Rev.  O.  Andresen,  of  Newark,  took 
charge  and  served  till  1899,  since  which  time 
Rev.  A.  O.  Mortvedt,  also  residing  at  Newark, 
has  been  their  pastor.  This  congregation  has 
had  a  steady  growth  and  the  report  for  1905 
shows  a  membership  of  215. 

A  frame  church  26  x  34  was  erected  in  1882  and 
about  five  years  ago  the  length  was  extended  to 
50  feet  and  an  addition  16  x  26  feet  was  built  to 
the  rear  end  for  a  school  house.  The  property 
is  valued  at  $3,000. 

A  Norwegian  Sunday  school  with  four  teach- 
ers and  twenty-five  scholars  and  a  Norwegian 
parochial  school  are  conducted.  The  ladies  have 
a  missionary  society.  Preaching  services  are  held 
every  third  Sunday  in  the  Norwegian  language 
except  occasionally  in  the  evening  when  English 
is  used. 

*  * 

* 

The   Newark   Evangelical   Lutheran   Church, 

at  Newark,  Kendall  county,  was  organized  Dec. 
8,  1886,  having  only  thirty-five  members  to  begin 
with,  but  it  has  prospered  and  steadily  grown  in 
numbars  now  having  a  membership  of  280.  They 
joined  Hauge's  Synod  in  1884.  Their  first  pastor 
was  Theo.  Hanson  who  remained  two  years. 
Rev.  O.  Andresen  was  their  pastor  from  1887  to 
1899  and  Rev.  A.  O.  Mortvedt  from  1900  to  the 
present  time. 

A  frame  church  36  x  60  feet  built  about  50  years 
ago  by  Congregationalists  was  bought  and  put 
in  substantial  order  twelve  or  thirteen  years  ago. 
Before  that  a  chapel  22  x  34  feet  was  used  for  a 
church,  and  has  since  been  used  for  Norwegian 
parochial  school,  Sunday  school,  and  other  small 


146 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


gatherings.  The  church  property  is  valued  at 
$5,000.  A  parsonage  16  x  24  and  22  x  28,  one  story 
high  with  half  a  block  of  land,  the  whole  valued 
at  $2,000,  was  built  in  1894  and  is  owned  jointly 
by  the  congregations  at  Norway  and  Newark. 

A  Sunday  school  with  five  teachers  and  thirty- 
five  scholars  is  conducted  in  the  Norwegian  and 
English  languages  and  a  Norwegian  parochial 
school  with  thirty-five  scholars  is  taught  by  P. 
Oakland  for  a  while  every  summer.  The  ladies, 
old  and  young,  have  each  a  society  for  the  cause 
of  missions.  They  have  preaching  services  every 
third  Sunday  morning  in  Norwegian  and  evening 
in  English. 


The  Norwegian  Evangelical  Lutheran  Immanuel 
Church,  in  Chicago, 

was  organized  in  June,  1888,  by  twelve  families, 
mostly  from  Trinity  church.  Peder  Helland,  a 
theological  student,  served  them  a  few  months 
as  pastor  but  their  first  regular  pastor  was  Rev. 
J.  J.  Breidablik  who  was  installed  Jan.  27,  1889, 
and  served  till  1896.  Rev.  C.  C.  Holter  ministered 
to  them  from  Dec.,  1896  till  April  14,  1899;  Rev. 
G.  O.  Paulsrud  from  May  14,  1899,  till  the  fall  of 
1901;  and  the  present  pastor  Rev.  J.  A.  Quello 
was  installed  April  27,  1902. 

In  1890  a  handsome  frame  edifice  was  erected 
at  Maplewood  avenue  and  Cherry  place  and  is 
now  valued  at  $12,000. 

They  have  a  flourishing  Sunday  school  with 
twenty-five  teachers  and  300  scholars  where  Nor- 
wegian and  English  are  both  used.  A  Luther 
league  is  conducted  in  the  English  language. 
Other  organizations  within  the  church  are  a 
ladies'  aid  society,  a  young  ladies'  sewing  circle, 
a  missionary  society  and  an  efficient  choir.  They 
have  three  regular  services  every  Sunday,  of 
which  two  are  in  Norwegian  and  one  in  English. 

The  present  membership  is  347. 


St.  Paul's  English  Church,  Chicago. 
Exact  data  have  not  been  received  from  this 
congregation  but  the  facts  we  have  been  able  to 
gather  are  about  as  follows:  The  church  was 
organized  by  Prof.  R.  F.  Weidner,  D.D.,  of  the 
English  Lutheran  seminary  about  fifteen  years 
ago  and  was  served  by  general  council  pastors 
till  1899  when  Rev.  L.  Harrisville  of  Hauge's 
Synod  was  called  and  took  up  the  work.  His 
first  report  to  the  synod  shows  a  membership  of 
183.  He  has  increased  this  every  year,  and  for 
1905  he  reports  496. 


In  1902  they  joined  Hauge's  Synod  and  have 
the  distinction  of  being  the  first  English  con- 
gregation in  the  synod.  It  has  hitherto  been 
made  up  largely  of  young  people  of  various  na- 
tionalities though  many  of  them  are  Scandinavians. 
They  have  a  Sunday  school  with  forty-two  teach- 
ers and  700  scholars  which  according  to  the  re- 
ports is  more  than  twice  as  large  as  any  other 
Sunday  school  in  the  synod.  They  also  report 
the  largest  catechetical  class  in  the  synod.  If 
these  children  and  young  people  remain  faithful 
to  the  church  a  large  and  substantial  English  con- 
gregation may  in  time  be  built  up  here. 

The  church  which  was  built  when  they  began 
is  now  said  to  be  too  small  and  a  new  one  is 
being  built  which  according  to  plans  will  no 
doubt  when  finished  be  one  of  the  largest  and 
finest  churches  among  us.  A  flat  building  cost- 
ing about  $9,000  has  also  recently  been  built  and 
a  part  of  it  is  used  as  a  parsonage.  These  un- 
dertakings are  made  possible  mostly  by  gifts 
solicited  by  the  pastor  from  outsiders. 

A  church  paper  called  "The  Reminder"  is  is- 
sued monthly.  Work  is  carried  on  actively  in  all 
the  branches  customary  among  our  city  churches, 
and  all  in  the  English  language. 

Rev.  Harrisville  has  from  its  start  been  very 
active  for  the  Norwegian  Orphans'  Home  in  Chi- 
cago and  has  for  several  years  been  its  president. 


St.  John's  Church,  Creston. 

The  Norwegian  Evangelical  Lutheran  St. 
John's  Church  in  Creston,  Ogle  county,  was  or- 
ganized by  Rev.  C.  E.  Tiller  in  1897  and  the 
building  of  a  house  of  worship  was  begun.  As 
Rev.  Tiller  left  soon  after  and  the  charge  was 
vacant  about  two  years,  the  work  stood  at  a 
standstill.  Considerable  discord  had  arisen  be- 
tween some  of  the  members  too,  and  the  outlook 
was  rather  discouraging  when  the  work  was 
taken  up  by  the  present  pastor,  K.  O.  Eittreim 
who  was  installed  July  1,  1900.  The  building  of 
the  edifice  was  continued  and  finished  in  the  fall. 
December  6,  it  was  dedicated.  It  is  a  cozy  little 
church  valued  at  $2,500  and  was  paid  for  in  full 
about  three  years  ago.  The  membership  in  1900 
was  73.  This  has  been  gradually  increased  and 
the  report  for  1905  shows  143. 

A  ladies'  aid  society  has  worked  with  com- 
mendable zeal  for  the  church  and  now  that  the 
debt  is  paid  and  the  church  handsomely  furnished 
they  are  beginning  to  give  their  attention  to  the 
call  from  the  mission  fields.  Sunday  school  and 
young  people's  work  is  carried  on.  Preaching 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


147 


services   are   held  every  other  Sunday  afternoon 
and  six  Sundays  in  the  year,  in  the  morning. 

The  prospects  for  the  church  have  brightened 
every  year  and  are   now  encouraging. 


Ebenezer  Church,  Chicago. 

Ebenezer  Norwegian  Evangelical  Lutheran 
church  was  organized  as  a  Hauge's  Synod  mis- 
sion in  November,  1900,  and  for  about  a  year  was 
served  by  the  Hauge's  pastors  in  Chicago  with 
such  aid  as  they  could  get  from  the  students  at 
the  English  Lutheran  Seminary  in  Lake  View. 
From  1901  to  1904  Rev.  S.  S.  Westby  was  their 
pastor  and  then  for  about  a  year  they  were 
served  by  student  S.  J.  Brekke.  The  present 
pastor,  Rev.  K.  M.  J.  Mjaanes,  has  been  there 
since  1905.  All  of  these  men  have  also  attended 
the  seminary,  during  their  pastoral  labors,  in 
Chicago. 

The  membership  at  the  beginning  was  about 
five  families  and  is  now  reported  at  fifteen  famil- 
ies. 

They  have  a  frame  church  on  South  Fifty- 
second  street  and  Fifth  avenue  valued  at  $3,000. 
They  have  a  Norwegian  Sunday  school  number- 
ing two  teachers  and  eighteen  scholars,  and  a 
Norwegian  parochial  school  is  carried  on  a  short 
time  each  summer  with  the  same  number  of 
scholars.  The  young  people  have  a  society  and 
carry  on  the  work  in  their  mother  tongue.  The 
preaching  is  also  in  the  Norwegian  language  every 
Sunday.  The  congregation  formally  joined  Hau- 
ge's Synod  in  1902. 


Elim   Church,   Chicago. 

Elim  Norwegian  Evangelical  Lutheran  congre- 
gation is  a  Hauge  Synod  Mission  in  Avondale, 
Chicago,  started  with  forty-two  members  in 
1900.  It  has  been  served  temporarily  by  the 
Chicago  pastors  and  regularly  by  Revs.  Theo.  J. 
Lund,  S.  S.  Westby,  L.  J.  Odland  and  M.  L. 
Dahle,  and  of  late  by  Student  Henry  Thompson. 
All  of  these  with  the  exception  of  Rev.  Lun.d  have 
also  attended  the  English  Lutheran  Seminary 
at  the  same  time. 

In  1903  which  is  the  last  report  at  hand  the 
membership  is  given  at  eighty-five.  The  work 
during  the  last  year  has  been  carried  on  in  the 
English  language  exclusively.  They  joined  the 
synod  in  1901. 


Hauge's  Norwegian  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church, 
Chicago. 

This  church  was  organized  by  twelve  families 
from  Trinity  church  in  1900.  They  had  lived  in 
the  northwest  part  of  the  city  and  paid  their 
carfares  regularly  to  get  to  the  old  mother  church 
for  a  number  of  years.  A  Sunday  school  for 
their  children  had  been  carried  on  in  their  own 
midst,  but  now  they  considered  it  best  also  to 
build  a  church  and  organize  a  new  congregation. 
Rev.  Theo.  J.  Lund  was  their  first  pastor  and 
continued  till  1903  when  he  accepted  a  call  to 
Madison,  Minn.  The  present  pastor  Rev.  J.  J. 
Sharpnes  took  up  the  work  in  1904. 

This  congregation,  though  few  in  numbers  to 
begin  with,  was  composed  of  an  exceptionally 
even  lot  of  active  workers,  and  they  put  their 
hearts  and  hands  to  the  work.  Their  labor  has 
not  been  in  vain.  They  now  have  a  membership 
of  158  and  carry  on  prosperous  work  among 
young  and  old  in  the  various  branches  custom- 
ary among  us.  They  have  built  a  cozy  church 
and  adjoining  it  a  brick  flat,  one  floor  of  which 
is  used  for  parsonage.  While  they  had  some  help 
from  the  mission  treasury  in  the  beginning  they 
are  now  self-supporting. 


Joliet. 

A  congregation  existed  in  Joliet  a  number  of 
years  ago  and  was  served  by  Rev.  Theo.  Han- 
son who  resided  there,  and  later  by  Rev.  O.  An- 
dresen  from  Newark.  Most  of  the  church  mem- 
bers were  laborers  in  the  factories  of  that  city, 
and  when  some  years  ago  on  account  of  hard 
times  many  of  those  had  to  shut  down,  or  reduce 
their  forces  and  wages,  most  of  our  people  moved 
out  of  the  city  and  hence  the  church  work  had 
to  be  discontinued. 

As  good  times  have  returned,  Norwegians  have 
moved  in  again  and  church  work  has  been  re- 
sumed. Rev.  O.  O.  Risvold,  residing  at  Pontiac, 
took  up  the  work  in  1901,  and  Sept  29,  that  year 
a  new  organization  was  made  under  the  name 
"The  Norwegian  Evangelical  Lutheran  Congrega- 
tion at  Joliet".  The  following  year  a  handsome 
frame  church  with  stone  basement  was  built  at 
a  cost  of  $5,000.  About  this  time  the  pastor 
resigned  from  his  charge  in  Pontiac,  moved  to 
Joliet  and  devoted  his  whole  time  to  the  work 
there.  A  heavy  church  debt  has  no  doubt  re- 
tarded their  growth  considerably  so  far  but  the 
debt  is  being  gradually  reduced. 

The   Norwegians   are   quite   numerous   in  Joliet 


148 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


now  and  this  church  being  so  far  as  we  know 
the  only  Norwegian  church  there  it  seems  to 
have  excellent  prospects  for  the  future. 

A  Norwegian  Sunday  school  has  four  teachers 
and  thirty  scholars.  The  young  people  have 
organized  a  Luther  league  and  the  ladies  have 
an  aid  society.  The  membership  of  the  congrega- 
tion is  105. 


Sandwich,  DeKalb  County. 

At  Sandwich  "/crk  has  been  carried  on  by  the 
Hauge  pastors  from  Newark  nearly  twenty  years, 
but  no  organization  was  effected  until  May  10, 
1904,  when  thirty-nine  members  organized  "Our 
Savior's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Congregation". 

Rev.  A.  O.  Mortvedt  who  is  their  pastor 
preaches  there  every  third  Sunday  afternoon  in 
the  Norwegian  language.  The  ladies  have  a 
missionary  society. 

A  small  church  valued  at  $750  has  been  bought 
and  remodeled  and  was  dedicated  Jan.  20,  1907. 

It  is  the  only  Norwegian  church  in  this  thrifty 
town,  but  there  are  only  a  few  of  our  country 
men  there  so  there  is  at  present  no  large  field 
to  work  in.  The  present  membership  is  thirty- 
five. 


Summary. 

We  have  seen  that  the  very  first  beginnings  of 
Hauge's  Synod  transpired  on  Illinois  soil,  and 
that  for  many  years  this  state  took  a  leading  part 
in  our  history.  Yet  not  any  of  the  general  institu- 
tions of  the  synod  have  been  permanently  planted 
here.  This  is  accounted  for  by  the  fact  that  for 
a  generation  or  more  a  constant  migration  of 
our  people  westward  has  been  going  on  and  the 
inflowing  stream  of  immigrants  from  Norway 
has  passed  by  us,  seeking  the  cheaper  lands 
farther  west.  Still  our  synod  has  grown  and 
continues  to  grow  and  extend  itself  also  in  this 
state. 

Our  fifteen  congregations  have  a  total  member- 
ship of  3,154  and  the  total  value  of  their  church 
property  is  about  $85,000. 


The    Norwegian  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church 


Of  Lee  county,  111.,  was  organized  by  Rev.  G.  T. 
Dietrichson,  Oct.,  185S.  The  charter  members 
were  mainly  immigrants  from  Hardanger,  Nor- 
way. *) 

The  congregation  was  at  first  supplied  from 
Chicago  by  Rev.  A.  C.  Preus,  Rev.  C.  J.  P.  Peter- 
sen  and  others.  Then  some  years  Rev.  O.  G. 
Jukam,  from  Clinton,  Iowa,  was  its  pastor.  In 
1864  the  first  church  was  built  1^4  miles  south- 
west of  Lee  station,  where  the  new  church,  built 
in  1896,  now  stands.  In  1866  it  was  incorporated. 
Since  1868  is  has  always  belonged  to  the  Nor- 
wegian Evangelical  Lutheral  Synod  of  America 
and  always  liberally  supported  the  missions  and 
institutions  of  that  body. 

In  1869  the  congregation  got  its  first  settled 
pastor,  Rev.  J.  J.  Tackle,  who  remained  here  till 
1880.  Since  Jan.,  1881,  its  present  pastor,  Rev.  J. 
Nordby,  has  been  working  here.  In  1881  the 
Norwegian  schoolhouse  for  the  southern  district 
was  built,  where  parochial  school  is  being  taught 
yearly. 

In   1885  we  got  the  first  organ  in  our  church. 

The  church  bell  was  bought  in  1879.  The 
beautiful  altar  painting  was  furnished  by  the 
young  people  in  1891.  In  1890  the  old  school- 
house  at  Lee  station  was  bought  and  fitted  up 
for  a  chapel,  where  divine  services  are  being 
conducted  for  the  special  benefit  of  members 
residing  at  Lee  station.  Twice  has  the  Synod 
had  its  yearly  meeting  here,  in  1879  and  in  1891. 

A  Ladies'  Aid  Society  has  for  many  years  been 
working  for  the  missions,  both  heathen  and  home 
mission. 

A  young  people's  society  has  also  been  started. 
Its  meetings  have  been  held  in  the  homes  of  the 
members.  It  has  also  had  several  lecture  courses 
in  the  church.  The  present  members  of  the 
whole  congregation  number  about  500,  and  gen- 
erally speaking,  the  condition  of  the  congrega- 
tion is  flourishing. 

"The  Synod-church",  at  Capron,  Boone  county, 
111.,  or  Long  Prairie  Lutheran  congregation,  is 
one  of  the  oldest  congregations  of  our  Synod. 


'This  sketch  belongs  under  the  Norwegian  Synod, 
but  having  come  In  too  late,  we  had  to  place  It 
here. 


NORWEGIAN    CHURCHES    IN    ILLINOIS 


M9 


It  was  organized  in  1849  and  one  of  the  28  con- 
gregations, that  from  the  beginning  constituted 
"The  Synod  for  the  Norwegian  Evangelical  Lu- 
theran Church  in  America,"  organized  in  1853. 
From  its  start  this  congregation  belonged  to 
the  Rock  Prairie  parish  and  had  for  its  pastors 
Revs.  G.  F.  Dietrichson,  C.  L.  Clausen  and  C.  F. 
Magelsen.  After  the  division  in  1870  our  con- 
gregation at  Capron,  although  but  a  little  band, 
without  a  minister  and  deprived  of  its  church, 
remained  faithfully  with  the  Synod.  It  was  sup- 
plied by  men  like  Rev.  H.  A.  Preus,  Prof.  Dr. 
Stub  and  others,  whose  good  services  the  older 
members  never  will  forget.  Later  on  in  1887, 
when  the  controversy  about  "election"  split  the 
Synod,  our  congregation  at  Capron  again  showed 
itself  loyal  to  the  Synod  and  refused  to  with- 
draw from  it.  In  1889  Rev.  J.  E.  Jjzirgensen,  of 
Madison,  Wis.,  became  its  pastor,  Long  Prairie 
being  one  of  the  three  congregations  composing 
his  parish.  In  1891  Rev.  J.  Nordby  at  Lee,  111., 
took  charge  of  the  congregation  and  is  still  its 
pastor.  Services  are  being  held  every  3  or  4 
weeks.  In  1893  a  church  was  built  and  dedi- 
cated by  President  H.  A.  Preus,  who  died  the 
following  year.  The  congregation  has  been  grow- 
ing and  is  at  present  in  a  flourishing  condition. 
Over  thirty  families  are  members  of  it.  The 
services  are  conducted  in  the  Norwegian  lan- 
guage. 

This  congregation  has  always  very  liberally 
supported  the  missions  carried  on  by  the  Synod 
and  also  the  various  institutions  of  learning  built 
and  supported  by  the  Synod. 

A  ladies'  aid  society  has  been  at  work  for  sev- 
eral years. 

"The  first  Scandinavian  Lutheran  church  of 
Rochelle,  Ogle  county,  111.",  was  organized  by 
Rev.  J.  Nordby  May  10,  1885.  Its  members  are 
Norwegians,  Danes  and  Swedes.  The  congrega- 
tion is  not  large,  and  at  times  it  has  consisted  of 
only  a  dozen  families,  as  a  good  many  of  the 
members  have  "moved  west."  Formally  it  does 
not  belong  to  any  synod  or  conference,  but  it 
always  had  the  same  pastor,  being  supplied  from 
the  Synod  congregation  at  Lee.  Collections  have 
also  been  taken  for  the  support  of  the  Synod. 
It  has  not  as  yet  had  a  church  edifice  of  its  own, 
but  rents  the  German  Lutheran  church,  where 
its  meetings  are  held  every  other  Sunday  after- 
noon. Occasionally  the  young  people  have  lec- 
tures on  Sunday  evenings.  The  services  are 
conducted  in  the  Norwegian  and  English  lan- 
guages. 

By  Rev.  J.  Nordby. 


Norwegian  Methodism 
in  Illinois 

By  Rev.  H.  P.  Bergh. 

(Editor   of   "Den    Kristelige   Talsmand"   and 
"Hyrdestemmen.") 

The  Norwegian  and  Danish  Methodists  in  the 
United  States  are  united  into  one  work  that  is 
included  in  the  Norwegian  and  Danish  Confer- 
ence, between  the  Allegheny  and  Rocky  Moun- 
tains, the  Western  Norwegian-Danish  Conference 
on  the  Pacific  coast  and  the  Norwegian-Danish 
churches  belonging  to  the  New  York  East  and 
the  New  England  (American)  Conferences  on 
the  Atlantic  coast. 

Norwjgian  and  Danish  Methodism  in  Illinois 
is  now  fifty  years  old. 

At  Norway  and  Leland,  111.,  two  of  the  oldest 
Norwegian  settlements  in  America,  located  about 
18  miles  apart  in  La  Salle  county,  about  70  miles 
south-west  of  Chicago,  as  early  as  in  1853,  a 
Danish  local  preacher  commenced  preaching. 
His  name  was  John  Brown.  He  was  converted 
as  a  sailor  and  afterward  became  connected  with 
the  Swedish  Methodist  Bethel  Ship  Mission  in 
New  York,  whose  pastor,  Rev.  O.  G.  Hedstr^m, 
the  first  Scandinavian  Methodist  preacher  in  ihe 
world,  sent  him  to  the  Leland  settlement,  where, 
by  his  earnest  preaching,  many  souls  were  con- 
verted. Rev.  Jonas  Hedstr^m,  a  brother  of  O. 
G.,  was  presiding  elder  of  the  Swedish  district 
in  Illinois,  and  the  Norwegian  Methodists  at  Nor- 
way and  Leland  belonged  to  his  district.  Rev. 
H.  Holland,  a  Norwegian  who  was  converted 
among  the  Haugeans  in  Haugesund,  Norway,  and 
afterward  became  a  Methodist,  started  preaching 
in  the  Leland  settlement  in  1854  with  good  suc- 
cess. In  1857  he  organized  a  church  in  Norway, 
a  little  village  in  the  Fox  River  settlement,  and 
was  then  (1857-58)  appointed  to  the  Leland  set- 
tlement, where,  in  1858,  he  succeeded  in  building 
a  church  edifice,  which  later  was  moved  into  the 
village  of  Leland.  These  churches  were  in  1872 
transferred  to  the  then  formed  Norwegian  dis- 
.  strict,  and  from  this  time  the  Norwegian  work 
was  separated  from  the  Swedish  both  in  Illinois 
and  Wisconsin,  where,  in  1851,  at  Cambridge, 
Dane  county,  the  first  Norwegian-Danish  Meth- 
odist church  in  the  world  had  been  organized  by 
Rev.  C.  B.  Willerup,  a  Dane. 

At  Lee,  Stavanger  Sandwich,  Harpster  and 
other  places  much  work  has  been  done,  and 
houses  of  worship  have  been  erected  at  the  two 


150 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


first  named  places.  The  Norwegian-Danish  Meth- 
odist churches  in  Illinois  are  the  following,  in 
chronological  order: 

NORWAY, 

Organized  in  1857,  by  H.  H.  Holland.  The  church 
was  built  in  1859,  and  a  parsonage  was  added 
later. 


John  H.  Eckstrand   (Swede)   1866-69. 

J.  M.  Knudson  1869-72. 

C.  Hansen  1872-73. 

P.  Jensen  1873-76. 

B.  Johansen  1876-77. 

Otto  J.  Sanaker  (with  his  brother  James  San- 

aker  as  helper)   1877-80. 
Oluf    A.     Wiersen     (with    M.    L.    Kjelstad    as 

helper)    1880-82. 


vif     *  a 

^si"!'  _l*e%»".T'j!t'  w\ 


The  Norwegian-Danish  M.  E.  Conference. 


The   pastoral   appointments   have  been: 

John  Brown  (Dane)  1853-54. 

Halvor    H.    Holland,    founder    of    the    church, 

1854-59. 
Nels  O.  Westergren   (Swede)   1859-60. 

(He  built  the  church). 
Erick  Carlson  (Swede)  1860-62. 
Nels  O.  Westergren  (Swede)  1862-63. 
Loth  Lindquist  (Swede)  1863-65. 
Ole  Gundersen  1865-66. 


Fredrick  W.  Ericksen  1882-83. 

Johan  C.  Tollefsen  1883-85. 

Eliot  Hansen  1885-86. 

H.   C.   Munson  1886-87. 

J.  A.  Jacobsen  1887-88. 

Andrew    Erickson    (Dane)    1888-89. 

A.  C.  Pederson  (Dane)  1889-91. 

H.   Danielson   1891-93. 

J.  J.  Petersen  (Dane)  1893-96. 

(J.  H.  Carlson  y2  year,  1893.) 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


151 


A.  W.  Rosness  1896-97. 
Chas.  J.  Johnson  1897-98. 
Carl  W.   Hanson  1898-1902. 
Carl  J.  Josephson  1902-03. 
Carl  W.  Hanson  1903-05. 
Arnt  M.  Anderson  1905-07. 

LELAND, 

Organized  in  1858  by  H.  H.  Holland.    The  church 


was    built   the    same    year 
moved  into  the  village. 


and   years    afterward 


J.  A.  Jacobsen  1888-1890. 

H.  Danielson  1890-1893. 

A.  Johnsen  and  J.  J.  Petersen  1893-1894. 

A.  Johnsen  1894-1895. 

R.   Wilhelmsen   1895-1896. 

H.  P.  Nelsen  1896-1898. 

J.  P  Andersen  1898-1900. 

K.  Hansen  1900-1906. 

R.  Levin  1906. 

In  Lee  the  work  was  first  started  in  1871   by 

Chr.   Oman   1887-1888. 


First    Methodist   Church,    Chicago. 


Pastoral  appointments: 

H.  H.  Holland  1858. 

(And  after  him  probably  all  those  ennum- 
erated  under  Norway,  until  1880,  when  the 
Norwegian  and  Danish  Conference  was  or- 
ganized, from  which  time  the  conference 
minutes  show  the  names). 

O.  J.   Sanaker  1877-1880. 

•O.  H.  Wiersen   1880-1882. 

A.  Johnsen  1882-1885. 

•O.  L.  Hansen  1885-1887. 


O.  L.  Hansen  while  he  was  a  student  in  Evan- 
ston.  A.  Johnsen  assisted  him,  many  souls  were 
converted  and  a  class  was  organized.  This  place, 
located  about  20  miles  north  of  Leland,  has  all 
the  time  been  connected  with  that  place.  Ex- 
ceptionally a  student  has  had  charge  of  the  work 
in  Lee  separately,  as  in  1892-1893  (A.  Hessen) 
and  in  1895-1896  (Oscar  Knudsen). 

At  Norway,  Leland,  Lee  and  vicinity  there  was 
a  remarkable  revival  in  1877-1880  under  the  earn- 
est preaching  of  O.  J.  Sanaker  and  his  brother. 


152 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


FIRST  CHURCH, 
Cor.   Grand   Ave.  and  Sangamon   St.,   Chicago. 

Organized  in  1868  by  O.  P.  Petersen.  The  church 
was  bought  from  the  American  Methodists  in 
1869,  and  there  is  also  a  parsonage  besides  the 
church.  The  work  in  this  church  has  been  car- 
ried on  during  the  past  39  years  with  wonderful 
success.  The  revival  spirit  has  manifested  itself 
in  this  church  from  the  beginning,  especially  un- 
der the  fervent  preaching  of  J.  H.  Johnson  in 
1869-1871  when  hundreds  of  precious  souls  were 
converted  and  added  to  the  church.  This  was 
the  greatest  revival  up  to  this  date  in  Norwegian 
and  Danish  Methodism.  Also  during  the  pastor- 
ates of  C.  F.  Eltzholtz,  A.  Haagensen,  M.  Han- 
sen,  O.  A.  Wiersen,  Fr.  Ring  and  J.  C.  Tollefsen 
great  ingatherings  have  been  done,  and  during 
Ring's  first  pastorate  the  old  church  debt  that 
had  been  hanging  on  for  years — $2,400 — was  paid 
in  one  year.  From  the  First  Church,  directly  or 
indirectly,  the  other  seven  Norwegian-Danish 
Methodist  churches  in  Chicago,  as  well  as  the 
one  in  Evanston  have  sprung,  and  about  40 
preachers  have  come  out  from  this  church  and 
are  now,  or  have  been,  pastors  of  churches  among 
us.  Members  from  this  church,  who  moved  to 
the  Pacific  coast  after  the  great  Chicago  fire,  in 
1871,  started  Norwegian-Danish  Methodism  out 
there.  In  later  years,  however,  very  many  of  the 
old  members  have  died  or  moved  farther  west 
or  northwest  in  the  city;  Italians  and  other  na- 
tions have  moved  in  and  from  this  and  other 
reasons  it  has  been  deemed  wise  to  unite  the 
First  Church  and  the  Immanuel  Church,  sell  the 
property  of  both  these  churches  and  erect  a 
church  in  a  better  location,  the  preliminaries  of 
which  work  already  have  been  completed. 

The  pastoral  appointments  at  the  First  Church 
have  been: 

O.   P.   Petersen   1868-1869. 

(He  was  also  presiding  elder  of  the  district.) 
J.  H.  Johnson  (2!/2  years)  1869-1871. 
O.  P.  Petersen  (2  years)   1871-1873. 
C.  F.   Eltzholtz  (Dane)   (2  years)   1873-1875. 
A.   Haagensen   (2  years)   1875-1877. 
J.  H.  Johnson   (2*/2  years)   1877-1880. 
M.   Hansen   (2^  years)   1880-1883. 
Chr.  Treider   (I1/,   years)   1883-1884. 
O.  A.  Wiersen   (3  years)   1884-1887. 
O.  Jacobsen  (3  years)   1887-1890. 
Fr.  Ring  (4  years)  1890-1894. 
J.  H.  Johnson  (2  years)  1894-1896. 
Chr.  Treider  (1  year)   1896-1897. 
J.  Sanaker   (5  years)   1897-1902. 


J.  C.  Tollefsen  (3  years)  1902-3905. 
C.  F.  Eltzholtz  (1  year)  1905-1906. 
Fr.  Ring  from  1906. 

EVANSTON. 

The  work  was  begun  by  a  local  preacher,  Karl 
Schou,  a  Dane,  then  a  student  at  the  Northwest- 
ern University.  The  church  was  organized  in 
1870  by  J.  H.  Johnson,  pastor  of  the  First  Church, 
Chicago.  A  church,  the  very  first  one  ever  built 
in  Evanston,  was  bought  in  1871  from  the  Amer- 
ican Methodists  and  moved  over  to  the  south- 
east corner  of  Church  street  and  Sherman  avenue, 
where  it  was  used  till  the  present  church  was 
built  in  1896,  one  block  farther  north,  during  P. 
Haugan's  pastorate  and  with  him  as  architect, 
and  dedicated  under  his  successor,  G.  Mathisen, 
in  1897,  by  the  presiding  elder,  F.  Ring. 

Pastoral  appointments:  —  K.  Schou,  1870-1873; 
B.  Johansen,  1873-1876;  M.  Nilson,  1876-1877;  C. 
F.  Eltzholtz,  1877-1879;  Chr.  Treider,  1879-1880; 
M.  Hillerud,  1880-1881;  A.  Haagensen,  1881-1884; 
'B.  Smith,  N.  E.  Simonsen,  1885-1887;  M.  Rye, 
1887-1888;  E.  M.  Stangeland,  1888-1889;  G.  Gun- 
derson,  1889-1890;  N.  E.  Simonsen,  1890;  Chr. 
Arndt,  1890-1891;  H.  P.  Bergh,  1891-1893;  A.  An-  . 
dreassen,  1893-1895;  P.  Haugan,  1895-1897;  G. 
Mathisen,  1897-1901;  C.  J.  Johnson,  1901-1906; 
P.  M.  Peterson  from  1906. 

MAPLEWOOD    AVENUE    CHURCH, 
Corner  Le  Moyne  Street,  Chicago. 

"Second  Church  Mission,"  as  it  then  was  called, 
was  started  in  a  German  Methodist  church  on 
Holt  and  Division  streets,  east  of  Milwaukee  ave- 
nue, by  O.  L.  Hansen,  then  a  local  preacher  in 
the  First  Church.  Later  a  lot  was  bought  on  the 
N.  W.  corner  of  Maplewood  avenue  and  Le 
Moyne  street,  and  a  little  church  was  built  in 
1873,  under  Chr.  Treider's  pastorate.  This  church 
was  replaced  by  the  present  fine  edifice  in  1891, 
under  the  pastorate  of  O.  L.  Hansen,  who  also 
was  the  architect  and  leader  of  the  whole  work. 
There  is  also  a  parsonage  belonging  to  the 
church.  The  church  was  dedicated  by  the  pre- 
siding elder,  J.  H.  Johnson,  Sept.  6,  1891. 

The  Maplewood  Avenue  Church  has  developed 
in  a  powerful  way  and  has  had  a  great  influence 
for  good  in  Chicago  and  vicinity. 

Pastoral  appointments:  —  Chr.  Treider,  1872- 
1873;  C.  F.  Eltzholtz,  1873-1874;  O.  J.  Sanaker, 
1874-1875;  Chr.  Treider,  1875-1876;  C.  F.  Eltz- 
holtz, 1876-1877;  J.  L.  Thompsen,  1877-1879;  J. 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


153 


Sanaker,  1879-1880;  M.  Nelsen,  1880-1883;  O.  L. 
Hansen,  1883-1884;  O.  Jacobsen,  1885-1887;  O.  P. 
Petersen,  1887-1888;  S.  E.  Simonsen,  1888-1889; 
O.  L.  Hansen,  1889-1892;  L.  C.  Knudsen,  1893- 
1895;  O.  P.  Petersen,  1895-1897;  L.  A.  Larson, 
1897-1900;  Fr.  Ring,  1900-1906;  P.  Haugan  from 
1906. 


cine,  1880,  N.  E.  Simonsen  reported  a  congrega- 
tion of  seventeen  members.  Since  its  start  this 
church  has  had  different  names  —  Hyde  Park, 
South  Chicago,  Grand  Crossing  and  now  Bethel. 
The  first  church  was  built  on  Adams  street,  near 
Parkside  railroad  station  and  dedicated  1886  by 
the  presiding  elder,  A.  Haagensen,  under  Isak 


Maplewcod  Avenue  Methodist  Church,   Chicago. 


BETHEL, 

Corner  Seventy-second  street  and  Ingleside  ave- 
nue, Chicago. 

The  first  week  in  December,  1879,  N.  E.  Si- 
monsen, then  a  student  at  the  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity, commenced  preaching  at  Hyde  Park 
(52nd  street),  but  most  of  the  families  were  liv- 
ing at  Grand  Crossing  and  Parkside.  Before 
Christmas  he  had  founded  a  society  of  12  mem- 
bers. Rev.  J.  H.  Johnson  held  two  quarterly 
conferences  there  before  his  departure  for  Nor- 
way in  1880.  At  the  annual  conference  in  Ra- 


Johnson's  pastorate.  This  church  was  used  about 
twenty  years,  when  the  present  fine  edifice  was 
built  and  dedicated  by  the  presiding  elder,  L.  A. 
Larson,  under  Edw.  Erickson's  pastorate,  Oct. 
22,  1905.  There  is  also  a  parsonage. 

Pastoral  appointments:  —  N.  E.  Simonsen,  1879- 
1882;  E.  Stangeland,  1885;  Isaac  Johnson,  1886; 
P.  Haugan,  1886-1887;  R.  Wilhelmsen,  1888-1890; 
A.  Erikson,  1890-1891;  A.  Andreassen,  1891-1893; 
E.  Gjerding,  1893-1895;  C.  H.  Johnson,  1895-1897; 
J.  J.  Petersen,  1897-1899;  O.  I.  Bagne,  1899-1900; 
C.  J.  Johnson,  1900-1901;  N.  H.  Nyrop,  1901-1902; 
M.  O.  Block,  1902-1903;  Edw.  Erickson,  from 
1903. 


154 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


MORELAND, 
Corner  51st  avenue  and  Ontario  street,  Chicago. 

This  church  was  formed  by, members  belong- 
ing to  the  First  Church  during  the  pastorate  of 
O.  A.  Wiersen  who  incorporated  the  Moreland 
church  April  8,  1886.  A  lot  was  donated  to  this 
church  by  the  First  Church,  and  a  church  build- 
ing was  erected  and  dedicated  by  Wiersen  in 
August,  1886.  The  society  in  Moreland  has 
grown  steadily  and  especially  during  the  eight 
years'-  pastorate  of  O.  A.  Wiersen  had  a  great 
upswing  and  progress.  The  old  church  was 
raised,  extended  and  materially  changed  and  ded- 
icated for  service  on  December  24,  1905,  by 
Bishop  W.  F.  McDowell,  under  G.  Mathisen's 
pastorate,  and  the  eldership  of  L.  A.  Larson, 
who  also  participated  in  the  dedicatory  services. 

Pastoral  appointments:  —  O.  A.  Wiersen  (also 
pastor  of  the  First  Church),  1886;  Isaac  John- 
son, 1887-1889;  P.  Haugan,  1890-1891;  H.  P.  Nel- 
sen,  1891-1893;  H.  Danielson,  1893-96;  O.  A. 
Wiersen,  1896-1904;  G.  Mathisen,  from  1904. 

IMMANUEL, 
Corner  W.  Huron  and  Bickerdike  sts.,   Chicago. 

The  work  here  was  commenced  by  Christian 
Treider,  while  he  was  editor  of  "Den  Kristlige 
Talsmand,"  and  the  church  was  organized  May 
23,  1886,  by  O.  A.  Wiersen,  pastor  of  the  First 
Church.  No  church  was  built,  but  two  were 
bought,  the  first  one  on  the  corner  of  W.  Ohio 
and  Noble  streets,  dedicated  Nov.  14,  1886,  by 
Isaac  Johnson;  the  second  (the  present  church) 
was  dedicated  in  August,  1888,  by  N.  Christoph- 
erson.  The  society  also  has  built  a  parsonage 
and  besides  that  a  three-story  double  flat  build- 
ing which  is  rented  out.  From  this  church  many 
members  have  moved  farther  northwest  in  the 
city  and  other  nationalities  are  moving  in.  The 
church  property  is  going  to  be  sold  and  the  so- 
ciety will,  in  connection  with  the  First  Church, 
build  a  new  house  of  worship  in  a  better  local- 
ity. 

Pastoral  appointments:  —  O.  A.  Wiersen  (also 
pastor  of  the  First  Church),  1886;  E.  M.  Stange- 
land,  1886-1887;  N.  Christophersen,  1887-1889;  O. 
A.  Wiersen,  1889-1892;  A.  Johnsen,  1892-1893;  P. 
Haugan,  1893-1895;  M.  L.  Kjelstad,  1895-1897;  H. 
C.  Munson,  1897-1901:  G.  Mathisen,  1901-1904; 
O.  L.  Hansen,  1904-1905;  C.  W.  Hanson,  1905- 
1906;  F.  Ring,  from  1906. 


KEDZIE  AVENUE  CHURCH, 
Chicago. 

This  church  'originated  in  the  work  commenced 
by  professor  N.  E.  Simonsen  at  the  home  of 
shoemaker  Andersen  on  West  North  avenue, 
near  Kedzie  avenue  on  Sunday,  February  7,  1902. 
Previous  to  this,  however,  there  had  been  con- 
ducted a  Sunday  school  for  some  time  in  a  hall 
on  Wabansia  avenue,  west  of  Kedzie  avenue  by 
members  of  the  Maplewood  Avenue  Church. 
Prof.  Simonsen  continued  his  work  till  the  close 
of  the  school  year  in  May,  when  student  H. 
Christensen  was  appointed  by  the  presiding 
elder  J.  H.  Johnson  to  work  there.  In  Septem- 
ber of  the  same  year  he  was  regularly  appointed 
there  -as  a  supply,  and  the  church  was  organized 
December  26,  1902.  A  store  fronting  west  on 
Kedzie  avenue,  between  Wabansia  avenue  and 
Bloomingdale  road,  was  rented  and  used  as  a 
hall,  until  the  church  was  built  during  H.  P. 
Bergh's  pastorate  and  dedicated  by  presiding 
elder  J.  H.  Johnson  on  Sunday,  September  2, 
1894.  The  Kedzie  Avenue  Church  is  well  estab- 
lished and  in  a  prosperous  condition. 

Pastoral  appointments:  —  H.  Christensen,  1892- 
1893;  H.  P.  Bergh,  1893-94;  A.  Hansen,  1894-1898; 
H.  P.  Nelsen,  1898-1903;  O.  Jacobsen,  1903-1904; 
J.  C.  Tollefsen,  1904-1907. 

DWIGHT. 

During  the  summer  of  1901  student  R.  F.  Wil- 
helmsen,  then  in  charge  of  the  society  at  Harp- 
ster,  came  to  Dwight  in  order  to  inquire  about 
the  number  of  Danes  living  there  and  their  spir- 
itual condition.  Between  Christmas  and  New 
Years  he  and  student  J.  J.  Petersen  (Dane)  held 
the  first  meetings.  R.  F.  Wilhelmsen  continued 
to  preach  occasionally  at  Dwight  in  the  Ameri- 
can Methodist  church,  until  July,  1902.  Student 
J.  Andersen  (Dane)  assisted  in  holding  meetings 
during  the  vacation.  A  Sunday  school  was  or- 
ganized, and  Andersen  became  its  first  superin- 
tendent. In  September,  Wilhelmsen  was  ap- 
pointed to  Dwight,  a  class  was  organized  in  Oc- 
tober, and  in  April,  1903,  the  church  was  organ- 
ized. A  church  building  was  bought  the  same 
year  and  dedicated  August  3.  A  parsonage  also 
has  been  bought.  The  work  at  Dwight  is  ham- 
pered very  much  by  the  members  moving  to 
other  communities,  but  there  is  hope  of  ultimate 
success. 

Pastoral  appointments:  —  R.  F.  Wilhelmsen 
(Dane),  1892-1895;  A.  Johnsen,  1895-1896;  J.  J. 
Petersen  (Dane),  1896-1897;  C.  A.  Andersen, 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


155 


1897-1900;  P.  M.  Petersen  (Dane),  1900-1902;  R. 
P.  Petersen  (Dane),  1902-1904;  H.  S.  Haver, 
1904-1905;  J.  F.  Petersen,  1905-1906;  O.  R0hr- 
Staff,  from  'l906. 

EMMAUS, 

Forty-first   Court  and   Pierce   avenue,   one  block 
south  of  North  avenue,  Chicago. 

This  work  originated  in  a  Sunday  school  or- 
ganized on  North  avenue,  near  Forty-second 
avenue  by  the  members  of  the  Kedzie  Avenue 
Church.  Christian  Treider  who  had  been  a  su- 
perannuary  for  several  years,  was  nominally  ap- 
pointed pastor  at  the  Forty-second  avenue  mis- 
sion as  it  was  then  called,  while  student  C.  J. 
Johnson,  his  assistant,  did  the  pastoral  work, 
preached  there  regularly  and  went  around  visit- 
ing from  house  to  house  and  gathering  the  peo- 
ple. No  missionary  money  was  appropriated 
for  this  place,  and  Johnson  received  only  very 
little  pay  from  the  people.  At  the  end  of  the 
year,  however,  he  had  a  society  of  nineteen  mem- 
bers in  full  connection  and  two  on  probation, 
and  a  Sunday  school  of  seventy-five  children  in 
a  rented  hall,  with  seats  and  an  organ.  The 
church  was,  organized,  by  the  presiding  elder,  Fr. 
Ring,  in  October,  1895,  during  Christian  Treider's 
nominal  pastorate,  Charles  J.  Johnson  being  his' 
assistant.  The  cornerstone  of  the  church  was 
laid  on  Thanksgiving.  Day,  1900,  and  the  base- 
ment made  ready  for  use  and  dedicated  by  the 
presiding  elder,  L.  A.  Larson,  on  Easter  Sunday, 
April  7,  1901.  M.  L.  Kjelstad  was  then  pastor. 
The  church  was  completed  successfully  through 
the  untiring  efforts  of  the  pastor,  and  dedicated 
by  presiding  elder  Larson  on  Sunday,  May  4, 
1902. 

Much  good  and  faithful  work  has  been  done 
at  this  place,  especially  during  the  six  years' 
pastorate  of  M.  L.  Kjelstad,  and  the  outlook  is 
good. 

Pastoral  appointments:  —  Christian  Treider 
(with  student  C.  J.  Johnson  as  assistant),  1895- 
1896;  H.  G.  Smeland,  1896-1897;  B.  E.  Carlsen, 
1897-1899;  K.  Hansen,  1899-1900;  M.  L.  Kjelstad, 
1900-1906;  R.  F.  Wilhelmsen,  from  1906. 

BETHANY, 

On  N.  Albany  street,  one  block  south  of  Irving 
Park  avenue,  Chicago. 

During  the  summer  of  1895,  A.  Hansen,  pastor 
of  the  Kedzie  avenue  church,  commenced  holding 
open  air  meetings  in  Avondale.  During  the  next 
summer  the  local  preachers  L.  Syversen  and  G. 


Hansen,   together   with    pastor    A.    Hansen    and 
students  from  our  school  in  Evanston,  held  meet 
ings  there,  and  July  16,  1896,  pastor  A.   Hansen 
organized   a  Sunday  school  of  five  teachers  and 
thirty  scholars. 

Members  of  "North  Avondale  Mission,"  as  it 
was  called,  met  with  pastor  A.  Hansen  as  presi 
dent  at  No.  2235  N.  Sacramento  avenue  on  Oc- 
tober 5,  1897,  and  organized  themselves  as  a  cor- 
poration under  the  laws  of  the  state  and  assumed 
the  name  of  "Bethany  Scandinavian  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  of  Avondale,  Chicago,  111.'' 
At  this  meeting  Joseph  Johnson,  George  Erick- 
sen  and  Anton  Larsen  were  elected  trustees.  The 
organization  of  the  church  was  further  com- 
pleted by  the  presiding  elder,  Fredrik  Ring, 
March  27,  1897.  The  church  building,  erected 
the  same  year,  was  dedicated  by  Ring  September 
5th.  The  society  is  small  but  has  an  unusually 
large  and  promising  Sunday  school,  and  the 
prospects  are  very  good. 

Pastoral  appointments:  —  F.  Larsen,  1898-1899; 
O.  T.  Field,  1899-1900;  M.  L.  Olsen,  1900-1902; 
C.  W.  Hanson,  1902-1903;  John  Pedersen,  1903- 
1904;  A.  Haagensen,  1904-1905;  T.  A.  Thorson, 
1905-1906;  O.  M.  Locke,  from  1906. 

THE  NORWEGIAN-DANISH   CITY 
MISSION. 

The  first  flat  in  a  house  on  the  northwest  cor- 
ner of  N.  Centre  avenue  and  Sinnott  place  was 
rented  and  fixed  up  as  a  hall  which  was  dedi- 
cated with  appropriate  services  Sunday  after- 
noon, January  6,  1907,  as  a  result  of  the  efforts 
of  C.  W.  Hanson,  who  received  his  appointment 
as  the  first  city  missionary  among  the  Norweg- 
ian and  Danish  Methodists  at  the  conference  in 
Moreland,  Chicago,  in  September,  1906. 

The  special  object  of  this  mission  is  to  do 
Evangelical  and  rescue  work  among  the  poor 
and  destitute,  the  slum  people,  the  sick,  the  im- 
migrants and  those  who  do  not  attend  church. 
Religious  services  are  being  held  every  Sunday 
afternoon  at  three  o'clock  and  during  the  week- 
day evenings.  Besides  this  the  missionary  is 
carrying  on  his  work  by  clothing  the  poor,  the 
clothing  being  furnished  by  the  people  interested 
in  the  mission,  by  providing  tickets  for  lodging 
for  the  night  for  the  homeless  and  penniless,  by 
visiting  hospitals,  by  meeting  immigrants  at  the 
railroad  stations  and  helping  them  in  different 
ways,  by  caring  for  sick  and  helpless  families 
and  families  of  drunkards,  and  by  inviting  peo- 
ple to  the  meetings,  etc.  The  readine  room 
of  the  mission  is  open  every  evening  from  6-8, 


158 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


and  by  and  by  other  things  will  be  added  to  the 
work.  The  missionary  is  paid  partly  by  the 
home  missionary  society  of  our  church,  and 
partly  by  our  churches  in  Chicago,  the  mission 
being  directed  by  a  board  consisting  of  all  our 
ministers  in  Chicago  and  Evanston  and  one  lay 
representative  from  each  church.  The  presiding 
elder  of  Chicago  district  is  president  of  the 
board. 

THE  CAMPMEETING. 

At  Desplaines,  111.,  17  miles  N.  W.  of  Chicago 
on  the  North-Western  railroad,  the  American 
Methodists  have  conducted  revival  meetings  for 


to  live  in  for  those  who  can  spend  the  whole 
time  or  a  part  of  the  time  out  there,  and  meals 
may  be  had  at  the  restaurants  at  very  reasonable 
prices. 

Through  the  whole  campground  which,  by  its 
great  number  of  cottages  and  tents,  arranged 
in  rows  so  as  to  make  streets  for  passage,  the 
best  of  order  prevails,  even  on  Sundays,  when 
five  thousand  or  more  people  are  teeming  there 
like  ants  in  a  hill,  to  listen  in  the  different  places 
for  service  to  preaching  either  in  English,  Swed- 
ish or  Norwegian-Danish  by  some  of  the  best 
preachers  in  the  country,  the  whole  day,  except 
the  morning,  noon  and  evening  inter-missions 


.The  Methodist  Tabernacle,  Desplaines,  111. 


two  weeks  during  the  latter  part  of  July  every 
summer  for  almost  fifty  years.  The  Norwegian 
and  Danish,  as  well  as  the  Swedish  Methodists 
also  started  revival  meetings  there  in  the  sixties. 
We  at  first  used  a  little  frame  building  for  the 
meetings,  then  for  many  years  a  tent,  and  in 
1905  a  fine  Tabernacle  with  seats  for  several 
hundred  people  was  erected.  The  campmeetings 
at  Desplaines  have  been  wonderfully  blessed  to 
the  salvation  of  souls,  to  the  refreshing  of  God's 
people  and  to  the  furtherance  of  religious  work 
in  the  different  churches,  and  they  have  been  an 
inspiration  to  the  preachers. 

Small  cottages,  tents  or  larger  houses  are  used 


for  meals,  being  used  for  preaching,  or  prayer 
meetings  in  the  English,  Norwegian-Danish  and 
Swedish  Tabernacles,  or  in  tents  for  the  young 
people.  None  will  regret  spending  the  whole 
time,  or  a  part  of  the  time,  out  there  in  the  fine 
grove  among  the  beautiful  sound  of  fervent  pray- 
ers, powerful  singing  and  earnest  preaching  of 
a  full  and  free  salvation  through  Jesus  Christ  by 
men  who  have  themselves  experienced  its  reality 
and  power.  During  these  two  camp  meeting 
weeks  Desplaines  campground  is  like  a  heaven 
on  earth.  Thousands  upon  thousands  have  there 
found  salvation  and  blessing  by  faith  in  Jesus 
Christ. 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


157 


STATISTICS. 

When  the  Norwegian  and  Danish  Methodist 
work  was  organized  into  an  annual  Conference 
in  1880,  the  statistics  for  Illinois  were  as  follows: 
Members  on  probation,  51;  members  in  full  con- 
nection, GOO;  local  preachers,  4;  churches,  6; 
estimated  value,  $20,900;  parsonages,  3;  estimated 
value,  $7,500;  Sunday  schools,  7;  officers  and 
teachers,  77;  scholars,  540;  missionary  collections, 
$441.27. 

In  1906  the  statistics  show:  Members  on  proba- 
tion, 89;  members  in  full  connection,  1,231; 
churches,  13;  estimated  value,  $78,600;  parson- 
ages, 8;  estimated  value,  $34,500;  present  indebt- 
edness on  church  property,  $20,375;  Sunday 
schools,  12;  officers  and  teachers,  164;  scholars, 
1,357;  missionary  collections,  $1,032.00. 


tember  of  the  same  year  Brother  Schou  com- 
menced his  work  as  a  teacher  by  organizing  a 
class  of  young  men,  and  he  continued  in  this 
work  until  the  winter  of  1872-1873  when  he  was 
sent  by  the  Church  as  superintendent  of  the  mis- 
sion in  Denmark. 

His  successor,  Rev.  C.  B.  Willerup,  did  not 
remain  long  in  Evanston,  and  did  not  get  a 
chance  to  do  much  work  as  a  teacher.  Rev.  B. 
Johannesen  then  became  teacher  for  a  couple  of 
years.  These  three  brethren  also  had  charge  of 
the  Norwegian-Danish  church  in  'Evanston.  After 
this  the  theological  chair  for  a  few  years  was 
connected  with  the  pastorate  of  Rev.  Marcus 
Nilson,  Evanston,  and  Rev.  Martin  Hansen  of 
the  First  N.-D.  Methodist  Church  in  Chicago. 

Nothing  was  then  done  for  the  school  during 
several  years,  until  in  1884,  the  Conference  in 


The  Norwegian-Danish  Theological  Seminary  at  Evanston,  111. 


THE  NORWEGIAN-DANISH  THEO- 
LOGICAL SEMINARY  AT 
EVANSTON,  ILL. 

In  the  summer  of  1870  the  first  school  board, 
consisting  of  Revs.  A.  Haagensen,  J  H.  John- 
son and  P.  H.  Rye,  and  the  laymen,  Ole  Wigdal 
and  O.  M.  Oren,  resolved  that  Karl  Schou,  then 
a  student  at  the  Northwestern  University,  should 
start  a  school  in  Evanston  for  those  who  desired 
to  enter  the  Norwegian-Danish  work.  In  Sep- 


Forest  City,  la.,  resolved  to  call  Rev.  N.  E. 
Simonsen,  then  in  Norway,  as  president  and  pro- 
fessor for  the  school.  He  had  taken  a  full  course 
at  the  Northwestern  University  and  at  the  Gar- 
rett  Biblical  Institute  and  graduated  from  these 
institutions  and  was  now  in  Norway  taking  a 
post  graduate  course,  in  the  meantime  serving 
as  pastor  in  Christiania.  About  ten  years  ago 
his  alma  mater  conferred  upon  him  the  degree 
of  D.  D.  By  the  Norway  Conference  he  was,  in 
1885,  chosen  to  take  charge  of  the  Theological 


158 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Institute  at  Christiania,  but  later  on  in  the  same  twenty    more    have    attended     the    school    for     a 

year,    at    the    annual   conference   in   Cambridge,  shorter   or   longer   period.     The   present  number 

Wis.,   he  was   appointed  principal   of  the  school  of  students  is   18.     At  first  the  curriculum    was 

and  pastor  of  the  church  at  Evanston,  111.     The  three  years;  now  it  js  four  years, 
work  was  started  January  18,  1886,  and  alone  he  Professor  Simonsen  has  done  a  great  work  in 

has   served   as   president    and    professor    of    the  preparing  so  many  young  men  for  the  ministry, 


The   Norwegian- Danish   M.  E.   Book   Concern. 


school  all  the  time  since,  except  in  1891-1892, 
when  Rev.  H.  P.  Bergh  was  assistant  teacher. 
The  school  building  is  located  on  University 
Place  and  Sherman  avenue.  The  work  on  it  was 
commenced  Aug.  27,  1887,  and  it  was  completed 
in  1888  and  occupied  the  same  year.  It  was  ded- 
icated in  the  spring  of  1889.  Previous  to  this 
time  the  school  had  been  conducted  in  the  par- 
sonage. The  school  building  is  well  built  and 
well  equipped,  heating  apparatus  having  been  in- 
stalled recently.  It  costs  $12,000  and  is  paid  for. 
The  money  for  the  erection  of  the  building  was 
raised  by  subscriptions  among  our  people,  and 
especially  the  older  preachers  have  been  work- 
ing hard  for  the  school  cause  from  its  beginning. 
About  forty-five  students  have  graduated  from 
the  school  up  to  the  present  time.  Fifteen  to 


and  the  school  has  contributed  very  much  to  the 
progress  of  the  Norwegian  and  Danish  Method- 
ism in  America. 

THE    NORWEGIAN-DANISH    M.    E. 

BOOK   CONCERN. 
272  Grand  Avenue,  Chicago. 

On  November  21,  1876,  a  committee  was  ap- 
pointed with  O.  B.  Jacobs  as  chairman,  and 
Christian  Treider  as  secretary,  and  it  was  then 
resolved  to  start  a  plant  with  composition  room 
and  book  concern  on  the  1st  of  December  ensu- 
ing, which  resolution  was  carried  out.  At  first 
a  rented  room  on  the  second  floor  of  the  build- 
ing on  the  northwest  corner  of  West  Indiana, 
now  Grand  avenue  and  Green  streets,  was  used, 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


159 


until  in  1880  a  little  stone  building  was  erected 
on  Sangamon  street,  in  the  rear  of  First  Church. 
From  this  place  the  concern  moved  in  1893  to 
its  present  location  where  two  houses  were 
bought,  one  of  which  is  being  used  for  the  con- 
cern, the  other  rented  out.  The  book  concern 
was  run  as  a  stock  company,  until  in  1881  it  was 
turned  over  to  the  directors  of  our  theological 
school  in  Evanston  as  its  property.  The  stock 
was  later  redeemed,  and  the  same  year  the  an- 
nual conference  took  charge  of  it,  and  it  was 
later  on  wholly  turned  over  to  the  conference  as 
its  property. 

The  managers  of  the  Concern  have  been: 
Christian  Treider,  1876-1880;  A.  Haagensen,  1880- 
1884;  Christian  Treider,  1884-1891;  C.  Hansen, 
1891-1897;  Christian  Treider,  1897-1900;  H.  P. 
Bergh,  1900-1905;  O.  L.  Hansen,  from  1905. 

The  first  church  periodical  among  the  Nor- 
wegian and  Danish  Methodists  in  America,  the 
monthly  paper  Missionaeren,  was  started  in 
January,  1870,  A.  Haagensen  and  J.  H.  Johnson 
being  its  first  editors.  Later  K.  Schou  also  be- 
came an  editor.  From  1877  the  name  of  the  pa- 
per was  changed  to  its  present,  "Den  Kristelige 
Talsmand."  The  editors  have  been:  Christian 
Treider,  1876-1880;  A.  Haagensen,  1880-1884; 
Christian  Treider,  1884-1891;  A.  Haagensen, 
1891-1897;  C.  F.  Eltzholtz,  1897-1905;  H.  P. 
Bergh,  from  1905. 

The  Sunday  school  paper,  "Hyrdestemmen," 
was  started  in  1874  and  has  had  the  following 
editors:  Christian  Treider  and  C.  F.  Eltzholtz, 
1874-1880;  A.  Haagensen,  1880-1884;  Christian 
Treider,  1884-1892;  H.  P.  Bergh,  1892-1898;  Chris- 
tian Treider,  1898-1900;  H.  P.  Bergh,  from  1900. 

Our  books  and  papers  have  been  and  are  in- 
dispensable to  our  work,  and  have  done  much 
good  to  the  cause  of  God  in  general  and  to  the 
cause  of  the  Methodism  in  particular.  They 
have  spread  knowledge  of  earnest  Christianity 
and  of  Methodism  and  defended  our  church 
against  many  attacks  and  misrepresentations 
from  other  Norwegian  and  Danish  churches  in 
this  country. 

THE  YOUNG  PEOPLE. 

In  almost  all  our  churches  have  been  organ- 
ized young  peoples  societies,  Epworth  Leagues, 
so-called  after  the  birth  place  of  John  Wesley, 
the  founder  of  Methodism.  Good  religious  in- 
struction is  provided  for  the  children  in  the  Sun- 
day schools  in  every  church,  and  by  special  in- 
struction by  the  pastor  in  the  catechism  and 
Bible  history  until  at  the  age  of  fourteen  this 


special  class  of  children  thus  instructed  by  the 
pastor,  at  the  regular  Sunday  morning  service 
in  the  church,  is  by  him  examined  in  their  reli- 
gious knowledge  in  the  presence  of  the  congrega- 
tion, the  children,  during  this  act,  not  giving  any 
vows,  not  being  confirmed,  in  the  prevalent 
meaning  of  the  word,  and  not  being  entered  as 
members  of  the  church.  Like  the  grown  up  peo- 
ple, they  can  only  become  regular  members  of 
the  church  by  showing  their  serious  desire  to  live 
a  Christian  life,  and  by  being  received,  first  on 
probation,  and  then  into  full  membership,  if 
qualified  thereto. 

DOCTRINES. 

In  common  with  other  Evangelical  churches 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  to  which  we 
belong,  believes  in  the  Bible  as  the  word  of  God, 
its  authors  being  men  especially  fitted  and  in-  . 
spired  by  the  Holy  Ghost  for  their  work.  We 
believe  in  a  Three-Une  God:  the  Father,  the 
Son,  and  the  Holy  Ghost.  We  believe  in  the  fall 
of  man,  and  in  the  redemption  and  salvation 
through  Jesus  Christ  who  is  the  Way,  the  Truth 
and  the  Life,  it  being  the  will  and  purpose  of 
God  to  save  all  who  believe  in  Jesus  as  their  only 
Savior.  We  believe  in  justification  and  salvation 
by  faith  only,  not  by  works;  in  regeneration  and 
sanctification  by  the  Holy  Ghost;  in  the  witness 
of  the  Spirit  in  the  hearts  of  true  believers,  as- 
suring them  of  forgiveness  of  sin  and  accept- 
ance as  children  of  God;  in  the  holy  sacraments 
of  baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper;  in  the  gen- 
eral resurrection  of  the  dead  and  the  final  judg- 
ment of  the  world  by  Jesus  Christ;  in  everlast- 
ing punishment  of  the  wicked,  and  eternal  happi- 
ness of  the  righteous. 

THE  MINISTRY  OF  THE  CHURCH 
AND  CHURCH  GOVERNMENT. 

Our  church  believes  in  a  distinct  call  of  God 
to  the  ministry  and  that  no  unconverted  man 
ever  was  called  by  God  to  that  holy  position. 

Our  church  government  is  Episcopal,  and  the 
bishops  are  elected  by  the  Church  Conference, 
the  highest  tribunal  arid  the  legislative  assembly 
of  the  church,  and  have  no  special  diocese,  but 
by  mutual  agreement  between  themselves  at 
their  biennial  meetings,  they  perform  in  turn  the 
supervision  of  the  different  fields  of  the  home 
church,  and  in  visiting  the  mission  fields  in  for- 
eign countries  they  supervise  these  fields  in  con- 
nection with  the  different  missionary  bishops 
there  appointed  and  living  there  for  a  certain 
period  of  time. 


160 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


until  in  1880  a  little  stone  building  was  erected 
supervision  of  the  different  districts  in  the  con- 
ferences, visiting  every  church  four  times,  while 
the  bishops  execute  their  supervision  mainly  by 
presiding  at  the  annual  conferences  and  by  de- 
ciding the  annual  appointments  of  the  preachers 
and  directing  and  adjusting  the  work  in  the 
whole  field. 

The  government  of  the  local  churches  is  exe- 
cuted by  the  pastor  in  connection  with  the  quar- 
terly conference  and  the  leaders'  and  stewards' 
meeting,  which  local  church  authorities  also  en- 
force the  discipline  and  expel  worldly  or  negli- 
gent members  who  will  not  be  reproved  and 
who  do  not  improve  their  Christian  life.  All 
church  property,  is  held  by  trustees,  not  in  the 
name  of  the  local  church,  but  in  the  name  of  the 
denomination  ,or  church  at  large. 

BIOGRAPHIES  OF  SOME  PROMINENT 

NORWEGIAN-DANISH  METHODIST 

PIONEERS. 

In  the  biographical  part  of  this  volume  will 
be  found:  sketches  of  now  living  and  active  Meth- 
odist preachers.  But  I  think 'it  proper  to  pre- 
serve for  future  generations  the  biographical 
sketches  of  some  of  the  hardworking  pioneers 
who  have  gone  home  to  their  reward.  I  regret 
not  to  be  able  to  devote  more  spa'ce  to  the  lives 
of  those  prominent  men  of  God. 


REV.  O.  P.  PETERSEN, 
Founder   of    Methodism   in   Norway. 

Ole  Peter  Petersen  was  born  in  Fredrikstad, 
Norway,  April  28,  1822.  His  father,  Peter  Han- 
sen,  died  shortly  thereafter,  and  his  mother, 
Kathrine  died  when  he  was  only  six  years  old. 
He  then  was  taken  care  of  by  a  good  family  and 
grew  up  as  a  naturally  good  and  diligent  boy. 
The  good  Lord  began  early  to  work  in  him,  and 
the  little  boy  was  often  taken  up  with  deep 
thoughts  about  God  and  spiritual  things.  Early 
he  showed  a  great  desire  for  reading  and- study, 
and  before  long,  by  self-study  as  well  as  in  the 
common  school,  he  had  acquired  considerable 
knowledge;  but  he  lacked  money  to  enter  a 
higher  school.  Twenty-one  years  old  he  went 
to  America,  in  1843,  and  for  five  years  he  became 
a  sailor  with  American  ships  and  as  such  he 
went  far  and  wide  in  the  world  and  saw  and 
learned  much  that  became  useful  to  him  later 
in  life;  but  he  never  dreamed  of  ever  becoming 
so  widely  known  and  renowned  as  he  afterwards 


became.  He  was  still  the  same  unconverted 
man,  but  he  lead  a  moral  and  orderly  life,  and 
was  so  far  a  good  example  to  those  around  him. 
But  this  did  not  bring  to  his  heart  the  peace  that 
he  missed  and  that  is  missed  by  all  unconverted 
people.  During  a  class  meeting  among  Ameri- 
can Methodists  he  was  awakened  to  insight  and 
acknowledgment  of  his  unconverted  condition  by 
the  hearty  testimony  of  a  woman  about  the  sal- 
vation she  had  found  by  faith  in  Jesus  Christ. 
Petersen  left  this  meeting  with  the  resolution, 
that  if  any  such  thing  was  attainable,  he  would 
not  give  up  before  he  had  found  it. 

At  the  meetings  of  the  renowned  sailor  mis- 
sionary, Father  Taylor,  in  Boston,  he  also  was 
much  impressed  by  his  preaching,  but  the  final 
impulse  that  brought  him  over  on  the  Lord's  side 
he  received  in  the  Swedish  Methodist  Bethel- 
ship,  "John  Wesley,"  in  New  York,  when,  dur- 
ing the  last  week  of  February,  1846,  he  was  list- 
ening every  evening  to  the  powerful  sermons  of 
Rev.  O.  G.  Hedstr0m,  the  founder  in  1845  of 
Swedish  Methodism,  and  on  Sunday  evening  the 
distress  of  his  soul  became  so  great  that  he  stood 
up  and  asked  to  be  prayed  for.  The  following 
day,  Monday,  the  1st  of  March,  the  Lord  spoke 
peace  to  his  soul  out  on  the  ocean  not  far  from 
New  York,  and  on  Tuesday,  the  2d  of  March, 
his  inner  assurance  about  salvation  became  still 
clearer,  and  he  felt  immense  joy  and  happiness. 
The  salvation  and  peace  that  he  then  experienced 
became  his  possession  for  life,  until  after  more 
than  fifty  years  of  faithful  work  for  the  Lord  he 
went  to  rest  on  Friday  evening  Dec.  20,  1901,  in 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  nearly  eighty  years  old.  As 
he  had  been  living,  so  he  died,  happy  in  the 
Lord,  and  has  now  as  we  believe  met  those  of 
his  beloved  ones  who  had  gone  home  before — 
his  dear  wife  and  four  children.  His  oldest 
daughter.  Alvina,  is  still  living  and  married  to  a 
Dane,  Rev.  Charles  H.  Johnson,  a  graduate  of 
Harvard,  and  superintendent  of  the  Children's 
Home  at  Dobbs  Ferry,  N.  Y.  —  O.  P.  Petersen 
was  buried  side  by  side  with  his  wife  and  son  at 
the  Forest  Home  cemetery,  at  Milwaukee,  Wis., 
Dec.  26,  1901.  In  1906  a  fine  monument  was 
placed  on  his  grave  by  his  friends. 

We  can  here  only  give  a  brief  review  of  tho 
great  work  of  this  man  of  God.  In  3849  he  went 
back. from  America  to  Fredrikstad  to  marry  his 
sweetheart  and  to  visit  with  his  friends.  His 
letters  to  his  sweetheart  had  been  of  such  reli- 
gious character,  that  they  were  sent  from  house 
to  house,  were  read  like  a  gospel  message  and 
touched  many  hearts,  and  the  first  day  after  his 
arrival  at  Fredrikstad  a  revival  broke  out  though 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


161 


he  was  not  yet  a  preacher  but  only  testified 
about  the  great  salvation  that  he  himself  had 
found  by  faith  in  Jesus  Christ. 

His  intention  was  to  return  soon  with  his  wife 
to  New  York  but  the  wonderful  work  of  the 
Lord  continued  and  spread  like  a  fire  and  his 
return  was  delayed  almost  a  year.  Upon  his  ar- 
rival in  New  York  he  soon  was  licenced  to 
preach  and  sent  by  the  Missionary  Society  of 
our  church,  in  1851,  to  Iowa,  where,  at  Washing- 
ton Prairie  (now  Nordness)  he  organized  the 
first  Norwegian  Methodist  church  west  of  the 
Mississippi  river. 

The  new  converts  in  Fredrikstad  were  anx- 
ious to  get  a  leader  and  sent  urgent  requests  to 
the  Missionary  Society.  In  answer  to  this  Bishop 
Waugh  recalled  Petersen  from  Iowa  and  sent  him 
as  a  missionary  to  Norway,  where  he  arrived  a 
little  before  Christmas  in  1853  and  again  took 
hold  of  the  work  which  he  had  started  four  years 
earlier.  He  found,  however,  many  obstacles  in 
his  way.  The  Mormons  had  invaded  the  field 
during  his  absence  and  bewildered  some  of  the 
new  converts,  and  the  opposition  on  the  part  of 
the  ministers  of  the  state  church  and  the  Luth- 
eran lay  preachers  which  the  nature  of  his  first 
occasional  and  private  visit  had  not  elicited,  was 
now  at  once  aroused,  and  he  had  to  contend  not 
only  with  prevailing  sin  and  ungodliness,  but 
also  with  prejudice,  bigotry,  hatred  and  misrepre- 
sentations of  Methodism,  which,  according  to  the 
ignorant  view  of  many,  even  well  educated  peo- 
ple, at  that  time  was  not  much  better  than  Mor- 
monism.  The  doctrinal  points  most  frequently 
discussed  at  this  time  and  more  or  less  during 
the  whole  period  since  Methodism  was  introduced 
into  Norway,  were  baptism,  the  Lord's  Supper, 
Christian  perfection  (or  entire  sanctification)  and 
the  witness  of  the  Spirit.  There  was  also  much 
prejudice  against  -kneeling  during  worship,  class 
meetings,  prayer  meetings,  woman's  testimonies 
at  the  meetings,  altar  services,  Sunday  schools, 
Methodist  hymns,  etc.  In  the  course  of  time, 
however,  a  great  change  has  taken  place.  Meth- 
odism has  had  a  great  influence  on  the  whole 
Norwegian  population.  It  is  now  better  known 
and  understood,  and  by  and  by  the  old  prejudice 
and  hatred  is  disappearing  and  our  Lutheran 
friends  have  come  to  understand  that  there  is 
much  in  Methodism  worth  imitating.  We  can 
now  find  traces  of  Methodistic  influence  in  al- 
most all  directions,  as  well  in  doctrine  as  in  mode 
of  work.  The  first  Methodist  church  in  Norway 
was  organized,  according  to  the  laws  of  the 
country,  September  11,  1856,  at  Sarpsborg,  and 
from  that  time  Methodism  has  spread  all  over 


Norway,  there  being  Methodist  churches  now  in 
almost  every  city  or  town,  and  in  several  country 
places,  and  the  outlook  for  further  progress  is 
good. 

Some  have  made  strong  objections  to  the  Meth- 
odist church  sending  missionaries  to  Norway, 
a  Christian  country.  Statistics  as  well  as  a  gen- 
eral knowledge  of  the  religious  conditions  of  the 
country  show,  however,  that  besides  all  the  work 
which  the  state  church  forces  possibly  are  able  to 
do,  there  is  still  ample  room  for,  yea  an  urgent 
need  of  all  the  work  that  the  Methodists  and 
other  dissenters  can  do  for  the  salvation  of  souls 
and  the  general  uplift  of  the  people.  Thinking 


Rev.  O.  P.  Petersen. 

and  broadminded  religious  Norwegians  admit 
this  more  willingly  than  ever,  and  so  a  liberal  and 
friendly  spirit  is  growing  between  the  state 
church  and  the  other  evangelical  denominations, 
and  the  religious  work  is  carried  on  without  the 
old  friction  on  every  side.  Father  Petersen  lived 
to  see  this  and  he  was  glad  for  the  change. 

Petersen  remained  in  Norway  until  1859,  when 
he  returned  to  America  and  was  appointed  pastor 
of  the  Bethel  Ship  Mission  in  Brooklyn.  After 
that  time  he  served  as  pastor  and  presiding  elder 
in  Wisconsin  and  in  Illinois  until  1869,  when,  fol- 
lowing the  call  of  the  church,  he  again  went  to 
Norway  as  superintendent  of  the  work  there  for 


162 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


two  years,  his  family  remaining  in  Racine,  Wis. 
On  his  return,  in  1871,  he  became  pastor  of  the 
First  Church,  Chicago,  for  three  years.  After 
that  his  appointments  were  Brooklyn,  where  he 
organized  the  church,  Wisconsin,  where  he  was 
presiding  elder  a  second  time,  and  after  that  as 
pastor  in  Racine,  Wis.,  Maplewood  avenue,  Chi- 
cago, Minneapolis,  Minn.,  Maplewood  avenue, 
Chicago,  Racine,  Wis.,  and  finally  Brooklyn,  Sec- 
ond Church,  which  he  organized  and  where  he 
died  triumphant  in  the  Lord  after  only  a  few  days 
sickness,  and  after  half  a  century's  faithful  work 
for  his  Master,  ten  minutes  before  eight  o'clock 
Friday  evening,  Dec.  20,  1901. 

In  1896  he  visited  Norway  for  the  fourth  time 
and  there  participated  in  the  fortieth  anniversary 
of  Methodism  in  Norway,  at  Sarpsborg.  He  vis- 
ited several  churches  during  this  trip  and  he 
preached  to  the  great  edification  of  the  people. 

Petersen  was  in  many  respects  a  remarkable 
man  and  deserves  a  conspicuous  place  in  the  re- 
ligious history  of  the  people  whose  son  he  was. 
He  was  a  powerful  preacher  and  revivalist,  a 
faithful  pastor,  a  wise  administrator  as  pastor 
and  presiding  elder,  a  thorough  student  of  the 
Bible  and  theological  works  in  general,  a  deep 
thinker  and  theologian,  a  clear  and  concise  writer 
and  an  invincible  debater  on  theological  ques- 
tions, always  ready  with  striking  arguments  and 
biblical  logic.  In  his  Christian  life  in  the  home 
and  everywhere  he  was  an  illustrious  example 
without  blemish  all  through  his  long  religious 
career. 

Petersen  was  a  leader  in  all  kinds  of  church 
work  and  was  a  member  of  numerous  committees, 
as  for  instance,  committees  on  the  hymn  book, 
the  periodicals  and  the  book  concern.  He  was 
very  modest  in  all  his  relations  and  it  was  a  bless- 
ing to  have  intercourse  with  him.  In  1883  when 
the  Norwegian  and  Danir.h  Conference  elected  its 
first  delegate  to  the  General  Conference,  he  would 
have  been  elected  but  declined,  though  nobody 
would  have  been  more  fit  for  the  position  than 
he.  Petersen  was  quite  active  as  a  writer  and 
wrote  numerous  articles  and  essays  for  the  reli- 
gious press.  Of  his  pamphlets  and  books  may  be 
mentioned  "Daabslaeren  i  et  N0ddeskal"  and  "Et 
Blik  paa  Adventismen,"  but  his  main  work  was 
"Betragtninger  over  Bibelens  Hovedla^rdomme," 
in  which,  in  fifty-one  well  written  chapters,  he 
treated  all  the  main  points  of  Christian  theology. 
The  clear  thinking,  the  Biblical  contents  and  the 
deep  earnestness  that  pervade  the  book,  and  the 
plain  language  in  which  it  is  written,  makes  it  a 
highly  instructive  as  well  as  edifying  book  both 
to  common  readers  and  to  younger  and  older 


preachers.  O.  P.  Petersen  was  a  wonder  of  a 
self-educated  and  self-made  man  and  an  honor  to 
his  church  and  to  his  nation.  His  memory  is 
blessed. 

As  mentioned  earlier  in  this  sketch,  O.  P.  Pe- 
tersen, was  married  in  Fredrikstad  in  1849  to 
Miss  Anne  Marie  Amundsen  with  whom  he  had 
five  children.  Having  for  thirty-four  years  been 
his  faithful  wife,  advicer  and  helpmate  in  his  di- 
versified work,  she  died  peacefully  in  the  Lord  at 
Milwaukee  in  1883. 

J.  H.  JOHNSON. 

John  Henry  Johnson  was  born  on  the  Fj0sne 
farm  at  Etne,  south  of  Bergen,  Norway,  July  18, 
1837.  His  parents  were  Johan  Vogt  and  Suzanne 
Torbj0rnsdatter.  When  he  was  through  with 
the  common  school  and  had  been  confirmed,  he 
was  for  three  years  clerk  in  his  uncle's  store  at 
Etne,  and  1857  he  emigrated  to  America,  where 
at  first  he  lived  and  worked  with  his  brother-in- 
law  at  Perry,  Wis. 

Possessing  good  natural  faculties  and  being  well 
versed  in  the  common  branches  of  knowledge  he 
attended  English  school  at  Perry  and  soon  made 
rapid  progress  in  English  and  other  studies.  Al- 
ready next  year  we  find  him  as  a  teacher.  About 
the  same  time  he  was  very  much  influenced  by 
an  old  Christian  blind  man's  prayer,  but  the  com- 
plete transition  from  darkness  to  light  did  not 
take  place  until  in  1860  during  a  campmeeting 
among  the  Norwegian  Methodists  at  Primrose, 
Dane  Co.,  Wis.,  conducted  by  Rev.  A.  Haagensen 
and  other  preachers.  He  joined  the  Methodist 
Church  and  soon  after  was  licenced  as  a  local 
preacher.  Being  sure  of  his  calling  to  work  in 
the  Lord's  vineyard,  he  tried  to  prepare  himself 
for  the  work  by  studying  for  some  time  at  Law- 
rence University,  Appleton,  Wis.  In  the  mean- 
time the  civil  war  broke  out,  and  Johnson  en- 
tered as  a  volunteer  in  the  Fifteenth  Wisconsin 
regiment,  and  as  a  sergeant  took  part  in  several 
engagements  on  the  battlefield.  During  his  three 
years'  service  he  preached  the  word  of  God  to 
the  soldiers  and  to  the  negroes  in  their  huts. 
After  Rev.  Clausen's  resignation  he  was  installed 
as  chaplain  of  the  regiment,  did  excellent  service, 
and  was  loved  and  esteemed  by  both  officers  and 
soldiers. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  he  returned  to  Wis- 
consin, where  by  presiding  elder  O.  P.  Petersen 
he  was  appointed  pastor,  the  first  year  at  Coon 
Prairie,  the  second  year  also  at  Richland.  At 
Richland  he  met  her  who  was  to  become  his  dear- 
est and  best  friend  on  earth,  Miss  Anne  Fryden- 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


land,  with  whom,  till  his  death,  he  lived  in  a 
happy  marriage,  and  in  whom  he  had  a  faithful 
supporter  and  help  in  all  things.  They  were 
blessed  with  five  children  —  three  sons  and  two 
daughters  —  all  grown  and  in  good  positions, 
Cyrus  being  engaged  at  the  State  Bank  of  Chi- 
cago, Edwin  in  the  International  Harvester  Com- 
pany's service,  Wilbur  as  a  physician,  Ida,  mar- 
ried to  Dr.  Green,  a  druggist,  all  in  Chicago,  and 
Mathilde,  married  to  Professor  Alb.  C.  Knudson 
of  Boston  University. 

J.  H.  Johnson  was  received  into  Wisconsin 
Conference  in  full  membership  in  1869,  after  com- 
pleting his  conference  studies,  in  which  he 
showed  great  proficiency.  His  appointments  have 
been:  Coon  Prairie  and  Richland,  Sheboygan 
and  Racine,  Wis.,  First  Church,  Chicago,  three 
times;  Milwaukee,  at  the  same  time  being  presid- 
ing elder  of  the  district.  In  1872  he  was  ap- 
pointed presiding  elder  of  the  new  Norwegian- 
Danish  district  in  Minnesota,  and  from  then  on 
he  served  as  presiding  elder  in  different  districts 
the  unusually  long  time  of  twenty-two  years,  of 
which  eight  years  in  Norway. 

When  the  first  official  organ  among  Norwegian 
and  Danish  Methodists,  "Missionaeren,"  was 
started  in  1870  he  was  for  a  time  one  of  its  edit- 
ors, and  he  has  been  a  member  of  committees  for 
periodicals,  hymn  books  and  the  book  concern, etc. 

In  1880  he  was  elected  delegate  from  the  Wis- 
consin Conference  to  the  General  Conference, 
and  in  1881  he  was  a  delegate  from  Norway  to 
the  First  Ecumenical  Methodist  Conference, 
which  was  held  in  London,  England. 

In  1888  he  was  a  delegate  from  Norway,  and  in 
1892  from  the  Norwegian  and  Danish  Conference, 
to  the  General  Conference.  Our  beloved  John- 
son was  an  ardent  and  zealous  worker,  putting 
all  his  heart  and  strength  and  enthusiasm  into  his 
responsible  and  often  hard  work,  to  which  God 
and  the  church  had  called  him,  and  the  result  was 
a  great  multitude  of  saved  souls  on  both  sides  of 
the  ocean  and  the  edification  and  quickening  of 
the  church  of  God  in  truth  and  holiness.  In  1879 
he  paid  a  visit  to  his  native  country,  and  this  visit 
was  followed  the  next  year,  1880,  by  his  exchang- 
ing position  with  Rev.  M.  Hansen,  then  presid- 
ing elder  and  superintendent  of  the  work  in  Nor- 
way, where  by  the  urgent  request  of  the  people, 
Johnson  remained  as  presiding  elder  four  years 
longer  than  he  had  expected  when  he  left 
America,  and  by  his  eloquent  and  inspiring 
preaching  and  his  good  judgment  and  impartial 
management  of  the  affairs  performed  much  valu- 
able work.  His  best,  time  in  the  service  of  the 
church  he  loved  so  well  he  had,  however,  during 


his  first  term  as  pastor  of  the  First  Church,  Chi- 
cago in  1859  to  1871,  when  hundreds  of  precious 
souls  were  converted  and  added  to  the  church, 
and  the  whole  neighborhood  was  stirred  up  and 
swept,  as  it  were,  to  the  cross  in  the  greatest 
revival  that  Norwegian  and  Dan'sh  Methodism 
has  ever  experienced.  Johnson  was  a  kind  hus- 
band and  father,  a  faithful  friend,  a  genuine 
Christian,  holy  in  life,  a  diligent  student  of  the 
Bible  and  other  good  literature,  a  hearty,  elo- 
quent and  influential  preacher,  a  faithful  pastor 
and  a  beloved  and  successful  presiding  elder.  As 


J.  H.  Johnson. 

a  writer  he  was  clear,  concise  and  instructive. 
As  his  life,  faculties,  powers  and  influence  was  all 
consecrated  to  the  Lord,  so  his  whole  personal- 
ity, preaching  and  work  had  a  wonderfully  stir- 
ring, uplifting  and  sanctifying  influence. 

He  died  after  two  weeks  illness  from  cancer  of 
the  stomach  during  his  third  pastorate  at  the 
First  Church,  Chicago,  October  8,  1896,  and  was 
according  to  his  own  request,  buried  at  Rich- 
land,  Wis.,  where  in  front  of  the  church  on  the 
hill,  his  dear  wife  and  children  have  erected  a 
beautiful  monument  on  his  grave.  Though  dead 
he  is  still  living  in  his  work  and  example  which 
are  kept  in  blessed  remembrance  by  thousands. 


164 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


H.  H.  HOLLAND. 

Halvor  H.  Holland  was  born  in  Norway,  and 
while  young  he  was  converted  among  the  "Haug- 
eans"  at  Haugesund,  Norway.  He  emigrated  to 
America  while  young  and  join-ed  the  Methodist 
church  at  Leland,  111.,  while  Jonas  Hedstr^m  was 
presiding  elder  in  the  Swedish  District  of  Illinois, 
and  started  the  work  in  the  Leland  settlement. 
In  1854  he  was  licensed  to  preach.  He  preached 
with  great  success  both  in  Leland  and  in  the  Fox 
River  settlement,  where  he  organized  a  church  at 
Norway,  in  1857.  From  1857  to  1859  he  supplied 
the  Iceland  settlement  where,  in  1858,  he  built  a 
church  which  later  was  moved  into  the  village  of 
Leland.  In  1859  to  1861  he  was  appointed  to 
Newburg,  Minn.,  where  he  held  the  first  meeting 
in  a  hotel  room.  The  church  there  was  organized 
at  a  meeting  at  Mr. 'H."  Walter's  threshing  floor, 
May  20,  1860,  and  a  church  was  built  the  same 
year.  He  was  received  into  the  Minnesota  (Eng 
lish)  Conference  on  probation  in  1860  and  in  full 
connection  the  following  year  and  ordained  elder. 
In  1861  to  1862  his  appointment  was  Big  Canoe 
(now  Locust),  la.,  and  later  he  was  appointed  to 
St.  Paul  and  Candiyohi,  Minn.  His  health  failed 
him  and  he  was  obliged  to  withdraw  from  active 
service  in  the  conference,  and  since  then  he  was 
a  superannuate.  As  such  he  was  transferred  to 
the  Norwegian  and  Danish  Conference  at  its  or- 
ganization in  1880. 

Holland  was  a  pious  and  zealous  man  who, 
even  as  a  superannuate,  preached  and  worked  for 
the  Lord  whenever  he  had  an  opportunity  and 
the  condition  of  his  health  would  allow  him. 

With  his  family  he  lived  several  years  in  Min- 
nesota, but  later  moved  to  Leland,  111.,  where  he 
at  first  started  as  a  preacher,  and  where  he  died 
April  12,  1897.  His  dear  wife  who  also  was  far 
advanced  in  years,  survived  him  .only  five  days 
'-'  ''  ''  '  '' 


17,'  1897/  /Their  only  .ch'ild,  a  son, 
died  many  years  earlier.  Both  Holland  and  his 
wife  were  buried  at  Lela'nd. 

O.  J.  SANAKER. 

O.  J.  Sanaker  was  born  at  Lier,  near  Drammen, 
Norway,  in  1849.  Nine  years  old  he  was  con- 
verted to  God,  but  lacking  knowledge  and  light 
in  spiritual  things  he  backslided. 

In  1867  he  emigrated  to  America  together  with 
his  father  and  two  brothers  and  settled  at  Orion, 
Wis.  The  same  year  he  was  converted  to  God 
during  a  revival  in  the  American  Methodist 
church  there,  and  soon  after  he  joined  the  Nor- 
wegian Methodist  church  on  Washington  Prairie, 
la.,  but  his  home  being  six  miles  from  the  church, 


he  shortly  afterwards  joined  the  American  Meth- 
odist church  at  Freeport,  la.,  where  he  lived. 
After  some  time  he  was  licensed  to  preach  and 
was  recommended  to  the  school  in  Evanston,  111. 
where  he  studied  with  such  ardor,  that  he  com- 
pleted the  three  years'  study  in  two  years,  though 
at  the  same  time  he  had  charge  of  the  Second 
(now  Maplewood  avenue)  Church  in  Chicago. 
God  blessed  his  work  here  so  that  fifty-two  souls 
were  converted  and  added  to  the  church  during 
this  period.  His  next  appointment  was  North 
Cape,  Wis.,  where  he  worked  faithfully  one  year. 
In  1877  he  was  appointed  to  Leland,  Norway,  and 
Lee,  111.  Here  he  was  an  instrument  in  the  Lord's 
hand  to  lead  many  souls  from  darkness  to  light 
in  one  of  the  greatest  revivals  that  ever  occurred 
in  our  mission  in  this  country.  The  whole  region 
there  was  stirred  up  in  a  wonderful  way.  In 
1880  he  was  appointed  to  Cambridge,  Wis.,  the 
cradle  of  Norwegian  Methodism,  and  commenced 
his  work  there  with  the  same  zeal  and  enthusi- 
asm as  before;  but  in  the  midst  of  his  work  he 
took  sick  on  Tuesday,  Nov.  30,  and  though  very 
weak,  he  preached  three  times  the  following  Sun- 
day, Dec.  5,  without  taking  any  nourishment  dur- 
ing the  whole  day.  His  illness  increased  until 
Friday,  Dec.  10,  when  he  ended  his  earthly  life. 
During  his  sickness  he  sometimes  was  tempted 
hard,  but  early  Friday  morning  he  exclaimed: 
"Now  my  soul  is  free!  To-day  I  shall  be  with 
Jesus!"  His  father  and  brothers  asked  him,  if 
there  was  anything  he  wished;  he  answered: 
"That  all  of  you  may  come  to  Jesus." 

He  was  buried  in  our  cemetery  at  Cambridge. 

Sanaker  was  a  powerful,  eloquent  and  enthusi- 
astic preacher,  and  as  a  Christian  he  was  careful 
in  all  things  and  meek  and  lowly  of  heart..  He 
was  very  much  esteemed  and  loved  by  all  who 
knew  him. 

Though  dead,   he  speaketh. 

O.  A.  WIERSEN. 

Olaf  Amandus  Wiersen  was  born  at  Pors- 
grund,  Norway,  Nov.  3,  1844,  to  Ole  and  Wil- 
helmine  Wiersen,  and  he  died  happy  in  the  Lord, 
in  his  home  at  Moreland,  Chicago,  March  26, 
1904,  over  59  years  old. 

After  having  attended  the  best  schools  in  Pors- 
grund  he  passed  the  examination  required  for  a 
mate.  Thereafter  he  learned  sailmaking  at  Ber- 
gen. Afterwards  he  went  to  France  to  acquire 
a  knowledge  of  the  French  language  and  re- 
mained there  about  one  year.  Then  the  time 
came  when  his  hope  of  becoming  a  sailor  was 
realized.  Young,  strong,  fearless  and  well 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


165 


equipped  for  sea  life  he  went  out  on  the  stormy 
ocean;  but  God  had  destined  him  for  something 
better. 

After  having  been  a  sailor  for  some  time,  he 
set  out  for  America,  and  landed  in  Milwaukee, 
Wis.,  in  1867,  23  years  old. 

In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  and  another 
young  man  left  Milwaukee  with  the  intention  of 
spending  the  winter  in  the  country,  and  thus  he 
came  to  Ashippun,  Wis.  Here  he  was  truly  con- 
verted to  God  through  the  ministry  of  Rev.  P. 
Jensen,  and  joined  our  church.  He  soon  felt  a 
call  from  God  to  preach,  but  he  did  not  go  wholly 
into  this  work  until  some  years  later.  At  Aship- 
pun he  married  Miss  Annie  C.  Isaacson,  a  young 
Christian  woman,  with  whom  he  lived  happily 
for  three  years.  When  the  Lord  took  her  home, 
she  left  her  husband  with  tw,o  small  children,  a 
son  and  a  daughter.  Prompted  by  presiding 
elder  A.  Haagensen  he  gave  himself  entirely  over 
to  the  work  for  saving  souls  and  worked  for 
some  time  at  Oconomowoc,  Wis.,  .with  good  -sue--' 
cess.  Later  he  was  appointed  assistant  ;tp.^'A  !_ 
Haagensen  at  Milwaukee  .  y "  CM 

He  then  made  a  trip  to  Norway  visiting  with 
his  family,  relatives  and  friends.  He  remained 
there  about  one  year,  and  preached  with  great 
power  in  our  churches  in  Norway  to  much  .bless- 
ing for  God's  children  and  to  the  salvation  of 
many  souls. 

On  May  34,  1876,  he  married  Miss  Ingeborg 
Thorsen,  of  Porsgrund,  Norway,  who  was  his 
faithful  assistant  in  all  his  sacrificing  work  for 
the  cause  during  all  the  ensuing  years.  This 
marriage  was  blessed  with  one  son  and  six 
daughters,  of  whom  three  little'  daughters  had 
gone  ahead  of  their  father  to  glory. 

In  1877  Wiersen  was  received  into  the  Wis- 
consin Conference,  and  was  in  1880  transferred 
to  the  then  organized  Norwegian  and  Danish 
Conference.  Besides  being  A.  Haagensen's  as- 
sistant at  Milwaukee  for  two  years  his  appoint- 
ments were  as  follows: 

Manitowoc  and  Sheboygan,  one  year;  Sturgeon 
Bay,  Fort  Howard  and  De  Pere,  Wis.,  three1 
years;  Leland,  Lee,  and  Norway,  111.,  two  years; 
Racine,  Wis.,  two  years;  First  Church,  Chicago, 
three  years;  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  two  years;  Imman- 
uel,  Chicago,  three  years;  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  four 
years;  Moreland,  Chicago,  seven  and  a  half  years. 
In  all  these  places  many  precious  souls  were 
won  for  God  and  the  church  during  his  indefatig- 
able and  arduous  efforts  for  the  progress  of  God's 
kingdom  on  earth. 

He  also  was  a  member  of  many  committees 
and  always  did  good  and  faithful  work.  He  was 


an  ardent,  powerful  and  enthusiastic  preacher,  a 
real  revivalist.  Now  he  rests  from  his  labors. 
His  memory  is  blessed.  He  was  buried  at  Mount 
Olive  Cemetery,  Chicago. 


Norwegian  Baptists 

By  Rev.  C.  W.  Finwall. 

The  First  Norwegian  Baptist  Church  on  Ame- 
rican soil  was  organized  by  Rev.  Hans  Valder  in 
La  Salle  county,  111.,  Jan.  1848. 

Mr.  Valder  had  arrived  from  Norway  about 
ten  years  previously,  at  the  age  of  26,  and  with 
his  young  wife  and  other  sturdy  pioneers  recently 
from  the  "land  of  the  midnight  sun,"  began  culti- 
vating the  prairies  of  what  is  now  La  Salle 
county. 

Mr.  Hans  Valder  and  his  wife  were  converted 
to  ,God  in  1840  and  baptized  by  Elder  Harding, 
'"pastor  .of  an  American  -Baptist  church  in  La  Salle 
county,  June .  22,  1842,;  and  thus,  so  far  as  we 
know,  becafne  .the  first.  Norwegian  Baptist  on  this 
continent.  •  . 

Mr.  Valder.  was  soon,  singled  out  as  a  leader 
among  his  people,  demonstrating  arduous  zeal 
for  the  salvation. of  his  own  people,  and  success 
in  winning.-souls,.,he..was,  after  having  received 
some  training,  recommended  to  a  council  of 
Baptist  ministers  and  ordained  as  the  first  Bap- 
tist preacher  among -the  Norwegian  people— in  all 
the  world— in  August,  1844. 

Rev.  Hans.  Valder  was  a  man  of  strong  relig- 
ious convictions,  aggressive,  a  keen  observer,  hon- 
orable and  above  reproach  in  all  his  dealings,  and 
was  naturally  gifted  as  a  vivid  and  winsom 
speaker. 

In  spite  of  much  prejudice  and  opposition  on 
the  part  of  his  own  countrymen,  Mr.  Valder, 
with  meager  resources  at  .his  ^command,  dividing 
''•his,  time  ,  and'  strength  bcUyeen  farming  and 
pYcachitm.  o*ga%e;d  flic  Norwegian  Baptist 
'Church  6f  La  Salle  cbun'ty^'ifensisting  of  seven 
adults  recently  converted  a$d  baptized— in  Jan- 
uary, 1848.  I 

The  little  church  called  Mr.  Hans  Valder  as 
its  pastor,  and  from  its  records  we  find  that  al- 
though some  of  its  members  had  to  split  cord 
wood  at  25  cents  a  day,  the  following  subscrip- 
tions were  taken  during  February,  1848,  for  the 
support  of  their  pastor:  Ole  Thompsen,  $1.00; 
Esten  Estensen,  $1.00;  Mark  Johnson,  $1.00; 
Jacob  Johnson,  $1.00;  Lars  Richolson,  $2.00;  Oden 
Jacobsen,  $1.00;  Helge  Olsen,  $2.00;  Nils  Nilsen, 


166 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


$3.00;  and  Peter  Nilsen,  $1.00.  Total,  $13.00.  Be- 
side these  we  find  the  following  names  on  the 
records,  presumably  unable  to  give  financial  sup- 
port at  the  time:  Ole  Hansen,  Nils  Olsen,  Ole 


We  find  from  the  same  records  that  Rev.  Val- 
der  decided  to  apply  to  the  American  Baptist 
Home  Missionary  Society  for  an  annual  assist- 
ance of  $50  from  its  treasury. 


Logan  Square  Norwegian   Baptist  Church,  Chicago,  111. 


Hansen,  Jr.,  Nils  Ericksen,  Lars  Petersen,  Made 
Madersen  and  Asbjjzfrn  Arentsen — a  total  of  six- 
teen men. 


Dr.  H.  L.  Morehouse,  D.  D.,  of  New  York,  rec- 
ognized this  fact,  and  adds:  Mr.  H.  Valder's  ap- 
plication was  granted,  and  he  thus  became  the 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


167 


first  Norwegian  Baptist  missionary  of  the  Ameri- 
can Baptist  Home  Mission  Society.  This  first 
Norwegian  Baptist  church  in  America,  after  about 
four  years  of  interesting  history,  was  finally  ab- 
sorbed by  an  English  speaking  Baptist  church  in 
the  neighborhood.  Pastor  H.  Valder  moved  to 
Minnesota  in  1852  and  died  in  that  state  in  1902, 
about  80  years  of  age. 

One  of  Rev.  H.  Valder's  sons  is  at  the  head 
of  the  Valder's  Business  College  of  Decorah,  la. 

Since  Mr.  Valder's  days  hundreds  of  Norweg- 
ians have  united  with  English  speaking  Baptist 
churches  in  the  state  of  Illinois.  But  aside  from 
this  fact  specific  organized  efforts,  more  or  less 
successful,  have  been  made  by  Norwegian  Bap- 
tists. 

These  efforts,  however,  have  mainly  been  made 
in  union  with  the  Danish  Baptists,  and  today  it 
is  difficult  and  undesirable  from  our  point  of  view 
to  speak  of  the  one  nationality  without  speaking 
of  the  other. 

The  First  Scandinavian  Baptist  Church,  since 
the  days  of  Valder,  was  organized  in  Chicago  in 
the  year  1864,  and  consisted  of  Norwegians, 
Swedes  and  Danes. 

In  the  year  1866  the  Swedish  Baptists  with- 
drew, organizing  the  First  Swedish  Baptist 
Church  of  Chicago  in  order  to  do  more  direct 
and  concentrated  work  in  the  interest  of  the 
Swedish  people  in  Chicago. 

The  Norwegian  and  Danish  Baptists  have  since 
continued  their  work  separated  from  the  Swedish 
Baptists. 

After  forty  years  we  have  five  churches  and 
two  missions,  one  of  which  bids  fair  to  soon  be- 
come an  independent  Baptist  church.  Four 
churches  —  Logan  Square  Norwegian,  The  First 
Danish,  Bethel  Scandinavian,  and  the  Kankakee 
church  are  well  housed,  representing  a  value  of 
more  then  $30,000.  The  Waukegan  church  does 
not  as  yet  own  a  building.  Aggressive  mission 
work  is  maintained  at  West  Pullman  and  on 
Centre  avenue  and  Ohio  street  by  the  Logan 
Square  Church  and  by  Norwegian  theological 
students  from  our  school  at  Morgan  Park,  111. 

The  largest  church  is  the  Logan  Square  Nor- 
wegian, with  only  a  little  more  than  two  hundred 
members,  representing  perhaps  about  500  adults 
and  children. 

Among  the  men  whose  personalities  have  made 
perhaps  the  most  lasting  impression  upon  the 
Danish-Norwegian  Baptist  work  in  Illinois  since 
1866  we  mention — Rev.  H.  A.  Reichenback,  Prof. 
N.  P.  Jensen,  Rev.  P.  H.  Dom,  Rev.  Julius  Jen- 
sen, Rev.  J.  B.  Sundt,  Rev.  E.  S.  Sundt,  Prof. 
Edw.  Olsen,  Ph.  D.,  Rev.  E.  L.  Myrland,  Rev. 


J.  A.  Ohrn,  Prof.  H.  Gundersen,  M.  A.,  and  Prof. 
C.  J.  Olsen. 

The  Dano-Norwegiah  Baptist  Theological 
Seminary  at  Morgan  Park,  111.,  was  opened  in  the 
fall  of  1884  with  Prof.  N.  P.  Jensen  as  dean  and 
Dr.  Edw.  Olsen  as  professor  in  Greek,  philos- 
ophy and  kindred  studies.  Dr.  Olsen  accepted 
the  presidency  of  the  State  University  of  South 
Dakota  in  1887,  and  Prof.  H.  Gundersen,  who  had 
graduated  from  the  University  of  Christiania, 
Norway,  was  called  to  the  vacant  professorship 
at  Morgan  Park.  Professor  N.  P.  Jensen  died 
May  14,  1895,  and  Prof.  H.  Gundersen  was 
elected  dean.  With  him  Profs.  C.  J.  Olsen  and 
N.  L.  Lawdahl  have  continued  as  associates  since 
1896.  About  175  students  have  enjoyed  the  priv- 
ileges of  this  school,  and  many  of  these  are  still 
serving  Baptist  churches  in  America,  Norway, 
Denmark  and  in  other  lands. 


The  Theological  Seminary,  Morgan 
Park,  Illinois 

Morgan  Park  is  a  beautiful  village  14  miles 
south  from  the  business  center  of  Chicago  on 
the  Chicago  &  Rock  Island  R.  R.  The  greater 
part  of  Morgan  Park  is  located  on  a  wooded  long 
hill  or  ridge,  perhaps  the  highest  natural  point 
for  more  than  twenty  miles  south  of  Chicago. 
Here  we  find  the  Morgan  Park  Academy,  and  the 
Dano-Norwegian  as  well  as  the  Swedish  Baptist 
theological  seminaries. 

The  Dano-Norwegian  school  as  well  as  the 
other  schools  referred  to  are  now  in  organic 
connection  with  the  University  of  Chicago,  each 
with  a  dean  or  head. 

Prof.  Henrick  Gundersen  is  the  present  dean 
of  the  Dano-Norwegian  Baptist  school.  He  came 
from  Norway  in  the  year  1887,  to  take  up  the 
work  as  an  associate  of  Prof.  N.  P.  Jensen,  then 
dean  of  this  school.  When  Prof.  N.  P.  Jensen 
died,  Prof.  H.  Gundersen  was  made  dean  in  1895, 
after  having  served  as  acting  dean  for  two  years 
during  the  illness  of  Prof.  N.  P.  Jensen. 

The  history  of  this  school  dates  back  to  1884. 
when  Prof.  N.  P.  Jensen  was  appointed  head  and 
Prof.  Edw.  Olsen,  Ph.  D.,  associate,  of  a  Dano- 
Norweerian  Baptist  Seminary,  by  the  faculty  of 
the  Baptist  Union  Theological  Seminary. 

The  school  opened  October  1,  1884,  with  the 
following  students:  Anton  Brandt,  P.  W.  Niel- 
sen, N.  Nyrup,  August  Broholm,  C.  J.  Olsen, 
Gunder  Nesse,  Andrew  Sorensen,  C.  H.  Hen- 


168 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


ningsen,  A.  C.  Nesby,  E.  L.  Myrland  and  C.  W. 
Finwall. 

Since  then  one  hundred  and  seventy  (170)  Nor- 
wegian and  Danish  young  men  have  enjoyed  the 
privileges  of  this  school.  Twelve  of  the  gradu- 
ates of  this  school  are  now  actively  engaged  as 
pastors  in  Norway,  one  in  Africa,  several  in  Den- 
mark, and  more  than  fifty  (50)  in  the  United 
States  and  Canada. 

At  the  present  time  the  school  has  enrolled 
about  thirty  (30)  students  with  Prof.  H.  Gunder- 
sen  as  dean,  and  Profs.  C.  J.  Olsen  and  N.  L. 
Lawdahl  as  associate  teachers. 

The  course  mapped  out  extends  over  a  period 
of  four  years  and  must  be  thoroughly  covered  if 
a  diploma  shall  be  handed  the  student  at  the  end 


by  men  who  are  well  versed  in  subjects  valuable 
to  the  students. 

Beside  this  the  students  have  for  many  years 
kept  up  a  very  efficient  literary  and  debate  club 
themselves,  for  the  proper  development  of  their 
mental  and  speaking  possibilities. 


Brief    Biographical    Sketches    of    some    Norweg- 
ian Teachers  at  the  Baptist  School, 
Morgan  Park,  111. 

Prof.  H.  Gundersen. 

Henrick  Gundersen  was  born  in  Tromsjzf,  Nor- 
way, in  1857,  the  only  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  O. 
Gundersen.  Henrick's  father  conducted  a  flour- 


nfflWHt 


The  Theological   Seminary,   Morgan   Park,   111. 


of  the  fourth  year.  The  first  two  years  the  stu- 
dent is  required  to  take  up  and  reach  to  a  cer- 
tain standard  in  English  and  Dano-Norwegian 
grammar,  geography,  Bible  chronology,  history 
and  elementary  Greek.  During  the  last  two  years 
at  school,  the  student  must  attain  a  certain  stand- 
ing in  systematic  theology,  New  Testament 
Greek,  exegetics,  philosophy,  logic,  church  his- 
tory, church  polity,  pastoral  theology,  homiletics 
and  antiquity. 

To  aid  the  students  quite  a  library  kept  well 
up  to  date  with  English  and  Dano-Norwegian 
works  of  literary  and  practical  value  is  placed  at 
the  disposal  of  the  students  in  "Walker  Hall." 
Frequent  lectures  are  also  given  to  the  students 


ishing  merchant  tailoring  business  for  many 
years,  and  did  what  he  could  to  give  his  only  son 
all  the  educational  advantages  possible.  As  quite 
a  young  man  he  was  converted  to  God  and  joined 
the  Baptist  Church  in  Troms^f. 

He  felt  strongly  called  to  give  himself  to  the 
gospel  ministry,  and  in  order  to  better  qualify 
himself  he  decided  to  take  a  three  years'  course 
at  the  theological  Bethel  Baptist  seminary  in 
Stockholm,  Sweden,  inasmuch  as  there  was  not 
a  Baptist  school  in  Norway.  Henrick  Gunder- 
sen graduated  with  honor  from  the  Bethel  Sem- 
inary in  1882,  and  then  returned  to  Christiania, 
Norway,  where  he  studied  at  the  university,  grad- 
uating in  1885. 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


169 


He  accepted  a  call  from  the  Baptist  church  in 
Trondhjem,  Norway,  and  served  with  great  ac- 
ceptance until  1887,  when  he  received  a  call  to 
a  professorship  at  the  Baptist  school  at  Morgan 
Park,  111. 

In  the  fall  of  1887  Rev.  Henrick  Gundersen 
came  to  Morgan  Park,  and  remained  with  the 
school  until  the  close  of  the  spring  term  of  1889, 
when  he  made  a  trip  to  Norway,  preaching  at 
Bergen  from  Sept.  1889  to  April  1890. 

Meanwhile  Rev.  H.  Gundersen  had  married 
Miss  Hansine  Hansen  of  Trondhjem,  and  with 
his  wife  he  returned  to  Morgan  Park,  111.,  during 
the  summer  of  1890,  and  has  since  continuously 
served  the  best  interests  of  the  Baptist  seminary 
at  Morgan  Park.  From  1890  to  1893  Prof.  Gun- 
dersen was  associate  to  the  able  Danish  Prof. 
N.  P.  Jensen,  whose  health  then  began  to  fail 
rapidly,  and  when  Prof.  N.  P.  Jensen  left  for 
California  that  year,  Prof.  Gundersen  was  ap- 
pointed acting  dean.  After  two  years'  illness 
Prof.  Jensen  died,  and  since  then  in  1893,  until 
the  time  this  sketch  was  written,  Prof.  Henrick 
Gundersen  has  proved  to  be  an  able  and  honor- 
able leader,  and  has  secured  for  himself  an  abid- 
ing and  large  place  in  the  minds  and  hearts  of 
all  who  have  sat  in  his  class  rooms,  and  in  all. 
the  Norwegian  and  Danish  Baptist  churches  in 
America,  in  Norway  and  Denmark,  and  in  other 
parts  of  the  world. 

Prof.  H.  Gundersen  resides  in  his  own  home 
at  Morgan  Park,  where  he  now  is  happily  sur- 
rounded by  wife,  four  sons  and  one  daughter,  as 
well  as  his  venerable  old  parents  who  are  spend- 
ing their  declining  years  with  their  only  son. 


PROF.  C.  J.  OLSEN. 

Christian  J.  Olsen  was  born  in  the  vicinity  of 
Trondhjem,  Norway,  in  the  year  1856. 

When  he  was  two  years  of  age  his  parents 
moved  into  the  city  of  Trondhjem,  where  he  re- 
sided until  he  came  to  the  United  States  in  1881. 

Christian  Olsen  finished  the  seventh  grade  and 
graduated  from  the  public  schools  in  Trondhjem 
when  he  was  only  12  years  of  age,  and  then  took 
a  post  graduate  course  until  he  was  about  14 
years  of  age.  He  then  secured  a  position  with 
the  Trondhjem  Mechanical  Works,  where  he  re- 
mained for  nine  years,  and  from  time  to  time 
was  promoted.  While  at  the  mechanical  works 
Mr.  Olsen  attended  evening  courses  especially  in 
drawing  and  mathematics  at  the  technical  or  sci- 
entific school  of  Trondhjem. 

In  1879  he  was  converted  and  that  same  year 
he  joined  the  Baptist  church  in  Trondhjem. 


Mr.  Olsen  was  an  ambitious  and  studious 
young  man  and  soon  prevailed  upon  his  pastor 
to  give  a  homiletic  course  to  five  young  men  (in- 
cluding himself).  This  course  he  pursued  during 
the  winter  of  1879  to  1880,  and  the  following 
summer  he  took  a  course  under  his  pastor  in 
exegetics. 

He  was  married  and  in  1881  left  his  native  land 
with  his  wife  and  settled  at  Minneapolis,  Minn. 
Having  received  some  training  and  being  an 
earnest  Christian  man,  he  was  urgently  pres- 
sed into  gospel  service,  both  in  Minneapolis 
and  St.  Paul.  Yielding  at  last  to  an  inward  as 
well  as  an  outward  call  to  the  gospel  ministry, 
Mr.  Olsen  finally  gave  up  a  promising  position, 
and  in  order  to  obtain  still  more  training  he  final- 
ly went  to  Chicago,  and  in  the  fall  of  1884  en- 
tered the  Union  Theological  Seminary  at  Mor- 
gan Park.  Having  completed  his  studies  there, 
he  served  two  pastorates,  one  in  Oconomowoc, 
from  1887  to  1890,  and  one  in  Eau  Claire,  Wis., 
from  1890  to  1894,  when  he  accepted  the  position 
offered  him  as  editor  of  "Vsegtereh"  ("The 
Watchman") — the  Dano-Norwegian  Baptist  pa- 
per. It  was  while  he  was  serving  in  this  capacity 
that  he,  in  1895,  was  pressed  into  service  as  teacher 
at  the  Baptist  school  at  Morgan  Park,  and  as 
such  he  has  since 'served  with  assiduous  effici- 
ency. Prof.  C.  J.  Olsen  has  now  for  several 
years  past  taught  grammar,  church  polity,  pas- 
toral theology,  homiletics  and  Bible  antiquity. 
In  1896  his  devoted  wife  died,  leaving  him  alone 
with  four  daughters  and  one  son. 

In  1898  Prof.  C.  J.  Olsen  was  married  to'  Miss 
Emma  Christensen,  who  was  _then  serving  as 
lady  missionary  in  connection  with  the  PilgYim 
Baptist  Church,  Chicago.  The 'second  marriage 
has  been  blessed  with  one  daughter. 


REV.  E.  L.  MYRLAND. 

Among  the  Norwegian  Baptist  ministers,  who 
have  served  in  Illinois,  there  is  hardly  a  man  who 
has  worked  so  valiantly  or  accomplished  more 
than  Rev.  Eli  L.  Myrland. 

He  served  as  pastor  of  the  so-called  Pilgrim 
Baptist  Church  on  the  N.  W.  corner  of  Carpen- 
ter and  Ohio  streets  from  March  1892  until  April 
1,  1897,  when  he  went  to  Christiania,  Norway,  to 
erect  the  beautiful  and  substantial  Baptist  edifice, 
known  as  "Tabernaklet,"  in  the  capital  of  Nor- 
way. 

Pastor  Myrland  came  to  Chicago  and  took 
charge,  when  the  Pilgrim  Church  had  tried  in 
vain  to  secure  a  responsible  pastor,  at  a  time 


170 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


when  some  sixty  members  left  the  Pilgrim 
Church  to  start  another  church  nearer  their 
homes — in  the  vicinity  of  Humboldt  Park.  Weak- 
ened as  the  church  was,  with  a  heavy  debt  hang- 
ing over  it,  Rev.  Myrland  took  hold,  and  with 
the  blessings  of  God,  he  not  only  held  the  field, 
but  during  some  of  the  hardest  times  Chicago 
has  experienced  since  the  great  fire,  Rev.  E.  L. 
Myrland  decreased  the  debt  considerably  and  re- 
ceived about  one  hundred  (100)  new  members 
into  the  church. 

Endowed  with  a  grand  physique,  with  a  genial 
and  courageous  temperament  and  a  will  strong 
as  iron,  Pastor  Myrland  came,  saw  and  con- 
quered. 


Rev.   E.   L.  Myrland. 


Although  at  the  time  of  this  writing  ten  years 
have  passed  since  Rev.  Myrland  laid  down  his 
pastorate  in  Chicago,  there  are  hundreds  until 
this  date,  who  look  upon  that  energetic  and  gen- 
erous man  as  their  providential  benefactor  both 
in  temporal  and  spiritual  things,  in  a  larger 
measure  than  any  minister  has  ever  meant  to  their 
lifes  in  Chicago. 

Eli  L.  Myrland  was  born  at  North  Cape,  Ra- 
cine county,  Wis.,  in  the  year  1851. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lars  Olsen  Myrland,  Eli's  father 


and  mother,  came  from  Voss,  Norway,  and  ar- 
rived in  Chicago  in  1846.  E.  L.  Myrland's  mother 
was  a  sister  of  Elling  Eielsen,  a  well  known  per- 
sonality in  church  circles  of  the  early  Norwegian 
settlers  on  the  westside  of  Chicago.  Eli  seems 
to  have  inherited  the  best  features  of  his  mother's 
strong  personality. 

After  attending  the  public  schools  near  his 
home  in  Wisconsin  he  attended  for  a  year  or  two 
the  Wayland  Academy  at  Beaver  Dam.  Wis.  In 
1877  Eli  Myrland  was  converted  to  God  while 
visiting  in  Racine,  Wis.,  with  his  father.  He  al- 
most at  once  felt  a  burning  desire  to  lift  his  peo- 
ple to  God,  and  his  natural  gifts  soon  found  a 
helpful  highway  in  his  dedication  of  all  he  had 
to  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  and  in 
general  Christian  service. 

He  married  a  Miss  Landmark  near  Madison, 
Wis.,  and  with  his  wife,  who  since  has  proved 
to  be  a  source  of  great  strength  to  Rev.  Myrland, 
he  moved  to  Morgan  Park,  111.,  in  1881  and  for 
two  years  he  enjoyed  the  educational  advantages 
of  the  Union  Theological  Seminary,  before  there 
existed  a  Dano-Norwegian  department.  Later 
he  returned  and  finished  his  theological  course 
after  having  served  the  Scandinavian  Baptist 
church  in  Racine,  Wis.,  as  pastor  in  1884  and 

1885  with    a    wonderful    degree    of    success.     In 

1886  to  1891  he  served  as  pastor  the  Scandinavian 
Baptist  church  of  La  Crosse,  Wis.,  with  marked 
efficiency. 

In  the  year  1891  he  made  a  trip  to  Norway, 
and  from  March  1892  until  April  1,  1897,  he 
served  the  Pilgrim  Baptist  Church  in  .Chicago. 
At  the  close  of  his  Chicago  pastorate  he  again 
made  a  significant  trip  to  Norway,  returning  to 
Chicago  in  1900.  He  has  since  been  actively  en- 
gaged in  general  mission  work  among  the  Baptist 
churches  in  Iowa,  Wisconsin  and  Illinois.  Rev. 
and  Mrs.  Myrland  have  three  daughters  and  one 


PROF.  EDWARD  OLSEN,  Ph.  D. 

Without  exception  Dr.  Edw.  Olsen  of  all  the 
public  men  among  the  Norwegian  Baptists  in 
the  state  of  Illinois  won  for  himself  the  highest 
esteem  and  love  of  all  who  knew  him. 

He  was  born  in  Norway,  near  Hammar,  Aug. 
29,  1843.  He  came  with  his  parents,  a  brother 
and  a  sister  to  the  United  States  in  the  year 
1858,  and  settled  near  West  Salem,  Wis.  Here 
he  attended  the  public  schools.  Later  he  gradu- 
ated from  the  high  school  and  then  went  to  the 
old  University  of  Chicago  from  which  he  gradu- 
ated with  the  distinction  of  a  B.  A.  in  1873. 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


171 


He  then  went  abroad  and  studied  at  Halle 
and  Goettingen,  Germany,  and  in  Paris,  France, 
from  1873  to  1875,  and  returned  to  Chicago, 
where  he  received  his  B.  D.  in  1877.  He  was  in- 
structor in  Greek  at  the  University  of  Chicago 
from  1875  to  1878.  Professor  in  Greek  from 
1878  to  1885.  Got  his  Ph.  D.  from  Kalamazoo 


Prof.  Edward  Olsen,  Ph.  D. 


College  in  1886.  Was  instructor  and  profes- 
sor at  the  Bethel  Union  Theological  Seminary 
from  1884  to  1887.  He  then  became  president  of 
the  University  of  South  Dakota.  While  in  this 
position  he  lost  his  life  on  a  visit  to  his  brother, 
S.  E.  Olson,  in  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  in  the  Trib- 
une fire  of  Nov.  30,  1889. 

REV.  J.  A.  OHRN. 

Jacob  A.  Ohrn  who  served  with  great  accept- 
ance as  general  missionary  among  the  Norwegian 
and  Danish  Baptists  of  Illinois  and  Wisconsin 
from  1894  to  1897,  and  then  as  pastor  of  the  Pil- 
grim Baptist  Church  from  1897  until  1899,  was 
born  in  the  province  of  Sogn,  Norway,  Aug.  11, 
1863. 

As  a  young  man  he  came  to  the  city  of  Bergen, 
Norway.  Here  he  yielded  himself  to  Christ  and 


joined  the  Baptist  church  of  that  city.  This 
church  licensed  him  to  preach,  and  encouraged 
his  natural  ability,  which  today  cultured  and 
well  employed,  makes  him  one  of  the  strongest 
Norwegian  Baptist  preachers.  He  served  the 
Baptist  church  in  Langesund,  Norway,  from  Sept. 
1884  until  Sep.t.  1885  when  he  determined  to  leave 
Norway  in  order  to  enjoy  the  privileges  offered 
at  the  Morgan  Park  seminary,  near  Chicago,  111. 
Here  Jacob  A.  Ohrn  took  a  full  three  years'  the- 
ological course,  and  graduated  in  May  1888. 
While  pursuing  his  theological  studies  he  served 
as  pastor  of  the  Raymond  Baptist  Church,  Ra- 
cine county,  Wis.,  where  a  gracious  revival  was 
enjoy.ed.  He  married  Miss  Nellie  Christensen, 
a  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thos.  Christensen, 
of  Racine,  Wis.,  in  1888,  and  in  1889  he  resigned 
from  his  pastorate  at  Raymond  Centre,  to  go  to 
Norway.  He  soon  returned  and  upon  his  return 
took  charge  of  a  church  in  Neenah  and  another 
in  Oshkosh,  Wis.,  for  one  year,  when  he  ac- 
cepted an  urgent  call  from  the  Raymond  church 
for  a  second  pastorate.  He  worked  here  and  in 
Milwaukee  until  October,  1894,  when  he  took  up 
general  missionary  work  in  the  states  of  Illinois 
and  Wisconsin,  resigning  in  March  1897  in  order 
to  take  the  pastorate  urged  upon  him  by  the 
Pilgrim  Baptist  Church  of  Chicago. 

In  spite  of  great  difficulties  and  hard  problems 
always  attending  church  work  where  the  popu- 
lation is  so  shifting  as  was  and  is  the  case  with 
the  field  of  the  old  Pilgrim  Baptist  Church,  Rev. 
J.  A.  Ohrn  always  preached  to  good  and  appreci- 
ative audiences.  Since  he  resigned  his  pastorate 
in  Chicago,  he  has  done  great  work  for  the  Bap- 
tists both  in  Norway  and  in  the  United  States. 
Rev.  Ohm's  home  is  at  present  in  Christiania, 
Norway,  where  he  resides  with  his  charming 
wife  and  two  promising  children,  one  son  and 
one  daughter. 


The  Congrcgationalists 

This  name  has  a  long  and  honorable  history  in 
the  annals  of  the  Christian  church  in  England 
and  America,  even  though  it  had  a  strange  and 
unfamiliar  sound  among  the  Norwegians  until 
twenty  years  ago.  In  the  political  and  religious 
history  of  America  no  denomination  has  had  a 
more  powerful  influence  in  shaping  the  ideals  of 
the  nation  than  the  Congregationalists.  They 
were  the  Pilgrims,  who  in  1620  landed  on  Plym- 
outh rock  in  Massachusetts  after  having  been 
driven  out  of  England  to  Holland  for  their  sepa- 


172 


A  HISTORY   OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


ration  from  the  state  church,  and  who  afterward 
in  the  new  world  sought  that  freedom  of  con- 
science which  had  been  refused  them  in  the  old. 
Here  they  have  grown  to  be  one  of  the  foremost 
of  the  Protestant  denominations,  with  a  member- 
ship of  nearly  700,000,  expending  annually  for 
home  and  foreign  missions  more  than  two  mil- 
lions of  dollars,  besides  the  $7,000,000  used  for  the 
work  in  their  own  churches.  In  proportion  to 
their  numbers  they  spend  more  money  for  mis- 
sionary work  than  any  other  denomination  in 
America,  and  possibly  in  the  world. 


America.  Unlike  some  other  American  churches 
that  have  organized  missions  in  Norway,  Sweden 
and  Denmark,  the  Congregationalists  have  re- 
peatedly declined  invitations  to  take  up  mission- 
ary work  in  those  countries,  but  they  have  been 
very  generous  in  helping  the  Scandinavian  Pil- 
grims who  have  settled  in  America. 

The  religious  movement  in  Norway,  which  has 
found  expression  in  the  free  mission  churches 
there  and  in  the  Norwegian  Congregational 
churches  in  America,  may  be  traced  back  to  the 
revival  started  early  in  the  nineteenth  century  by 


The  Danish-Norwegian  Department  of  Chicago  Theological  Seminary. 


When,  therefore,  these  descendants  of  the  Pil- 
grims learned  of  the  great  religious  movements 
which  in  the  latter  half  of  the  nineteenth  century 
had  taken  place  in  Scandinavia,  it  was  only  nat- 
ural that  they  should  see  in  them  a  repetition  of 
their  own  history  in  England  in  the  seventeenth 
century  and  extend  to  the  separatists  from  the 
Scandinavian  state  churches  a  hearty  welcome 
and  a  helping  hand  when  these  exiles  landed  in 


Hans  Nielsen  Hauge,  and  continued  later  in  the 
work  of  Pastor  Lammers  in  Skien  and  P.  P.  Wet- 
tergren  in  Arendal.  Undoubtedly  the  great  awak- 
ening in  Sweden  during  the  70's  also  exerted  its 
influence,  although  it  was  long  after  the  organi- 
zation of  Norwegian  Congregational  churches  in 
America  that  the  influence  of  the  free  churches 
in  Norway  began  to  be  felt  here.  There  was  a 
Norwegian  Congregational  church  organized  in 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


178 


connection  with  the  Tabernacle  church  in  Chi- 
cago early  in  the  80's,  and  one  in  Tacoma,  Wash., 
a  little  later.  These  soon  died,  however,  and  the 
present  system  of  Congregational  churches  really 
had  its  beginning  as  a  result  of  the  work  originat- 
ing in  Chicago  Theological  Seminary,  which  was 
opened  to  Scandinavian  students  in  1884,  with 
Pastor  P.  C.  Trandberg  as  their  teacher.  Trand- 
berg  was  not  a  Congregationalist,  but  a  Lutheran, 


following  year,  1885,  R.  A.  Jernberg,  a  graduate 
of  Yale  University,  and  then  a  student  in  the 
English  seminary,  was  appointed  as  Professor 
Trandberg's  assistant.  When  Trandberg  left  the 
seminary,  in  1890,  Jernberg  was  appointed  his  suc- 
cessor, and  was  inaugurated  as  a  professor  in  the 
seminary  in  1895,  after  an  endowment  for  the 
chair  of  Biblical  and  Practical  Theology  in  the 
Danish-Norwegian  Department  had  been  provided 


Chicago  Theological  Seminary   (Congregational.) 


although  in  his  native  land  (Denmark)  he  had 
fought  a  good  fight  for  the  principles  of  a  church 
with  only  a  converted  membership,  or  as  he 
called  it  "a  holy  congregation."  The  Danish- 
Norwegian  department  of  Chicago  Theological 
Seminary  opened  with  two  students  —  O.  C. 
Grauer,  who  is  now  a  professor  in  the  seminary, 
and  Carl  F.  Blomquist,  a  Swedish  student.  The 


by  Mrs.  D.  K.  Pearsons.  This  position  he  still 
holds.  Rev.  O.  C.  Grauer  was  called  from  a  pas- 
torate of  the  American  Congregational  Church 
in  Washburn,  Wis.,  as  an  associate  professor  in 
the  department,  in  1891,  and  has  continued  since 
that  time  in  this  capacity. 

Chicago   Theological   Seminary  was   organized 
by  the  American  Congregational  churches  of  Illi- 


174 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


nois  and  the  neighboring  states  in  1854,  and  be- 
gan its  work  in  1858.  The  constantly  increasing 
immigration  into  this  territory  from  northern  Eu- 
rope prompted  the  directors  of  the  seminary  to 
open  its  foreign  departments,  for  the  Germans  in 
1882,  for  the  Danes  and  Norwegians  in  1884,  and 
for  the  Swedes  in  1885.  These  departments  were 
reorganized  as  institutes  of  the  seminary  in  1903, 
each  with  its  governing  board  or  council,  on 
which,  besides  the  faculty  of  the  seminary,  the 
German  and  Scandinavian  churches  are  repre- 
sented, and  these  churches  have  more  and  more 
assumed  the  support  of  the  institutes  since  this 
arrangement  was  made.  The  seminary  has  ex- 
pended in  this  foreign  work  not  less  than  $125,- 
000  since  its  inception,  and  still  continues  to  bear 
the  responsibility  for  this  work.  It  gives  to  all 
the  students  free  rooms,  charging  only  the  actual 
cost  of  light  and  heat.  All  instruction  is  free,  and 
so  is  the  use  of  a  fine  gymnasium,  recitation 
rooms,  reading:  room  and  the  Hammond  library, 
containing  a  collection  of  more  than  30,000  vol- 
umes of  theological  literature.  Besides  these  great 
opportunities  the  seminary  gives  to  the  students 
in  the  foreign  institutes,  as  well  as  to  the  Ameri- 
can students,  liberal  assistance  from  its  scholar- 
ship funds,  so'  that  every  man  who  feels  called  of 
God  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  his  native  tongue 
has  here  an  opportunity  to  fit  himself  for  this 
work. 

Since  its  opening  in  1884  the  Danish-Norwegian 
Institute  has  had  123  students,.  52  of  whom  have 
completed  their  full  course  of  study  and  gone  out 
into  all  the  world  to  preach  the  gospel.  'It  is  re- 
presented on  the  foreign  missionary  fields  of 
Japan,  China,  Africa  and  South  America  by  its 
former  students,  and  several  of  them  have  re- 
turned for  a  longer  or  shorter  time  to  their  native 
lands  to  preach  for  a  season  to  their  brethren  ac- 
cording to  the  flesh.  The  larger  number,  how- 
ever, are  engaged  in  the  work  among  their  own 
people  in  this  country,  and  as  pastors  of  churches 
and  general  missionaries  are  scattered  in  nearly 
all  the  northern  states  from  the  Dakotas  to  the 
Atlantic  coast.  Many  of  them  have  found'  con- 
genial work  among  the  Americans  as  Sunday- 
school  missionaries  or  as  pastors  of  churches  that 
are  quick  to  recognize  the  value  of  the  training 
these  men  have  received  for  the  pastoral  office. 
A  large  part  of  the  instruction  in  the  foreign  in- 
stitutes in  the  seminary  is  carried  on  in  the  Eng- 
lish language  and  thus  the  men  are  generally 
fitted  for  work  in  the  American  churches  as  well 
as  in  those  of  their  own  people. 

An  important  factor  in  the  Norwegian  Con- 
gregational work  has  been  the  publication  of  the 


religious  weekly  paper,  Evangelisten,  (The  Evan- 
gelist), the  first  number  of  which  was  issued 
about  Christmas  time,  in  1889.  For  many  years 
it  had  a  home  in  the  seminary;  one  of  the  pro- 
fessors for  ten  years  being  its  editor  and  pub- 
lisher, and  several  of  the  students  his  willing  and 
diligent  helpers.  When  in  1899  he  surrendered 
the  paper  to  the  ministers  in  Vestens  Frikirke- 
Forening,  the  Evangelisten  Publishing  Society! 
was  organized  and  became  responsible  for  the 
publication  of  the  paper.  It  has  made  a  great 
success  of  the  enterprise,  as  Evangelisten  now 
has  about  5,000  subscribers.  This  publishing  so- 
ciety has  recently  issued  a  new  hymnbook  of 
more  than  500  hymns  with  music  anthems  for 
choirs. 

Evangelisten  and  the  young  men  going  out 
from  the  seminary  soon  began  to  put  into  touch  I 
with  each  other  a  number  of  groups  of  independ- 
ent Christians  scattered  in  different  parts  of  the 
country,  and  soon  a  desire  was  felt  on  the  part 
of  these  churches  to  unite  into  some  bond  of  fel- 
lowship. This  desire  found  expression  in  a  meet- 
ing at  the  seminary  in  Chicago,  where  an  asso- 
ciation was  organized  in  May,  1891,  called  "Ves- 
tens Frikirkeforening."  The  following  year  the 
free  churches  in  the  East  organized  "0stens  Fri- 
kirkeforening" at  a  meeting  in  Shawmut  Congre- 
gational Church,  Boston,  where  the  Norwegian 
free  church  was  worshiping  at  that  time.  The 
free  churches  in  the  East  had  already  united  in 
a  missionsforbund,  but  this  was  dissolved  at  that 
meeting  and  0stens  Frikirkeforening  was  organ- 
ized after  the  pattern  of  the  free  churches  in  the 
West  the  year  before.  These  associations  have 
not  the  least  authority  over  the  churches  or  min- 
isters belonging  to  them.  They  are  really  not 
denominational  in  character,  though  a  number 
of  the  churches  and  ministers  belong  to  the  Con- 
gregational denomination,  while  several  of  them 
have  no  other  affiliation  than  with  these  associa- 
tions. There  are  about  forty  of  these  churches, 
besides  twenty  or  thirty  mission  stations  con- 
nected with  them.  The  larger  number  of  these 
are  in  the  interior  and  the  northwestern  states. 
Still  there  are  about  a  dozen  in  the  principal 
cities  of  New  England  and  in  Brooklyn,  N.  Y., 
and  Jersey  City  and  Hoboken,  N.  J. 

The  primary  purpose  of  the  associations  was 
to  unite  the  independent  and  Congregational  Nor- 
wegian and  Danish  churches  in  a  common  fellow- 
ship and  to  secure  concerted  action  in  the  home 
and  foreign  missionary  work.  This  purpose  has 
been  largely  realized  in  the  organization  for  the 
home  work  of  the  Gospel  Home  Missionary  So- 
ciety, which  was  organized  at  the  annual  meeting 


NORWEGIAN    CHURCHES    IN    ILLINOIS 


175 


of  Vestens  Frikirkeforening  in  Winona  in  1898. 
The  income  of  the  society  the  first  year  of  its 
existence  was  only  $200,  but  year  by  year  this 
has  increased  so  that  now  the  society  is  able  to 
support  six  missionaries  during  the  summer 
months,  besides  giving  partial  support  to  the  pas- 
tors of  various  churches  not  yet  able  to  bear  that 
expense  alone.  The  president  of  this  society  is 
Rev.  C.  T.  Dyrness,  who  for  many  years  has  been 
the  efficient  pastor  of  Salem  Free  Church  on  Point 
street,  Chicago.  The.  foreign  missionary  work  of 


supported  by  the  American  churches,  and 
during  the  last  few  years  have  been  generous  in 
their  gifts  to  the  work  of  their  school  in  Chicago, 
from  which  they  receive  their  pastors  and  mis- 
sionaries. 

In  all  this  work  it  has  never  been  the  purpose 
of  the  American  Congregational  churches  to  build 
up  a  new  denomination  among  the  Norwegians 
in  America,  or  in  any  sense  to  proselyte  from 
other  churches.  The  aim  has  rather  been  to  com- 
bine the  scattered  Christian  forces  which  are 


The  Hammond  Library  of  the  Chicago  Theological  Seminary. 


these  free  churches  is  done  through  the  Scandi- 
navian Alliance  Mission,  a  society  that  has  about 
ninety  missionaries  and  expends  about  $30,000 
annually  in  its  foreign  missionary  work.  The 
secretary  and  treasurer  of  this  society  is  one  of 
the  Swedish  professors  in  Chicago  Seminary,  Fri- 
dolf  Risberg,  S.  M.  C.,  a  graduate  of  Upsala  Uni- 
versity and  professor  in  the  seminary  since  1885. 
The  Norwegian  Congregational  churches  gen- 
erally also  contribute  to  the  benevolent  societies 
found  often  in  distant  localities  without  any  con- 


nection with  other  Christians  or  other  churches. 
Many  have  been  found  literally  in  the  desert  — 
sheep  having  no  shepherd.  They  have  been  gath- 
ered into  a  united  force  in  the  manner  here  de- 
scribed and  are  blessing  others  in  their  combined 
efforts  for  the  uplifting  of  their  fellowmen  at 
home  and  abroad,  themselves  being  blessed  in 
the  consciousness  of  having  a  work  intrusted  also 
to  them  as  a  part  of  that  kingdom  which  is  com- 
ing, wherein  dwelleth  righteousness. 

R.  A.  Jernberg. 


176 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


The   Seventh -Day   Ad- 
ventist  Church. 


It  is  about  sixty  years  since  the  commence- 
ment of  the  Seventh-Day  Adventist  Church.  It 
owes  its  rise  to  a  new  and  lively  interest  awak- 
ened all  over  the  world  in  the  study  of  the  Pro- 
phetic Scriptures  relating  to  the  second  coming 
of  Christ.  The  church  has  over  900  ministers, 
528  missionary  licentiates  and  826  colporters. 
Its  membership  has  doubled  every  ten  years  and 
at  present  is  about  17,000.  They  have  78  local 
conferences,  13  union  conferences,  48  missions 
and  2  union  missions. 

They  have  a  large  publishing  house  in  Battle 
Creek,  Mich.,  the  largest  in  the  state.  Here  is 
published  a  weekly  journal  called  The  Advent 
Review  and  Sabbath  Herald;  also  The  Youth's 
Instructor,  for  the  young  people  and  Life  and 
Health  for  the  home.  In  1903  this  book  concern 
was  removed  to  Washington,  D.  C.,  in  order 
that  they  might  be  more  centrally  located  for 
their  world-wide  mission  work.  In  Oakland, 
Cal.,  they  have  another  large  printing  estab- 
lishment, from  which  is  issued  The  Signs  of  the 
Times,  that  has  printed  as  many  as  500,000  of 
one  issue.  They  also  have  publishing  concerns 
in  Nashville  (Tenn.),  in  Lincoln  (Neb.),  in  Aus- 
tralia, South  Africa,  London,  Christiania  (Nor- 
way), Hamburg  and  Basle. 

The  Seventh-Day  Adventists  are  earnest  ad- 
vocates of  very  thoroughgoing  Christian  tem- 
perance. No  one  is  allowed  to  use  tobacco  or 
liquor  in  any  form.  Very  few  use  tea  or  coffee. 
Many  of  them  are  strict  vegetarians.  There  are 
no  rules  among  them  in  regard  to  these  matters, 
only  this:  that  if  any  uses  tobacco  or  intoxicat- 
ing drinks  he  is  turned  out  of  the  church.  They 
have  been  foremost  in  true  hygienic  and  dietetic 
reform.  More  than  forty  years  ago  they  started 
a  "health  retreat,"  which  gradually  increased  till 
it  became  the  now  famous  "Battle  Creek  Sana- 
tarium."  They  have  sanatariums  all  over  the 
world  to-day.  Of  these  the  one  near  Copenha- 
gen, Denmark,  and  one  near  London,  England, 
may  be  mentioned.  They  have  one  or  more 
sanatariums  in  Mexico,  South  America,  Africa, 
and  even  in  India  and  Japan.  In  this  country 
they  have  sanatariums  in  nearly  every  state. 
In  Illinois  there  are  three:  one  at  Moline,  one 
at  Hinsdale,  one  in  Chicago.  The  object  of 
every  sanatarium  is  to  help  the  sick,  especially 
the  poor  and  needy.  In  these  health  homes 


there   are   many   Norwegian   nurses    and   several 
Norwegian  physicians. 

The  Adventists  are  engaged  in  active  mission 
work  at  home  and  in  foreign  lands.  Their  home 
work  is  divided  into  many  separate  conferences. 
The  foreign  is  under  the  direction  of  a  mission 
board  located  at  Washington.  They  have  mis- 
sionaries in  Matabeleland,  Africa;  in  India,  China, 
Japan,  Turkey,  Egypt,  Spain,  Rome,  Russia,  Mex- 
ico, South  America,  Cuba,  and  several  other 
pagan  and  Catholic  lands.  In  connection  with 
these  they  are  printing  their  literature  in  forty 
different  languages.  They  believe  .in  paying  a 
tithe  of  all  their  income  to  the  advancement  of 
the  Gospel  at  home  and  abroad.  This  tithe,  to- 
gether with  their  freewill  offerings,  supports 
their  missions  and  missionaries. 

Those  connected  with  the  Seventh-Day  Ad- 
ventist Church  believe  and  teach  that  there  is 
one  living  God,  who  made  "heaven  and  earth 
and  the  sea"  (Acts  14,  15);  that  Christ  is  the 
Divine  Son  of  the  living  God,  begotten  from 
eternity  (John  1,  1-3;  3,  16);  that  the  Holy  Spirit 
is  the  Third  Person  of  the  Godhead  (Matt.  28, 
19);  that  the  entire  Bible  is  the  inspired  word 
of  God  (2  Peter  1,  21);  that  men  are  saved 
only  by  grace  through  faith  (Eph.  2,  8);  that 
the  true  Christians  will  honor  and  obey  the 
holy  law  of  God,  the  very  ten  Commandments 
given  on  Mount  Sinai  (1  John  2,  3,  4;  James  2, 
8-10);  that  Sunday  is  not  the  Christian  restday, 
but  that  the  seventh  day,  Saturday,  is  the  right 
Sabbath  (Ex.  20,  8-11;  Luke  4,  16);  that  the  sec- 
ond advent  of  Christ  will  be  literal,  visible  and 
personal,  and  that  he  will  come  in  this  genera- 
tion (Matt.  24,  34);  that  when  he  comes  he  will 
raise  all  the  righteous  dead,  change  the  righteous 
living  who  will  be  caught  up  to  meet  the  Lord 
in  the  air"  (1  Thes.  4,  16,  17);  that  after  the 
second  coming  of  Christ  there  will  be  a  thou- 
sand years'  reign  of  Christ  and  his  saints,  not 
'  on  this  earth,  but  in  heaven  (Rev.  20,  4-7) ;  that 
after  this  reign,  at  the  final  judgment,  all  the 
wicked  will  be  totally  annihilated,  die  the  sec- 
ond death  (Rev.  21,  8),  and  forever  cease  to  ex- 
ist as  conscious  beings;  that  the  earth  will  be 
renewed  and  filled  with  the  glory  of  God,  when 
it  will  become  "the  kingdom  of  heaven,"  to  be 
possessed  eternally  by  "the  saints  of  the  Most 
High"  (Dan.  7,  22);  that  then  will  be  fulfilled 
the  saying  of  Christ:  "Blessed  are  the  meek,  for 
they  shall  inherit  the  earth"  (Matt.  5,  5);  and 
the  vision  of  John,  who  said:  "I  saw  a  new 
heaven  and  a  new  earth"  (Rev.  21,  1);  and  so 
from  time  onward,  eternally,  there  will  "be  no 
more  death,  neither  sorrow  nor  crying,  neither 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


377 


shall  there  be  any  more  pain;  for  the  former 
things  are  passed  away"  (Rev.  21,  4).  They 
hold  that  men  are  entirely  unconscious  between 
death  and  the  resurrection;  that  "the  dead  know 
not  anything"  (Eccl.  9,  5);  that  when  "the 
breath  of  life"  is  taken  away  from  man,  "in  that 
very  day  his  thoughts  perish"  (Ps.  146,  4);  that 
immortality  is  a  "conditional  gift,"  to  be  sought 
for  "by  patient  continuance  in  well  doing"  (Rom. 
2,  7);  and  obtained  by  the  saints  when  Christ 
returns,  "when  this  corruptible  must  put  on  in- 
corruption  and  this  mortal  must  put  on  immor- 
tality" (1  Cor.  15,  53);  that  there  will  be  a  res- 
urrection of  the  dead,  both  of  the  just  and  the 
unjust:  one  to  eternal  life;  the  other  to  eternal 
death. 

They  believe  that  in  order  to  be  a  Christian  it 
is  essential  that  one  be  a  partaker  of  the  divine 
nature  through  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
They  reject  infant  baptism,  but  teach  that  in- 
fants will  be  saved  in  harmony  with  the  teach- 
ing of  Christ  where  he  said  that  "of  such  is  the 
kingdom  of  heaven."  They  teach  and  practice 
only  immersion  as  baptism,  and  make  it  a  test 
of  church  fellowship.  They  believe  in  partaking 
of  the  Lord's  supper  of  bread  and  wine  at  least 
four  times  a  year.  They  think  that  the  bread 
and  wine  are  memorial  emblems  of  Christ's 
body  and  blood.  They  believe  and  practice  foot- 
washing  as  one  of  the  Christian  ordinances. 
(John  13,  1-17).  They  have  no  formulated  creed, 
but  where  they  organize  churches  they  sign  a 
covenant  to  "keep  the  commandments  of  God 
and  the  faith  of  Jesus"  (Rev.  14,  12). 

The  Seventh-Day  Adventist  Church  has  sev- 
eral large  colleges  and  academies  in  this  coun- 
try and  in  other  lands.  Their  largest  school  in 
America  is  at  Lincoln,  Neb.;  the  largest  abroad 
is  at  Fredensau,  Germany.  Aside  from  these 
they  have  intermediate  schools  in  nearly  every 
state  and  church  schools  in  the  local  churches. 
When  they  can  avoid  it,  they  do  not  send  their 
children  to  the  public  schools;  not  that  they  are 
opposed  to  education  but  they  are  opposed  to 
the  evolution  and  pantheism  taught  in  many 
schools.  The  reason  why  they  do  not  patronize 
the  public  schools  is  that  there  is  no  religious 
instruction  in  these. 

We  have  given  the  teachings  and  practices  of 
this  church  quite  fully,  as  very  little  is  known 
about  it  by  many  well  read  Christians.  This 
church  has  quite  a  following  among  the  Scandi- 
navians. It  has  a  conference  in  each  of  the 
Scandinavian  countries  in  Europe,  together  with 
a  large  publishing  house  at  74  Akergaden,  Chns- 
tiania;  several  sanatariums,  schools  and  other 


institutions.  In  America  there  are  some  3,000 
Scandinavian  Adventists  enrolled  as  church  mem- 
bers. They  print  two  weekly  papers  and  many 
books  and  tracts.  The  first  Norwegian  Adventist 
church  in  Chicago  was  organized  by  Elder  J.  G. 
Matteson  in  1870.  They  have  built  a  small 
chapel  at  269  W.  Erie  street.  This  church  is 
still  owned  by  a  thriving  little  company  of  Ad- 
ventists. In  1901  they  organized  another  and 
larger  church  near  Humboldt  Park,  Chicago. 
Since  then  mission  work  has  been  begun  in  an- 
other locality.  There  are  at  present  nearly  300 
Scandinavian  Adventists  in  Chicago.  They  meet 
for  worship  every  Saturday  morning  and  spend 
the  remainder  of  the  day  in  spiritual  rest  and 
recreation.  Although  they  do  no  secular  work 
on  the  seventh  day,  and  pay  a  tithe  of  their  in- 
come to  the  missions,  they  are  a  prosperous  and 
contented  people. 

L. -H.  Christian. 


The  Lutheran :  Free 
Church. 

By  Professor  H.  A.  Urseth. 

The  history  of  the  Lutheran  Free  Church  in 
Illinois  is  a  brief  one;  for  its  history  has  merely 
begun.  The  antecedents  of  the  Lutheran  Free 
Church  must  be  sought  largely  in  the  Norwegian 
Lutheran  Conference,  wnich  in  1890  became 
merged,  by  a  formal  union  agreement  with  two 
other  bodies,  into  the  United  Norwegian  Luth- 
eran Church.  The  elements  that  from  1895  and 
onward  became  separated  from  the  United  Church 
ffad  formerly  constituted  a  conspicuous  and  pro- 
gressive free  church  party  in  the  old  Conference. 
But  the  Conference  was  not  by  any  means  strong- 
ly represented  in  Illinois.  The  Norwegians  in 
this  state  seem'early  to  have  formed  other  church 
affiliations  to  which  they  largely  adhered  after- 
wards. When  the  free  church  movement  began 
to  take  form  during  the  years  following  1895, 
therefore,  it  was  found  that  no  Illinois  congre- 
gations of  the  former  Conference  had  become 
affiliated  with  this  movement,  as  congregations. 
The  Free  Church  developed  strength  north  and 
west  of  Illinois,  where  the  Conference  had  been 
strong,  and  in  new  fields. 

The  Free  Church,  however,  has  maintained  two 
missions  in  Chicago,  on  the  west  side  and  in 
Moreland,  and  also  in  Capron.  The  work  in 
Chicago  was  begun  about  1899,  by  Rev.  M.  A. 
Pederson,  latter  missionary  to  Santhalistan,  In- 


178 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


dia,  and  was  continued  by  his  brother,  Rev.  A. 
Pederson.  Later  Rev.  J.  M.  Halvorson  became 
pastor  of  the  Moreland  church.  The  pastorate 
in  Capron  was  held  by  Rev.  C.  Morgan  from 
1903;  later  this  church  was  served  by  the  Chi- 
cago pastor. 

While  the  free  churches  in  Illinois  are  numeri- 
cally few  there  exists  in  the  other  Norwegian 
churches  of  the  state  considerable  Free  Church 
sentiment,  judging  from  the  support  which  indi- 
viduals in  these  churches  have  been  giving  to  the 
institutions  of  this  body. 


other  two  lots  for  the  church  proper,  which  the 
congregation  hopes  to  erect  in  the  future. 

In  every  respect  the  congregation  has  had  a 
marked  growth.  It  now  (spring  1907)  has  a 
membership  of  150  persons.  It  has  already  paid 
for  the  three  lots,  and  started  a  building  fund  for 
the  new  church.  It  has  received  no  help  from 
any  synod.  The  pastor  is  a  member  of  the  United 
Norwegian  Lutheran  Church,  and  the  congrega- 
tion works  in  line  with  that  synod,  although  not 
formally  connected  with  it. 

This  church  has  a  most  hopeful  future  as  it  is 


Interior  of  Christ  Chapel,  near  Logan  Square. 


Christ  Norwegian  Luth- 
eran Churck 

Kedzie  and  Milwaukee  avenues,  Chicago. 

This  church  was  organized  June  29,  1905,  with 
twenty-eight  persons.  Rev.  J.  H.  Meyer  was 
called  to  become  its  pastor.  He  accepted  the 
pastorate. 

Three  lots  were  purchased  and  on  one  lot  a 
two-story  brick  house  was  erected,  the  first  story 
to  be  used  for  a  temporary  chapel,  now  called 
"Kristus-Kapellet,"  (Christ  Chapel),  and  the  sec- 
ond flat  to  be  used  as  the  parsonage,  leaving  the 


located  in  one  of  the  most  populous  Norwegian 

settlements,  the   Logan  Square. 

Following  is  a  list  of  the  officers  of  the  church: 
Rev.  J.  H.  Meyer,  pastor;  Prof.  J.  Rode-Jacob- 

sen,  organist;    Martin    Thon,   secretary;    Gabriel 

Tobiassen,  treasurer. 

Following  is  the  board  of  trustees: 

Johan  H.  Meyer,  president:  Louis  Lawson, 
vice-president;  Harald  Heglund,  secretary;  Mar- 
tin Thon;  Olaf  Brynildsen;  Hjalmar  Jacobsen; 
Andrew  Olsen;  Gabriel  Tobiassen;  Louis  Iversen. 

The  illustration  shows  part  of  the  interior  of 
the  temporary  chapel,  which  is  located  at  1509  N. 
Kedzie  avenue,  near  Milwaukee  avenue,  where 
also  the  minister  resides. 


NORWEGIAN    CHURCHES   IN    ILLINOIS 


179 


The   Church   of  the 
Veritans 

Was  organized  July  15,  1901,  by  members  of  the 
Order  of  the  Magi — the  most  ancient  of  all  the 
secret  orders  on  our  planet.  The  church  society 
was  instituted  for  the  purpose  of  extending  to 
the  public,  through  its  open  meetings,  such  teach- 
ing as  could  properly  be  brought  before  the  un- 
initiated, showing  the  variety  of  the  most  ancient 
philosophy  in  the  light  of  the  most  advanced 
modern  science;  also  explaining  the  various 
phenomena  of  occultism  as  necessary  factors  in 
the  development  of  the  religion  of  the  future — 
the  'religion  pf  science. 

Through  the  able  and  well-directed  efforts  of 
Mr.  B.  C.  Peterson — who  is  a  charter  member 
and  holds  the  office  of  secretary  of  the  society — 
many  a  progressive  mind  among  the  Scandinavi- 
ans of  Chicago,  as  well  as  from  the  country  at 


large,  have  gravitated  towards  this  temple  of 
knowledge,  which,  founded  upon  the  divine  law 
of  evolution,  has  thus  become  a  firm  stepping 
stone  from  the  infinite  and  obscure  past  to  the 
likewise  infinite  and  invisible  future — a  place 
where  those  who  have  sought  enlightenment 
upon  the  great  subjects  of  origin  and  destiny, 
humanity  and  divinity,  have  found  an  opportun- 
ity to  worship  Truth  itself,  without  the  usual 
attachment  of  intermediary  personal  deities  and 
without  all  creeds  or  dogmas,  ancient  or  modern. 
Based  upon  the  principles  of  mathematics  and 
chemistry,  astronomy  and  geology,  the  aims  and 
object  of  the  society  are  probably  best  explained 
as  set  forth  in  its  constitution,  article  II:  "The 
purpose  of  this  society  shall  be  to  teach  demon- 
strable truth  and  to  deal  with  logical  deduction 
drawn  therefrom,  'regarding  the  universe,  the 
continuity  of  life,  the  laws  governing  the  phe- 
nomena of  nature,  and  to  promulgate  a  veritable 
religion." 

B.   C.  Peterson. 


THE    NORWEGIANS    IN 
CHICAGO 


Christiania  is  the  only  city  in  the  world  that 
has  more  Norwegians  than  Chicago.  Seventy 
years  ago  there  were  just  two  Norwegians  here. 

We  have  mentioned  in  another  place  that  the 
first  Norwegians  reached  here  in  1836,  when  Jo- 
han  Larsen  and  Halstein  T0reson  (Thorstein- 
son)  settled  in  the  small  hamlet  which  was 
grouped  about  the  Chicago  River  where  the 
North-Western  depot  is  now.  From  that  time  the 
Norwegians  in  this  city  increased  rapidly,  and  by 
1848  over  fifty  of  the  immigrants  from  Norway 
had  settled  here  and  the  colony  had  begun  to 
build  a  Norwegian  Evangelical  Lutheran  church. 
Of  these  early  comers  very  few  are  alive.  Jens 
Olsen  Kaasa  was  perhaps  the  oldest.  He  came 
in  1839^  and  died  in  1907. 

Ever  since  then  the  Norwegians  in  Chicago 
have  grown  steadily  in  numbers, .  in  wealth  and 
in  influence.  They  began  by  gathering  together 
in  one  section  of  the  city.  The  first  comers  set- 
tled on  the  North  Side,  where  the  water  works 
are,  on  Chicago  avenue.  Their  homes  were 
clustered  between  what  is  now  Orleans  street 
and  the  lake,  south  of  Chicago  avenue.  As  the 
section  where  the  Norwegian  pioneers  had  made 
their  homes  increased  in  value  many  of  these 
thrifty  people  sold  their  homes  and  moved  farther 
west.  Some  of  them  clung  to  their  homes,  but 
the  greater  part  moved  across  the  river  into  the 
cheaper  and  comparatively  unsettled  district  just 
west  of  Milwaukee  avenue,  where  they  still  hung 
together.  The  more  wealthy  and  aristocratic 
Norwegians  gathered  around  Wicker  Park.  There 
they  quickly  purchased  land  for  blocks  in  every 
direction.  This  district  soon  became  distinctively 
Norwegian.  The  Norwegians  themselves  ap- 
preciated their  monopoly  of  this  region  and 
called  it  among  themselves  Hommansbyen,  after 
the  fashionable  residence  suburb  of  Christiania. 
Further  south,  in  the  neighborhood  of  N.  Peoria 
street  and  Milwaukee  avenue,  the  poorer  classes 


of  Norwegians  found  homes.  This  section  be- 
came their  business  center  too,  they  having  es- 
tablished shops,  stores,  banks  and  factories  in 
this  district. 

During  the  later  years  most  of  the  Norwegians 
who  have  been  able  to  dispose  of  their  residence 
properties  in  this  district  have  done  so  and 
moved  west  to  the  neighborhood  of  Humboldt 
Park,  Humboldt  boulevard  or  Logan  Square,  and 
their  business  center,  if  we  can  speak  of  such, 
is  along  W.  North  avenue.  The  district  west  of 
Milwaukee  avenue  as  far  as  California  avenue, 
along  Grand  avenue,  has  been  invaded  by  the 
Italians,  who  are  quick  to  pick  up  cheap  proper- 
ties. 

In  spite  of  the  fact  that  probably  65,000  Nor- 
wegians are  grouped  in  three  wards,  they  have 
not  achieved  much  success  in  securing  political 
prominence  in  Chicago.  The  early  Norwegian 
settlers  held  comparatively  more  official  posi- 
tions than  their  children  and  later  comers  hold. 
Iver  Lawson,  the  father  of  Victor  F.  Lawson, 
came  here  about  1840  and  grew  very  wealthy  out 
of  lucky  real  estate  investments.  Was  elected 
city  marshal,  and  in  1869  state  representative. 
A.  B.  Johnson,  the  lumber  dealer,  served  in  the 
important  post  of  chairman  of  the  board  of  sup- 
ervisors throughout  the  period  of  the  Civil  War. 

Canute  R.  Matson  entered  politics  as  clerk  of 
the  police  courts  and  in  1875  was  chosen  justice 
of  the  peace.  In  1880  he  was  elected  coroner  and 
in  1886  he  was  chosen  sheriff.  It  was  to  him 
that  befell  the  hazardous  duty  of  hanging  the 
anarchists.  Lauritz  Thoen  served  twice  as  West 
Side  collector.  Sivert  T.  Gunderson  has  been 
elected  alderman  and  appointed  a  member  of  the 
board  of  education.  A.  P.  Johnson,  of  the  John- 
son Chair  Company,  has  also  served  as  alder- 
man. 

During  recent  years  the  Norwegians  have  been 
more  active  in  politics.  At  the  present  time  therf 

(180) 


THE  NORWEGIANS  IN  CHICAGO 


181 


are  three  aldermen,  two  justices  of  the  peace, 
one  member  of  the  board  of  education,  one  state 
representative,  one  secretary  of  the  board  of 
education,  and  many  holding  minor  offices. 


Early    Norwegian    Set- 
tlers in  Chicago 


The  first  Norwegian  to  build  a  house  in  Chi- 
cago was  Halstein  Torrison,  who  arrived  with 
wife  and  children  from  Fjeldberg,  Norway,  Oct. 
16,  1836.  He  built  a  two-story  framehouse  of 
no  mean  size  and  appearance  on  Wells  street 
where  the  Chicago  and  North-Western  depot 
now  stands.  He  worked  as  a  gardener  for  Wal- 
ter L.  Newberry  until  1848,  when  he  moved  to 
Calumet,  south  of  Chicago,  and  cultivated  a 
garden-truck  farm.  He  died  in  the  early  "80's. 


Four  Generations — Nils  Baker,  Mrs.  Hallenbeck, 
her  Son  and  Grandson. 


From  Voss  also  the  first  immigrants  arrived  in 
1836,  among  them  Nils  R0the  and  Svein  Lothe 
(the  last  named  from  Hardanger).  In  1837  came 
Baard  Johnson  with  wife  and  five  children.  An- 
drew Nilsen  and  Anders  Larsen  Flage,  with 


families,  arrived  in  1839.  Endre  Iverson  R0the 
came  in  1840,  and  about  the  same  time  Lars 
Davidson  (who  later  moved  to  Liberty  Prairie, 
Dane  county,  Wis.),  Ole  Gilbertsen  and  Anna 
Bakkethun.  The  latter  was  first  married  to  a 
Mr.  Nicholson  (Nicolausen)  who  died  from  the 
cholera  in  1849,  and  then  to  a  Mr.  Olson.  She 
died  in  1902,  85  years  old.  Her  brother,  Nils 
Bakkethun,  called  himself  Baker.  He  was  born 
near  Bergen,  March  4,  1825,  and  came  to  Chicago 
in  1843.  He  worked  mostly  for  railroads,  and  by 
and  by  drifted  away  from  his  countrymen,  so 
that,  when  he  died,  in  June,  1906,  only  a  few  of 
the  Chicago  Norwegians  were  aware  of  it.  With 
his  wife,  Anna  Swensson,  he  had  nine  children, 
of  whom  six  are  still  living,  all  but  one  in  Chi- 
cago. Baker  was  one  of  the  charter  members  of 
Rev.  Paul  Anderson's  church.  In  her  first  mar- 
riage Anna  Bakkethun  had  two  sons,  Henry 
Nicholson,  who  served  his  country  throughout 
the  war,  and  John  G.  Nicholson,  who  is  still  liv- 
ing on  Orchard  street.  He  is  a  piano  tuner  by 
profession.  She  also  had  one  daughter  (Sarah) 
who  was  married  to  J.  A.  Anderson,  the  camera 
manufacturer.  Andrew  Nilsen  contended  that 
Johan  Larsen,  from  Koppervig,  had  visited  Chi- 
cago many  times  earlier  as  a  sailor  from  Buf- 
falo, but  did  not  settle  before  1836  together  with. 
Halstein  Torrison. 

We  do  not  doubt  that  a  good  many  other  Nor- 
wegians came  to  Chicago  between  the  years  1836 
and  1840,  and  mention  these  among  the  first  ones 
only  because  we  know  them,  says  Knud  Lang- 
land. 

The  writer  visited  Nils  Baker  in  1906,  shortly 
before  his  death.  The  old  man  was  very  feeble 
then,  but  still  able  to  give  a  fairly  good  account 
of  himself.  His  biographical  sketch  appears  else- 
where. 

In  those  days  it  required  courage  and  pluck  to 
settle  in  Chicago.  One  had  to  try  to  eke  out  a 
living  by  chopping  wood  and  doing  all  kinds  of 
menial  work.  Langland  visited  Anders  Larsen 
Flage  in  1844  —  he  had  first  met  him  in  New 
York  in  1843,  where  Flage  had  gone  to  meet  his 
two  daughters  who  had  just  then  come  over  from 
Norway  —  and  he  then  had  a  garden-truck  farm 
on  the  canal  land  and  was  doing  a  thriving  busi- 
ness raising  and  selling  vegetables.  One  of 
Plage's  daughters  was  later  married  to  Rev. 
Paul  Anderson. 

Since  then  a  good  many  early  settlers  in  Chi- 
cago have  accumulated  wealth,  not  a  few  as 
much  as  a  half  million  dollars.  Among  the  most 
widely  known  Norwegians  in  Chicago  was  Rev. 


182 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Paul  Anderson,  the  first  Norwegian  minister, 
whose  long  and  valuable  services  in  promoting 
the  cause  of  the  Lutheran  Church  deserve  to  be 
kept  in  kind  remembrance  also  among  coming 
generations  of  that  faith. 

The  Episcopalians,  led  by  their  Swedish  min- 
ister, Gustavus  Unonius,  made  some  rather  strong 
efforts  to  establish  their  church  among  the  first 


call  several  of  them  now  worth  over  $500,000. 
It  took  the  Scandinavians  a  long  time  to  be- 
gin to  enter  public  life.  The  first  Norwegian  to 
do  so  was  Iver  Lawson  (father  of  Victor  F. 
Lawson,  the  publisher  of  the  Daily  News); 
among  the  Danes  Geo.  P.  Hansen;  and  among 
the  Swedes  John  Nelson.  Martin  Paulscn,  father 
of  William  A.  Paulsen,  Paulsen  &  Sparre,  the 


Anders  Larsen  Flage. 


Mrs.  Anders  Larsen  Flage. 


Norwegians  in  Wisconsin  and  Chicago.  They 
induced  Jenny  Lind,  when  that  Swedish  Night- 
ingale visited  Chicago,  to  donate  $1,000  towards 
the  erection  of  an  Episcopalian  church  edifice, 
which  was  later  built  on  Franklin  street  near 
Michigan  street,  on  the  North  Side.  Unonius 
removed  from  Pine  Lake,  Wis.,  to  Chicago  and 
acted  as  its  minister.  But  the  little  frame  church, 
which  Rev.  Paul  Anderson  built  on  Superior 
street  and  in  which  he  now  commenced  to  hold 
services,  attracted  the  larger  part  of  the  Nor- 
wegians. 

Those  among  our  countrymen  who,  during  the 
earlier  days  of  Chicago,  were  able  to  look  into 
the  future,  and  had  sense  enough  to  invest  their 
savings  in  real  estate,  became  rich  while  sleep- 
ing during  this  city's  marvelous  growth.  We  re- 


notorious    banking    firm,    was    a    justice    of    the 
peace  for  many  years. 


What  you  may  Find  in 
an  Old  Directory 

The  ordinary  person  would  hardly  think  that 
an  old  directory  would  contain  any  interesting 
matter.  Sometimes  it  may,  though,  and  for  that 
reason  the  Chicago  Historical  Society  has  been 
very  diligently  gathering  all  the  directories  of 
Chicago  that  have  ever  been  published. 

The  first  directory  of  Chicago  was  published  in 


THE  NORWEGIANS  IN  CHICAGO 


183 


1839  by  a  printer  by  the  name  of  Fergus.  It  is 
not  a  big  book  in  comparison  with  the  Chicago 
directories  of  the  present  day.  But  it  should  be 
remembered  that  the  population  of  Chicdgo  in 
1839  did  not  exceed  3,000',  all  told. 

While  looking  through  the  pages  of  Fergus' 
directory  we  were  naturally  eager  to  see  whether 
any  Scandinavian  names  were  to  be  found  in  the 
same,  and  we  were  not  disappointed  in  this  re- 
spect. We  had  read  in  other  books  about  a  Hal- 
stein  Torrison,  who  came  here  with  wife  and  chil- 
dren, Oct.  16,  1836,  in  company  with  a  sailor, 
Johan  Larsen  of  Koppervig,  and  was  the  first 
Norwegian  to  build  a  house  in  Chicago,  but  we 
had  not  been  able  to  find  out  what  was  his  busi- 
ness or  occupation.  Fergus'  directory,  however, 
dispelled  all  doubt  about  this  question,  although 
the  name  is  a  little  distorted.  The  directory 
gives 

Holstein    T0reson,    gardener,    with    Walter    L. 

Newberry. 

We  think  this  is  plain  enough.  The  name  should 
correctly  have  been  written  Halstein  Thorstein- 
son.  A  little  later  it  was  Americanized  to  Torri- 
son, under  which  name  Rev.  P.  Anderson  found 
our  subject,  when  he  visited  his  farm  in  1848. 
After  having  taken  care  of  Newberry's  garden- 
ing for  some  years,  Halstein  moved  out  of  Chi- 
cago and  bought  land  in  Calumet,  south  of  Chi- 
cago, where  he  started  a  truck  farm  and  pros- 
pered. He  came  from  Fjeldberg,  Norway.  He  had 
built  his  house  on  Wells  street,  where  the  Chi- 
cago &  North-Western  R.  R.  station  is  now  lo- 
cated. His  "house"  was  a  very  modest  structure, 
in  fact  a  mere  shanty.  But  at  that  time  our 
countrymen  could  not  afford  to  be  particular 
about  their  dwellings,  not  even  in  the  towns.  It 
almost  startles  one  to  reflect  over  what  Hal- 
stein's  shanty  and  building  lot  would  fetch  to- 
day. 

For  the  younger  generations  of  Norwegian  de- 
scent it  may  be  of  interest  to  know  that  the 
Walter  L.  Newberry  in  question  was  a  heavy 
real-estate  owner  who  donated  a  large  sum  of 
money  for  the  building  and  maintenance  of  the 
grand  Newberry  Library  on  the  Ncrth  Side. 

While  Halstein  Torrison  was  gardening  for 
Newberry,  'another  Norwegian  from  Voss,  Thor- 
stein  Michaelson  came  to  Chicago  and  found 
employment  as  assistant  gardener  to  Torrison. 
Torrison  having  left  Newberry's  employ,  Mich- 
aelson remained  as  chief  gardener  and  worked 
for  Newberry  altogether  for  about  thirty-five 
years.  He  was  born  Nov.  24,  1808,  and  died 
May  29,  1885.  His  first  wife  died  from  the  chol- 
era in  1849. 


Thorstein  Michaelson  had  one  daughter  by  his 
first  wife.  She  was  married  to  Nicolai  Gunder- 
son,  who  is  now  dead,  but  Mrs.  Gunderson  is 
still  living  at  Austin,  111.,  where  she  celebrated 
her  sixtieth  birthday,  July  14,  1906,  surrounded 
by  her  relatives. 

When  Michaelson  entered  married  life  a  sec- 
ond time  his  mate  was  a  sister  of  Andrew  Nel- 
son Brekke.,  They  had  two  children — one  son 
and  one  daughter.  The  son,  Carl,  was  born  in 
1852.  He  went  to  California  long  ago;  has  not 
been  heard  from  during  the  last  ten  years.  The 
daughter,  Julia,  who  was  born  in  1862,  was  mar- 
ried to  a  Swede,  Mr.  Peter  Johnson,  with  whom 
she  has  had  two  sons — Walter  Theodore  Johnson, 
born  in  1880,  and  Clarence  Michaelson  Johnson, 
born  in  1882.  Both  are  engaged  in  the  electro- 
typing  business,  Walter  as  a  molder  and  Clar- 
ence as  a  photographer.  Mrs.  Julia  Johnson  lives 
in  her  own  comfortable  residence  at  1341  Maple- 
wood  avenue.  We  reproduce  here  a  portrait  of 
her  father. 


Thorstein  Michaelson. 


In  the  same  directory  we  also  note  Anfin  John- 
son, a  tailor,  employed  by  Simon  Doyle  on  Kin- 
zie  street.  The  given  name  Anfin  settles  John- 


184 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


son's  nationality  beyond  doubt,  as  does  Sivert 
Davidson's.  Mr.  Davidson  was  a  carpenter  and 
lived  in  the  Cass  street  Dutch  Settlement.  There 
was  another  Davidson,  Lars,  who  was  a  fireman 
on  the  steamboat  "Geo.  W.  Dole."  and  still  a 
third,  Peter  D.,  a  hostler  with  John  H.  Kinzie. 
Those  three  Davidsons  were  brothers,  although, 
of  course,  the  directory  gives  no  information  up- 
on that  subject.  Lars  Davidson  later  moved  to 
Wisconsin  and  settled  on  Liberty  Prairie,  Dane 
county,  where  he  was_still  living  in  1889,  accord- 
ing to  Knud  Langland. 

Although  the  directory  does  not  mention  it, 
we  are  able  to  state  upon  no  less  authority  than 
Rev.  Paul  Anderson  that  Baard  Johnson,  with 
wife  and  five  children,  came  here  in  1837.  The 
tailor,  Anfin  Johnson,  was  his  son.  He  had  two 
other  sons,  John  and  Andrew,  among  the  five 
children. 

In  looking  for  the  names  of  other  countrymen 
in  the  directory  we  may  without  many  chances 
of  error  enlist  Asle  Anderson,  musician,  North 
State  street;  Endre  Anderson,  laborer;  and  Eric 
Anderson,  pressman.  Nobody  would  mistake  the 
given  names  Asle  and  Endre  for  anything  but 
Norwegian,  and,  as  the  three  lived  in  the  same 
hquse  on  North  State  street,  we  may  rest  reason- 
ably sure  that  they  were  brothers  or  otherwise 
related. 

Looking  a  little  further  forward,  we  find  three 
Lawsons — •  Iver  Lawson,  laborer,  boarded  at  240 
Superior  street;  Canute  Lawson,  city  street  car- 
penter, same  address.  Canute  was  probably  mar- 
ried, and  his  brother  Iver  boarded  with  him. 

We  have  mentioned  before  that  Johan  Larsen, 
a  sailor,  arrived  at  the  same  time  as  Halstein 
Torrison,  and  we  find  the  name  in  the  directory 
all  right,  but  without  address,  as  he,  of  course, 
lived  on  board  the  vessel  in  which  he  sailed. 
Jqhan  Larsen,  who  lived  in  Chicago  as  late  as 
1890,  had  visited  this  place  many  times  before 
he,  settled  here,  he  having  sailed  on  the  lakes 
with  Buffalo  as  headquarters  for  several  years. 

There  is  also  a  laborer  by  the  name  of  Andrew 
Larson,  Cass  street  Dutch  Settlement.  Mr.  Peter 
M.  Balken  informs  us  that  this  man  was  Andrew 
Larson  Flage,  whose  daughter  Ragnild  was  mar- 
ried to  Rev.  Anderson,  the  first  Norwegian  min- 
ister in  Chicago. 

Captain  George  Peterson,  Canal  street,  was 
the  first  Norwegian  sea  captain  to  sail  on  the 
lakes  with  his  residence  in  Chicago. 


The  Norwegian  Old  Set- 
tlers' Society. 

It  is  a  well  known  fact  that  Mr.  Peter  M. 
Balken  was  the  first  man  to  whom  the  happy 
thought  occurred  of  getting  the  old  Norwegian 
settlers  in  Chicago  together.  He  also  took  the 
first  step  toward  the  realization  of  the  idea  by 
sending  out  an  invitation  on  post  cards  to  fifty 
old  settlers  to  meet  on  a  certain  evening,  in  1879, 
at  the  residence  of  Canute  R.  Matson. 

Of  the  fifty  so  invited  forty-eight  responded 
by  presenting  themselves  on  the  appointed  even- 
ing and  meeting  place. 

Considerable  enthusiasm  was  manifested  over 
a  proposition  that  the  ones  present  then  and 
there  form  the  nucleus  for  The  Norwegian  Old 
Settlers'  Society,  everyone  present  becoming  a 
charter  member. 

The  constitution  and  by-laws  of  the  society 
give  as  its  objects  to  establish  an  intimate  ac- 
quaintance between  the  members,  to  give  them 
a  chance  of  comparing  notes  of  pioneer  days, 
foster  friendship  and  provide  wholesome  social 
amusements. 

Applicants  for  membership  must  show  that  they 
have  lived  at  least  fifteen  years  in  the  United 
States,  that  they  are  useful  and  reputable  citi- 
zens, and  at  the  time  are  living  in  Chicago. 

The  entrance  fee  is  only  15  cents,  and  persons 
wishing  to  become  honorary  members  pay  five 
dollars.  The  officers  of  the  society  are  one  pre- 
sident, one  vice-president,  one  secretary,  one 
treasurer,  and  an  executive  committee  of  five 
members. 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  society  is  held  on 
the  first  Thursday  in  September,  when  the'  of- 
ficers for  the  ensuing  fiscal  year  are  elected. 
The  duties  of  the  officers  are  about  the  same  as 
in  other  societies  of  a  similar  nature. 

It  has  been  customary  to  hold  two  festive 
gatherings  anually,  a  picnic  in  the  summer  and  a 
banquet  in  the  winter.  On  these  occasions  the 
stories  of  the  good  old  days  are  retold  in  toasts 
and  tete-a-tetes  which  grow  in  loquacity  and  gos- 
sipy details  with  the  imbibing  and  consuming  of 
genuine  Norwegian  beverages  and  delicacies. 

Proud  of  fatherland,  the  Norseman  is  no  less 
proud  of  being  an  "old  settler"  of  Chicago.  This 
sentiment  has  made  itself  manifest  at  every  cele- 
bration of  the  Norwegian  Old  Settlers'  Society 
of  Chicago. 

At  such  occasions  the  members  of  the  society 


THE  NORWEGIANS  IN  CHICAGO 


185 


and  their  guests  would  sit  down  to  a  sumptuous 
repast,  "at  which  fish,  the  beloved  dish  of  all 
Norsemen,  cuts  no  small  figure,  served  in  many 
appetizing  ways.  Other  viands  and  wine  served 
to  make  each  celebration  a  notable  one  and  well 
fit  the  orators  of  the  evening  to  pronounce  prose 
pzeans  upon  the  viking  and  the  "Land  of  the  Mid- 
night Sun." 

As  examples  of  the  subjects  of  the  toasts  at 
such  occasions  we  will  quote  those  at  the  cele- 
bration of  the  fifteenth  annual  banquet.  Mr.  R. 
Henderson  was  then  president  of  the  society  and 
first  extended  a  hearty  welcome.  At  its  conclu- 
sion the  following  toasts  were  given,  and  the  fol- 
lowing Chicago  Norsemen  acquitted  themselves 
eloquently  in  responding  to  them: 

"Norwegian    Old    Settlers    of    Chicago,"    John 
Gittelson. 

"The   Political   Influence  of  the   Norsemen   on 
Chicago  and  the  Northwest,"  C.  R.   Matson. 

"Norwegian   Navigation  on   the   Great   Lakes," 
S.  T.  Gunderson. 

'.'Norse  Sailors  of  Chicago,"  Halvor  Michelson. 

"Norwegian     Industries     of     Chicago,"     A.     P. 
Johnson. 

The  constitution  and  by-laws  of  the  society 
were  not  adopted  until  April  30,  1882. 

In  the  course  of  time  as  the  oldest  settlers  have 
had  to  journey  to  the  undiscovered  country,  from 
whose  bourn  no  traveler  returns,  and  so  many 
other  societies,  fraternal  and  others,  have  sprung 
up,  the  interest  in  the  Old  Settlers'  Society  has 
been  diminishing,  until  there  is  now  hardly  any- 
thing left  of  it.  Instead  the  interest  has  been 
centering  itself  on  the  Norwegian  Old  People's 
Home,  which  through  the  unceasing  efforts  of 
Dr.  N.  T.  Quales  and  others  has  grown  to  pro- 
portions of  which  its  founders  could  hardly  have 
dreamed  of  at  its  inception. 

At  the  last  annual  meeting  of  the  Norwegian 
Old  Settlers'  Society,  whenever  that  was  held,  Mr. 
Peter  M.  Balken  was  elected  president  and  Captain 
John  Anderson  secretary.  It  seems,  however,  to 
have  reached  such  a  state  of  decadence  that  no- 
body knows  where  its  records  are  to  be  found. 
The  only  record  we  have  been  able  to  locate  is 
a  book  containing  the  constitution  and  by-laws 
together  with  a  list  of  its  members,  which  we 
present  here  and  which  also  gives  the  years  of 
each  member's  arrival  and  the  place  in  Norway 
from  which  he  came. 


John  Anderson,  1845,  Voss. 
J.   C.  Anderson,  1842. 

John  Anderson,  Captain,  1856,  Fredriksstad. 
Peter  M.  Balken,  1849,  Stavanger. 
Mrs.  Carrie  R.  Balken,  1850,  Stavanger. 
John  Balken,  1849,  Stavanger. 
Ole  Bendixon,  1863,  Christiania. 
John  Blegen,  1869,  T0nsberg. 
O.  T.  Birkeland,  1851,  Egersund. 
John  C.  Camberg,  1852,  Soggendal. 
John  Christianson,  1866,  Trondhjem. 
H.  L.  Dahl,  1864,  Tromsjl 
Elef  Danielson,  1861. 
T.    Engebretson,   1852,   Haugesund. 
Paul  F.  Eckstorm,  1849,  Skien. 
Albart  J.  Elvig,  1855,  Bergen. 
Andreas  Erickson,  1864,  Bergen. 
Milian  Engh,  1871. 
Jonas  Ellingson,  1871,  Stavanger. 
Peter  Ellefsen,  1864,  0rskon. 
Christian  Erickson,  1859,  Bergen. 
Daniel  Erickson,  1861,  Bukken,  near  Stavanger. 
Johannes  Gullacksen,  1864,  Bergen. 
John  Gittleson,  1850. 
Andrew  Gunderson,  1848,  Farsund. 
C.  J.  Gullackson,  1864,  Bergen. 
Martin  Gunderson,  1848,  Farsund. 
John  O.  Gilbo,  1868,  Gudbrandsdalen. 
Bryngel  Henderson,  1844,  Voss. 
Mrs.  Martha  Henderson,  1844,  Voss. 
Rognald  Henderson,  1849,  Voss. 
Thomas  G.  Hanson,  1857,  Hardanger. 
Hans  Hansen,  1848. 
John  Hanson,  1865. 
•  Enock  Halverson,  1852,  Stavanger. 
Peter  Halvorson,  1869. 
Helge  A.  Haugan,  1861,   Christiania. 
H.  G.  Holtan,  1864,  Telemarken. 
M.  B.  Hanson. 

Hans  Iverson,  1850,  Hardanger. 
Louis  Iverson. 
Knud  Iverson. 
A.  B.  Johnson,  1837. 
John  C.  Johansen,  1864,  Bergen. 
Mrs.  Sophia  Johansen,  1868,  Stavanger. 
Andrew  P.  Johnson,  1850,  Voss. 
Alfred  Johnson,  1850. 
Ida  Johnson,  1854. 
Nels  Johnson,  1850,  Voss. 
Peter  Johnson,  1861,  Trondhjem. 
Capt.  William  Johnson,  1855. 
Fred  Johnson,  1866. 
Neils  Johnson,  1853,  0vre  Romerige. 
S.  Knudson,  1853. 


186 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Andrew  G.   Krogstad,  1868,  Krogstad,  Furnaes, 

Hedemarken. 
C.  G.  Krogness. 
Christian  Lee,  1845,  Gausdal. 
Edw.  S.  A.  Lahlum,  1863,  Bergen. 
Hans  T.   Mauritzon,  1850,  "Stavanger. 
C.  R.  Matson,  1848,  Voss. 
G.  C.  Meyer,  1864,  Bergen. 
Ben  Moe. 

Capt.  Halvor  Mickelson,  1854,  Stavanger. 
C.  R.  E.  Munson. 
Kittil   Nirison,   1845,   B0  Prestegjeld,  Telemar- 

ken. 

Mrs.  Ingeborg  Nirison,  1848,  Farsund. 
Andrew  Nelson,  1830,  Voss. 
Mrs.  Julia  Nelson,  1844,  Voss. 
Jettee  B.  Nordhem,  1859,  Voss. 
Charles    M.   Netterstrjzim,   1852,   Stavanger. 
E.  B.  Nordhem,  1865,  Voss. 
J.  C.  Netterstr0m,  1852,  Stavanger. 
Hans  Nordal,  1866,  Odalen. 
Peter  Nelson,  1841,  Skien. 
N.  Nelson,  Dentist,  1867,  Christiania. 
Arthur  N.  Nelson,  1853,  Laurvig. 
Edward  Olson,  1858,  Hamar. 
Peder  Olson,  1850,  Voss. 
Mrs.  Sophia  Olson,  1846,  Voss. 
Gilbert  Olsen,  1866,  Christiania. 
Jens  Olsen,  1843,  Siljord,  Telemarken. 
Anthon  Oien,  1861,  Trondhjem. 
R.  Olson,  1853,  Stavanger. 
John  Olson,  1854,  Egersund. 
Martin  Olson,  1864,  Christiania. 
Peter  Olsen  Skaaden,  1867,  Gudbrandsdalen. 
Tom  Olson,  1866,  Porsgrund. 
Julius  Pedersen,  1855,  Stavanger. 
Johanna  Pedersen,  1856,  Stavanger. 
H.  S.  Paulsen,  1864,  Solor. 
Zakarias  Peterson,  1848,  Lyngdal,  Farsund. 
Sjziren  M.  Peterson,  1862,  Skien. 
Dr.  Niles  T.  Quales,  1859,  Hardanger. 
John   Reyerson,   1857,  Slidre,  Valders. 
Gulbrand  Roberg,  1856,  Nordre  Land. 
Susan  Roberg,  1849,  Voss. 
Christian  R.  Rasmusson,  1864,  Soudland,  Flek- 

kefjord. 

M.  H.  Ryerson,  1855,  Krager0. 
Berthe  S.   Ryerson,  1849,  Lyngdal. 
Axel  Stubergh,  1867,  Christiania. 
Nets  Sampson,  1849,  Voss. 
Ellev  G.  Seavert,  1844,  Vossevangcn. 
Nils  B.  Str0m,  1868,  Drammen. 
O.  L.  Stangeland. 
Charles  Sampson,  1861,  Haugesund. 
G.  A.  Wigeland,  1843,  Stathdle. 


Early  Norwegian  Print- 
ers in  Chicago 

It  might  be  of  some  interest  to  publish  in  this 
work  a  complete  list  of  the  Norwegian  printers 
in  Chicago,  but  it  would  take  too  much  space 
even  if  it  were  possible  to  give  the  names  of  all 
of  them.  Consequently  we  shall  have  to  confine 
ourselves  to  the  earliest  ones. 

It  may  be  a  surprise  to  a  good  many  of  the 
craft  to  learn  that  the  first  pressman  in  Chicago 
was  a  Norwegian.  He  was  not  only  the  first  of 
our  own  nationality,  but  there  was  no  other 
pressman  before  his  arrival.  His  name  was  David 
Johnson,  and  he  came  here  in  1834. 


John  Amundson's  House. 
Corner  Erie  and  Halsted  Streets. 


The  proprietor  of  the  first  paper  in  Chicago 
was  Mr.  Calhoun.  He  published  the  Chicago 
Democrat.  The  paper  prospered  and  he  could 
not  very  long  supply  the  demand  by  printing  it 
on  one  of  the  old-time  hand  presses.  Conse- 
quently he  bought  a  second-hand  cylinder  press 
from  New  York  with  an  order  to  the  seller  to 
let  a  man  who  could  run  the  press  accompany.it. 

David  Johnson  was  a  young  sailor.  He  came . 
from  Norway  to  New  York  as  a  sailor  boy. 
When  the  ship  in  which  he  sailed  was  moored 
there  he  got  his  regular  leave  of  absence.  But 
he  never  returned  to  the  ship,  which  sailed  away. 
When  his  means  gaVe  out  he  looked  around  for 
a  job  and  in  very  short  time  secured  one  as  a 
press-feeder.  He  worked  at  this  for  two  years, 
when  Mr.  Calhoun's  order  for  the  cylinder  press 


THE  NORWEGIANS  IN  CHICAGO 


187 


came.  He  was  then  asked  whether  he  would  like 
to  go  West  with  the  press,  and  consented.  In 
due  time  he  arrived  with  the  press  in  Chicago, 
where  he  put  it  up  and  ran  it,  nobody  knows 
how  long. 

In  his  autobiography  Mr.  Calhoun  mentions 
this,  but  does  not  give  the  pressman's  name.  But 
the  Chicago  Historical  Society  has  among  its 
possessions  Mr.  Calhoun's  account  book  for  1834, 
and  in  it  we  have  found  David  Johnson's  name. 

The  next  Norwegian  printer  after  David  John- 
son, as  far  as  we  have  been  able  to  trace,  was  a 
pressman,  Eric  Anderson,  in  1839.  In  1844  came 
John  Amundson,  who  learned  his  trade  with  the 
next  proprietor  of  the  Chicago  Democrat,  John 
Wentworth  (Long  John),  and  the  next  one  is 
called  in  the  account  books  William  Iver.  His 
Norwegian  name  was,  however,  Iver  Vikingson. 
In  1850  we  find  Hans  Kjos;  in  1851,  Ole  Gulliver; 
in  1852,  John  Anderson  (the  founder  and  still  the 
publisher  of  Skandinaven) ;  in  1853,  Lars  Lee  and 
Lewis  Knudson;  and  in  1855,  Peter  M.  Balken, 
who  then  came  to  the  Chicago  Journal,  where  he 
remained  for  over  forty  years  as  pressman.  Mr. 
Balken  is  still  living,  active,  and  at  the  present 
time  engaged  in  the  county  clerk's  office. 


The  SkandinavianTypo- 
graphical  Union 

Was  organized  in  1883,  after  many  unsuccessful 
attempts  to  consolidate  the  labor  interests  of 
Scandinavian-American  printers  in  Chicago.  On 
April  15  of  that  year  Emil  Ljunggren  called  a 
meeting  of  Scandinavian  printers  at  the  Hotel 
Dannevirke,  to  discuss  the  question  of  forming  a 
union.  Steps  were  then  taken  which  terminated 
in  the  organization  of  the  society  ten  days  later, 
the  original  founders  being:  Emil  Ljunggren, 
Olaf  A.  Rasmussen,  J.  J.  Engberg,  O.  Lund,  A. 
Johansen,  C.  Koch,  M.  Gttldbrandsen,  C.  J.  Chris- 
tiansen, Allan  Soetre,  J.  Newbold,  J.  Hansen,  G. 
C.  Shervey,  Edward  Lund,  A.  A.  Andersen, 
Charles  Ericksen,  H.  Ariansen,  T.  Bj0rgelfsen, 
Samuel  Lyckberg,  J.  Dahl,  John  Hansen,  and 
L.  E.  Aslund. 

A.  Morck  was  elected  president;  J.  A.  Nyberg, 
vice-president;  Olaf  A.  Rasmussen,  recording 
secretary;  Ernest  Younggren,  treasurer;  Tormod 
Manson,  financial  secretary;  Emil  Ljunggren, 


sergeant-at-arms.      The    total     membership     was 
thirty-six. 

Semi-annual  meetings  in  January  and  July  were 
arranged  for,  and  at  the  third  regular  meeting 
the  membership  was  forty-nine.  The  presidents 
for  1884  were  A.  Morck  and  Ernest  Younggren; 
for  the  first  half  of  1885,  C.  O.  Wiliiamson.  On 
May  1,  1884,  the  sick  fund  was  established  and 
twenty-eight  members  of  the  association  sub- 
scribed for  its  benefits.  This  branch  of  the  so- 
ciety was  reorganized  on  Aug.  23,  1885,  with 
Charles  J.  Sward  as  secretary  and  treasurer,  and 
twelve  members,  $105  being  paid  out  for  sick 
relief  during  the  first  six  months  of  1885.  On 
Sept.  1,  another  fund  was  established,  whereby 
unemployed  members  were  to  receive  $3  per  week. 
The  officers  elected  for  the  second  term  of  1885 
were:  A.  Morck,  president;  J.  F.  Ellefsen,  vice- 
president;  Alexander  Sward,  recording  secretary; 
O.  Lund,  financial  secretary;  J.  Dahl,  treasurer; 
Emil  Lindberg,  sergeant-at-arms;  C.  O.  William- 
son and  Hilmer  Hesselroth,  trustees.  At  that 
time  the  association  had  forty-nine  members. 


The   Norwegian   Old 

People's  Home 

Society 

By  Dr.  N.  T.  Quales. 


Shortly  after  the  great  fire,  in  1871,  the  Chicago 
Relief  and  Aid  Society  endowed  the  Old  People's 
Home,  located  on  the  corner  of  Indiana  avenue 
and  Thirty-ninth  street,  reserving  to  itself  the 
right  of  as  many  free  places,  to  be  occupied  by 
worthy  old  people,  as  the  Relief  Society  might 
choose  to  admit. 

This  home,  with  a  capacity  of  housing  seventy- 
two  inmates,  was  intended  for  old  people  in  gen- 
eral, and  not  for  any  particular  creed  or  nation- 
ality. It  was  at  that  time  the  only  old  people's 
home  in  the  city,  and  it  was  a  mere  matter  of 
chance  or  preferment  to  obtain  admission,  and 
as  far  as  I  have  been  able  to  ascertain  only  four 
women  of  our  nationality -had  been  admitted  up 
to  the  year  of  1896.  But  the  difficulty  of  obtain- 
ing admission  was  not  the  only  drawback.  The 
language,  the  customs,  the  religious  exercises, 


188 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


etc.,  were  foreign  to  our  people,  so  that  they 
could  not  find  themselves  entirely  at  home  in 
this  institution.  Hence  the  need  of  a  home  of 
our  own  was  the  more  keenly  felt. 

During  the  thirty  or  more  years  in  which  I 
had  been  going  from  house  to  house  in  the  pur- 
suit of  my  calling  as  a  physician,  I  often  met 
with  persons  whom  I  was  at  a  loss  to  know  what 
to  do  with.  They  were  men  and  women  gener- 
ally well  up  in  years,  persons  who  by  hard  work 
and  by  saving  had  managed  to  lay  aside  a  few 
hundred  dollars.  They  had  now  come  to  that 
stage  of  life  when  their  working  days  were  at 


he  has  no  other  income.  He  must  rent  a  room, 
which  will  cost  him  $4  per  month,  or  $48  a  year. 
His  living  would  cost  him  $5  per  month,  or  $60 
a  year;  together,  $108.  To  this  must  be  added 
incidental  expenses,  such  as  medical  attendance, 
nursing,  medicine,  besides  clothes,  etc.  At  this 
rate  his  capital  would  not  last  him  much  over 
four  years.  A  person  of  65  years,  in  ordinary 
good  health  for  that  age,  is  likely  to  live  ten? 
years.  Here  then  comes  the  sad  part  of  it.  After 
having  battled  through  life  independently  for' 
three  score  years  and  ten,  we  find  him  now  about 
to  end  his  days  in  an  almshouse,  and  to  be  buried 


The  Norwegian  Old  People's  Home,  Norwood  Park,  111. 


an  end,  and  when  they  had  to  look  out  for  a 
home  in  which  to  spend  the  remainder  of  their 
days.  They  had  no  one  in  particular  to  depend 
upon,  and  there  was  no  family  who  was  willing 
to  give  them  a  permanent  home  for  the  few  hun- 
dred dollars  which  they  possessed.  Not  being 
sick,  they  were  not  subjects  for  a  hospital,  neither 
were  they  yet  paupers,  hence  could  not  be  sent 
to  the  poorhouse.  Their  small  capital  would  not 
last  them  long  if  they  should  subsist  on  that,  a 
fact  that  can  readily  be  demonstrated.  We  will 
take  as  an  example  a  person  65  years  of  age,  and 
we  will  suppose  that  he  has  laid  by  $500,  and  that 


in  a  potter's  field.  Does  not  this  seem  cruel? 
And  yet  there  appeared  to  be  no  other  way  out 
of  it.  The  only  remedy  that  I  could  think  of 
was  to  establish  a  home  for  this  class  of  persons. 
Their  condition  impressed  itself  so  forcibly  upon 
my  mind,  that  I  resolved  to  do  what  I  could  for 
them.  And  the  opportunity  came.  In  1892,  when 
the  Tabitha  Society  was  reorganized,  a  commit- 
tee was  elected  to  draft  a  constitution  and  by- 
laws for  the  society,  and  as  I  happened  to  be  a 
member  of  that  committee  I  urged  this  matter 
strongly  upon  the  other  members,  with  the  result 
that  it  became  embodied  in  the  charter  of  the 


THE  NORWEGIANS  IN  CHICAGO 


IS!) 


society,  as  one  of  the  objects  thereof,  to  estab- 
lish a  home  for  the  aged.  But  as  the  main  object 
of  the  leaders  of  that  society  was  hospital  work, 
the  home  for  the  aged,  as  well  as  orphans,  and 
deaconesses'  home,  were  set  entirely  aside.  This 
action,  or  rather  non-action,  on  the  part  of  the 
so-called  majority  of  the  Tabitha  Society  caused 
grievous  disappointment  and  general  dissatisfac- 
tion; so  much  so,  that  a  very  large  number  of 
the  members  withdrew  from  the  Society  —  the 
very  members  who  had  been  most  active  in  pro- 
moting the  cause  and  contributing  to  the  success 
of  the  object  for  which  the  society  was  organ- 
ized. 

These  members  who  thus  withdrew  from  the 
Tabitha  Society  were  determined  to  go-  on  with 
the  work  of  charity,  namely,  deaconess  work, 
home  for  the  aged  and  orphan  home.  After  fully 
considering  the  matter  they  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  it  would  not  be  best  to  carry  on  the 
various  branches  of  the  work  under  one  and  the 
same  head.  They  therefore  divided  up  the  work, 
so  that  one  part  took  up  deaconess  work,  an- 
other home  for  the  aged  and  still  another  or- 
phan home. 

The  Tabitha  Society  had  been  divided  into 
branches,  and  that  part  of  the  membership  who 
withdrew,  who  took  up  the  work  for  an  Old 
People's  Home,  retained  the  branch  organiza- 
tino,  hence  the  Bethlehem,  Concordia,  Trinity, 
Wicker  Park  and  Zion  branches  organized  them- 
selves into  a  society  under  the  name  of  the  Nor- 
wegian Old  People's  Home  Society  of  Chicago, 
Illinois.  A  constitution  and  by-laws  were  drafted 
and  adopted  and  the  society  was  formally  ot> 
ganized  in  the  chapel  of  Trinity  Church  on  the 
31st  day  of  March,  1896,  and  incorporated  under 
the  laws  of  the  state  of  Illinois  on  the  24th  day 
of  April,  1896. 

The  articles  of  incorporation  provide  that  the 
name  of  the  society  shall  be  the  Norwegian  Old 
People's  Home  Society  of  Chicago,  Illinois,  and 
that  the  object  is  to  erect,  maintain  and  manage 
a  home  for  old  people,  and  that  the  society  in 
its  work  shall  be  governed  in  conformity  with 
the  principles  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 

The  constitution  provides  that  the  control  of 
the  affairs  of  the  society  shall  be  vested  in  a  board 
of  directors,  consisting  of  one  male  member  from 
each  branch  having  from  fifteen  to  fifty  mem- 
bers, and  one  for  each  additional  fifty  members. 
It  further  provides  that  each  branch  at  its  De- 
cember meeting  shall  nominate  candidates  for 
directors,  who  are  to  be  elected  at  the  annual 
meeting  of  the  society  and  serve  for  three  years; 


that  the  directors  elected  are  to  organize  by 
electing  from  their  own  members  a  president, 
vice-president,  secretary  and  treasurer,  who  are 
to  hold  office  for  one  year. 

The  constitution  further  provides  for  a  ladies' 
auxiliary  board,  to  consist  of  two  ladies  from 
each  branch.  They  are  to  be  nominated  and  elect- 
ed in  the  same  manner  as  the  members  of  the 
board  of  directors  and  serve  for  two  years.  The 
organization  of  the  ladies'  board  to  be  similar  to 
the  board  of  directors,  and  their  particular  duties 
are  to  look  after  the  domestic  affairs  of  the  home, 
arrange  for  and  have  charge  of  festivals,  enter- 
tainments, etc. 

The  first  board  of  directors  consisted  of  Abra- 
ham Johnson  and  Conrad  de  Lange  from  Bethle- 
hem Branch;  Anton  A.  Melum  from  Concordia 
Branch;  Adolph  Nelson  and  Anton  Petersen  from 
Trinity  Branch;  A.  P.  Johnson  and  N.  T.  Quales 
from  Wicker  Park  Branch,  and  John  Jersin  and 
John  Anda  from  Zion  Branch.  The  board  of 
directors  met  April  8,  1896,  at  the  residence  of 
Dr.  N.  T.  Quales,  52  Fowler  street,  and  organ- 
ized by  electing  Dr.  Quales  president,  Anton  A. 
Melum  vice-president,  John  Jersin  secretary  and 
Anton  Petersen  treasurer. 

The  ladies'  board  consisted  of  Mrs.  H.  Samu- 
elsen  and  Mrs.  B.  Amundsen,  from  Bethlehem 
Branch;  Mrs.  A.  Johnson  and  Mrs.  Belle  Nelson 
from  Concordia  Branch;  Mrs.  R.  Jorgensen  and 
Mrs.  H.  Johnson  from  Trinity  Branch;  Mrs. 
Henry  Olsen  and  Mrs.  H.  L.  Anderson  from 
Wicker  Park  Branch,  and  Mrs.  Minnie  Anda  and 
Mrs.  Margrethe  Rosier  from  Zion  Branch.  The 
board  organized  by  electing  Mrs.  Belle  Nelson 
president,  Mrs.  Margrethe  Rosier  vice-president, 
Mrs.  Minnie  Anda  secretary  and  Mrs.  H.  L.  An- 
derson, treasurer. 

In  1898  two  new  branches  were  added  to  the 
society,  namely,  Moreland  Branch  and  United 
Branch;  of  these  two,  the  United  Branch  dis- 
banded in  the  early  part  of  1899  and  the  More- 
land  Branch  in  1901.  In  1905  a  new  branch,  the 
Young  People's  Branch,  was  admitted  into  the 
society. 

In  the  latter  part  of  1900  a  "young  ladies'  aid 
society"  was  organized.  The  society,  consisting 
of  young  ladies,  has  taken  great  interest  in  the 
work  and  has  been  a  very  valuable  addition  to 
our  society. 

They  were  the  first  to  set  apart  money  for  a 
reserve  fund,  and  by  adding  to  this  fund  year 
by  year  they  have  now  $800  saved  up  for  this 
purpose. 

At   the   meeting   in   Trinity   Church,   when    the 


190 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Society  was  organized,  the  directors  were  in- 
structed to  begin  the  work  at  once,  and  either  to 
buy  or  to  rent  a  suitable  place  for  an  old  peo- 
ple's home. 

For  various  reasons  the  board  of  directors  pre- 
ferred to  buy,  and  was  fortunate  in  finding  a 
beautiful  piece  of  property  in  Norwood  Park, 
comprising  about  four  acres  of  land  planted  to 
park.  On  the  ground  was  a  three-story  building 
with  basement,  containing  between  twenty-five 
and  thirty  rooms.  With  some  changes  this  build- 
ing could  be  made  to  serve  our  purpose. 

The  cost  of  this  property  was  $20,000,  but  from 
this  amount  the  owner  agreed  to  donate  $1,500. 
As  the  property  was  very  desirable,  and  having 
fully  satisfied  ourselves  that  the  price  was  rea- 
sonable, the  board  of  directors  decided  to  buy. 
The  bargain  was  closed  on  the  18th  day  of  May, 
1896;  on  the  15th  of  June  we  got  possession  of 
the  property  by  making  a  payment  of  $3,500,  and 
in  1897  we  made  the  second  payment  of  $3,500. 
Similar  payment  was  made  every  year  until  1901, 
when  we  made  our  last  payment.  Besides  the 
cost  price  of  the  property,  between  $2,000  and 
$3,000  had  been  expended  on  the  building  and 
on  the  grounds.  In  the  year  1901  the  society 
purchased  a  parcel  of  ground  in  the  Union  Ridge 
Cemetery  and  some  of  the  departed  inmates 
have  found  there  their  resting  place. 

The  property  in  our  possession,  applications 
for  admission  came  from  all  parts  of  the  coun- 
try, from  California  and  from  the  far  East,  even 
before  the  house  was  ready  for  occupancy.  Mrs. 
Caroline  Osterberg  was  the  first  permanent  in- 
mate, and  at  the  time  of  the  formal  opening  and 
dedication  festivities,  August  8,  1896,  seventeen 
old  people  had  already  found  refuge  within  its 
walls. 

When  the  branches  now  constituting  the  Old 
People's  Home  Society  withdrew  from  the  Tab- 
itha  Society,  they  left  everything  in  the  posses- 
sion of  that  society,  so  that  when  we  took  up 
this  work  it  was  with  absolutely  empty  hands. 
However,  our  hearts  were  interested  in  the  cause 
and  we  went  at  it  with  earnestness  and  full  of 
faith,  and  surely  our  efforts  have  been  crowned 
with  success. 

We  were  all  agreed  to  do  charity,  but  when  we 
came  to  the  practical  part  of  it  we  differed  as  to 
what  constituted  charity.  Some  held  that  it  could 
only  be  charity  when  we  took  in  persons  abso- 
lutely without  means;  others  thought  it  would  be 
charity  when  a  few  were  admitted  free.  Others 
again  held  that  it  was  charity  indeed  when  we 
undertook  to  care  and  provide  for  old  people, 


even  if  they  paid  a  comparatively  small  amount. 

After  the  work  was  begun,  and  especially  after 
we  had  more  fully  investigated  the  work  and 
management  of  similar  institutions  elsewhere,  it 
became  clearly  apparent  that  the  plan  and  pur- 
pose of  the  societies  having  the  care  and  man- 
agement of  these  private  or  semi-public  institu- 
tions were  not  to  establish  poorhouses.  Public 
paupers  must  be  cared  and  provided  for  by  the 
county  and  state  authorities.  Homes  similar  to 
ours  were  intended  for  old  people  who  have  never 
been  puplic  paupers,  and  who  never  ought  to  be 
treated  as  such. 

Inmates  of  these  homes  should  be  made  to  feel 
that  they  are  part  owners,  as  it  were,  in  the  in- 
stitution, and  that  they  are  in  their  own  home. 
As  far  as  their  age  and  health  would  permit  they 
should  have  every  inducement  to  enjoy  life  truly 
and  peacefully. 

The  question  of  doing  charity  has  been  brought 
up  time  and  again.  It  has  been  laid  up  against 
our  society  that  so  long  as  we  do  not  admit  per- 
sons free  into  the  home  we  do  no  charity.  In 
my  annual  reports  I  have  demonstrated  clearly, 
I  think,  that  our  work  is  truly  charitable  work, 
and  it  has  been  my  experience  that  those  who 
are  anxious  to  do  charity  when  it  can  be  done 
with  other  people's  money,  and  who  cry  the 
loudest,  are  not,  as  a  rule,  the  ones  to  head  the 
subscription  lists  for  charitable  purposes. 

When  societies  like  the  one  having  charge  of 
the  Old  People's  Home  at  Indiana  avenue  and 
Thirty-ninth  street,  whose  property  is  valued  at 
nearly  $300,000,  the  Altenheim  Society,  with  a 
reserve  fund  of  about  $80,000,  or  the  German 
Missourians'  Old  People's  Home  at  Arlington 
Heights,  supported  by  thirty  or  forty  congrega- 
tions, cannot  afford  to  admit  persons  free,  it 
seems  queer  that  our  poor  society,  which  has  no- 
stated  income  and  no  reserve  fund,  should  be 
expected  to  do  so.  It  is  said  that  by  admitting 
persons  free  we  shall  be  blessed;  people  will  open 
their  hearts  and  money  will  come  in  abundantly. 
But  can  you  bank  on  this?  It  is  a  trite  old  say- 
ing, that  the  Lord  helps  those  that  help  them- 
selves. 

While  I  believe  in  doing  charity,  and  have 
practiced  according  to  this  belief  as  far  as  I  have 
been  able,  and  while  I  would  be  only  too  glad  to- 
admit  persons  into  the  home  free,  I  cannot  in 
this  case  overlook  the  fact  that  a  great  responsi- 
bility is  resting  upon  us.  We  founded  this  home. 
We  have  admitted  into  the  home  old  men  and 
old  women.  We  have  taken  their  last  dollar  and 
we  have  agreed  to  provide  for  them  and  to  take 
care  of  them  for  the  rest  of  their  lives,  and  to 


THE  NORWEGIANS  IN  CHICAGO 


191 


give  them  a  Christian  burial.  What  I  sai3  in  my 
first  annual  report  I  repeat  here,  that  just  now  it 
may  seem  a  very  simple  task  to  feed  and  take 
care  of  some  worthy  men  and  women,  minding 
themselves  and  their  own  affairs.  But  if  in  im- 
agination we  permit  ourselves  to  be  carried  for- 
ward for  five  or  ten  years,  what  do  we  find? 
Why,  the  old  people  have  grown  older,  and  with 
the  advance  in  years,  helplessness  has  resulted, 
together  with  sickness  and  impatience.  They 
have  been  compelled  to  remain  in  bed,  are  fret- 
ful and  difficult  to  care  for,  and  demand  atten- 
tion day  and  night.  They  have  to  be  nursed; 
must  be  lifted  in  and  out  of  bed.  They  must  be 
kept  clean.  Extra  help  is  needed.  They  can- 
not, as  in  a  hospital,  be  discharged  as  cured,  im- 
proved in  health  or  incurable.  No;  they  are  there 
for  life.  They  are  under  our  care  and  in  our 
keeping,  whether  their  days  be  few  or  many. 
There  will  be  no  question  as  to  whether  they 
have  paid  much  or  little;  all  demand  the  same 
care  and  attention.  And  when  at  last  their  time 
shall  have  come — 

When  death's  sad  shadow  is  densely  cast 
Upon  the  dim  and  the  lustreless  vision; 

When  nature's  beauty  and  charms  have  past, 
Life's  joy  they  hear,  but  it  bears  no  mission  — 

then  it  is  that  a  loving,  a  tender  and  helpful  hand 
is  needed  to  make  the  bed  soft  and  moisten  the 
parched  lips.  A  loving  hand  to  wipe  away  the 
salt  tears  and  the  cold  perspiration  from  pale, 
wrinkled  cheeks.  A  loving  hand  to  close  the 
broken  eyes  when  the  angel  of  death  shall  have 
recorded  the  last  breath.  And  finally  loving  hands 
and  kind  hearts  are  required  to  carry  and  escort, 
in  a  worthy  and  Christian  manner,  the  soulless 
body  to  its  last  resting  place. 

This  is  the  object  of  our  society.  This  is  the 
magnificent  thought.  This  is  the  lofty  aim.  This 
is  the  noble  purpose  of  our  work.  And  can  there 
yet  be  anyone  among  us  with  such  evil  thoughts 
in  his  heart  as  that  this  is  not  intended  for  a 
work  of  love,  of  benevolence,  of  charity? 

For  the  reason  given  I  have  been  and  am  now 
firmly  of  the  opinion  that  we  should  not  under- 
take to  admit  anyone  free  until  there  may  have 
been  created  a  special  fund  for  this  purpose. 
They  who  can  see  no  charity  in  the  work  we  are 
now  doing  will  hardly  think  it  charity  if  one  or 
two  persons  are  admitted  free,  and  I  doubt  very 
much  whether  they  would  consider  it  charity,  in 
the  way  they  understand  it,  even  if  all  were  ad- 
mitted free.  And  how  would  it  be  possible  to 
discriminate  and  do  justice  where  all  applicants 
had  the  same  rights  and  qualifications? 


In  order  to  show  what  it  means  to  found  and 
maintain  the  home  I  shall  give  in  round  numbers 
the  income  and  expenditures  for  each  year  as 
they  appear  in  the  treasurer's  annual  reports: 

Income.  Expenditures. 

First  year    $8,932.25  $8,094.87 

Second  year    12,063.31  11,596.91 

Third  year 8,354.56  8,100.49 

Fourth  year 11,648.66  11,054.57 

Fifth  year    11,025.11  10,128.38 

Sixth    year     5,110.57  4,041.19 

Seventh  year    6,400.02  5,497.86 

Eighth  year 5,281.21  5,597.50 

Ninth   year    5,781.59  5,244.13 

Tenth  year    18,561.36  12,997.66 


Total    $93,158.64       $82,353.56 

At  the  home  quite  extensive  improvements 
were  made  in  1905.  A  wing  was  added  to  the 
main  building.  This  addition  consists  of  a  two- 
story  building  with  brick  basement.  Each  story 
has  eight  rooms  provided  with  modern  improve- 
ments, and  in  the  basement  are  located  apparatus 
for  steamheating,  coal  room,  janitor's  room,  etc. 
The  old  building  was  repaired  from  cellar  to 
garret,  the  dining  room  was  enlarged  and  re- 
paired, new  barn  was  erected,  etc.  The  expenses 
of  these  various  improvements  amounted  to 
about  $8,000.  The  inmates  of  the  home  at  pres- 
ent number  forty-eight,  and  since  the  home  was 
founded  eighty-four  old  men  and  women  have 
been  admitted  into  the  institution  as  permanent 
inmates.  The  hired  help  are  a  matron,  a  janitor, 
a  cook  and  three  girls.  The  cost  for  each  in- 
mate during  the  year  amounts  to  about  $120. 


The   Norwegian  Luth- 
eran Children's 
Home 


It  is  now  over  twenty-five  years  since  the 
Norwegians  of  Chicago  began  to  discuss  the 
necessity  of  a  Children's  home.  Pastor  Eielsen 
favored  the  movement,  and  at  his  death  provided 
in  his  will  for  $1,500  as  a  nucleus,  providing 
only  that  the  three  church  organizations — namely 
Hauges  Synod,  Augustana  Synod  and  Konfer- 
encen — should  jointly  build  and  maintain  the 
home.  The  subject  was  carefully  considered,  but 


192 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Rev.  Eielsen's  noble  plan  of  united  action  on 
the  part  of  the  churches  could  not  be  realized. 
The  matter  was  dropped  for  a  few  years,  when 
it  was  taken  up  again,  with  Mrs.  Eielsen  and 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sand  in  the  lead.  This  effort 
proved  as  fruitless  as  the  first.  The  society  died, 
and  there  was  fear  of  losing  the  money  gener- 
ously set  aside  by  Rev.  Eielsen.  Mrs.  Michael- 
sen,  who  was  a  member  of  this  society,  was 
greatly  disappointed  in  the  fact  that  no  further 


in  its  constitution  a  clause  providing  for  a  chil- 
'  drcn's  home  or  asylum. 

She  then  laid  her  plans  before  one  of  these 
meetings,  but  no  action  was  taken.  However, 
Rev.  Brun,  who  was  chairman  of  the  association, 
was  interested,  and  after  an  interview  with  him, 
and  after  having  shown  him  the  rules  she  had 
prepared,  he  approved  of  the  idea  and  promised 
his  support.  The  rules,  briefly  stated,  were  as 
follows: 


Norwegian  Lutheran   Children's  Home. 


meetings  were  called,  but  continued  to  study 
the  subject  with  a  view  of  avoiding  the  partisan 
feeling  which  so  far  had  frustrated  every  effort. 
A  plan  of  organizing  little  children  into  clubs 
and  societies  to  solicit  subscriptions  for  such  a 
home  suggested  itself  to  her,  and  she  accordingly 
wrote  down  a  few  rules  to  govern  such  societies, 
planning  to  make  the  effort  systematic;  the  chil- 
dren should  be  provided  with  printed  subscrip- 
tion books  for  the  purpose.  In  the  meantime  she 
had  been  elected  a  director  of  the  original  Nor- 
wegian Tabitha  Association,  and  found  that  it  had 


Rules  for  the  Little  Shepherds'   Society. 

1.  At  every  place  where  six  young  ladies  will 
unite   as    teachers   for   the    following    mentioned 
purpose   a   society  may   be   formed,   to   be   num- 
bered in  the  order  in  which  it  is  organized — as 
society  one,  two,  and  so  on. 

2.  The  six  young  ladies  to  organize  as  teach- 
ers,  by   electing  one   of  their  member   as   treas- 
urer.     The    other    five    to    gather    five    children 
each,   and    each   child    to    receive    a    subscription 
book  with  room  for  ten  contributors,  the   book 


THE  NORWEGIANS  IN  CHICAGO 


193 


to  be  so  ruled  that  the  contribution  from  each 
person  may  be  entered  each  week  during  the 
year. 

3.  Once  each  month  the  teachers  will  gather 
the  children  to  a  meeting  or  party,  where  each 
teacher    will    receive    the    money    from    the    five 
children  appointed  by  her  and  turn  it  over  to  the 
treasurer,  who  also  receives  any  money  collected 
at  the  meeting.   At  such  parties  the  teachers  shall 
join  the  children  in  their  play,  read  to  them,  or 
teach  them  some  handiwork. 

4.  Once   each   summer  the   society  shall   hold 
a  picnic,  and  each  fall  a  children's  bazar,  where 
the   children's    work   can   be    displayed   and    sold 
for   the   benefit   of   the    society. 

5.  The  .object  of  the   society  shall  be  to  buy 
a  piece   of  land   and  build   and   maintain   a   chil- 
dren's  home  under  the  control    of    the   Original 
Norwegian   Lutheran   Tabitha  Association. 

6.  With    this    object,    the    treasurer    for.   each 
society  shall  turn  over  the  collections  each  month 
to  the   person   designated   by  the   Original   Nor- 
wegian  Lutheran  Tabitha  Association  to  receive 
the  same.     Said  person  to  give  receipts  for  same 
and  annually  publish  the  status  oftsuch  fund. 

With  this,  however,  the  association  was  not 
organized,  as  section  2  of  the  rules  was  not  easy 
to  carry  out.  The  question  was:  who  would 
permit  their  children  to  do  this,  and  who  would 
undertake  to  serve  as  teachers.  It  began  to 
trouble  Mrs.  Michaelsen;  she  looked  upon  the 
plan  as  impossible  and  childish.  Common  sense 
advised  her  to  give  it  up,  but  another  voice  said: 
You  have  placed  your  hands  to  the  work;  stand 
to  it,  even  if  it  seems  impossible.  It  is  God's 
work,  and  He  will  provide  for  the  results. 

Mrs.  Michaelsen  says: 

I  presented  the  matter  before  a  woman's  club. 
Here  I  found  several  who  were  willing  to  allow 
their  children  to  join.  Mrs.  August  Johnson,  932 
Kedzie  avenue,  who  was  very  near  to  a  few  chil- 
dren who  had  lost  their  mother  and  were  left  to 
a  careless  father,  gave  us  a  powerful  argument 
for  the  necessity  of  a  home.  She  was  the  first 
to  permit  her  three  little  girls  to  join  in  the 
work.  After  her  example  others  volunteered  at 
the  same  meeting.  Misses  Marie  and  Bella  John- 
son, 56  Bingham  street,  announced  their  willing- 
ness to  act  as  teachers.  Later  others  volun- 
teered. On  Jan.  14,  1892,  I  held  a  meeting  in 
my  own  home,  where  I  met  those  who  had 
agreed  to  join  in  the  work,  but  there  were  only 
four  teachers,  namely:  Marie  and  Bella  Johnson, 
Thora  Elleson  and  Jensine  Skaar.  After  singing 
the  verse,  "I  Jesu  navn  skal  al  vor  gjerning  ske" 
and  reading  the  25th  chapter  of  Matthew,  with 


a  prayer  to   God  for  his   guidance,  the  proposed 
rules  were  adopted. 

On  Feb.  1  the  Little  Shepherds  held  their  first 
meeting,  at  the  same  place,  where  twenty-six 
children  and  the  following  teachers  were  pres- 
ent: Marie  and  Bella  Johnson,  Thora  Elleson 
(now  Mrs.  Dr.  Hegland),  Constance  Hanson 
(now  Mrs.  Syvertson)  and  Nettie  Thorsen  (now 
Mrs.  Oneby).  They  elected  Miss  Constance 
Hanson  as  secretary  and  Thora  Elleson  as  treas- 
urer. The  children  then  received  their  sub- 
scription books.  Thus  one  society  was  organ- 
ized, and  we  were  very  hopeful  of  forming 
others.  But  here  we  met  with  other  difficulties. 
We  found  the  interest  in  the  Children's  Home 
very  small,  though  everybody  was  interested 
in  the  hospitals.  We  had  one  hospital  and 
another  was  building  under  the  management  of 
two  different  associations,  and  everybody  was 
seen  in  the  interest  of  one  or  both  of  these 
praiseworthy  institutions.  Naturally  these  activ- 
ities affected  our  feeble  charity,  the  Little  Shep- 
herds' Society. 

When  the  directors  representing  the  two 
hospitals  united  in  their  efforts,  paragraphs  5 
and  G  in  our  rules  for  the  Little  Shepherds  were 
dispensed  with.  Again,  when  these  two  bodies 
drifted  apart  and  broke  the  tie,  on  account 
of  their  respective  •  principles,  ande  we  fore- 
saw that  trouble  was  brewing,  we  decided,  as 
the  Little  Shepherds'  Society,  to  work  quietly 
until  the  storm  had  blown  over,  in  the  hope 
that  the  Lord  would  lead  us.  It  was  not  long 
before  it  was  clear  to  us  that  we  did  not  need 
to  look  to  any  other  society  for  protection,  but 
that  we  could  in  God's  name  sail  by  ourselves. 
We  had  now  arrived  at  a  point  where  we  rec 
ognized  the  importance  of  reorganization.  In 
considering  this  step  we  consulted  several  per- 
sons who  we  were  confident  would  not  work 
against  the  principle  of  union  or  "Faellesskab." 
Rev.  Hetland  was  one  of  the  first  invited  to  our 
meetings.  He  was  very  much  pleased  with  our 
decision  to  reorganize,  approving  it  heartily.  A 
committee  of  four  —  consisting  of  Rev.  Hetland, 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Michaelsen  and  Mrs.  Syvertson 
(nee  Hanson)  —  was  then  appointed  to  prepare 
a  constitution  for  the  society. 

On  Sept.  21,  1896,  the  Little  Shepherds'  So- 
ciety held  a  meeting  at  Mrs.  Christine  John- 
son's, 56  Bingham  street,  where  the  new  consti- 
tution was  adopted  and  a  board  of  directors 
elected.  These  were  the  directors:  Rev.  Het- 
land, Mr.  and  Mrs.  Michaelsen,  Mrs.  August 
Johnson,  Mr.  Holm,  Mr.  Rude  and  Mr.  Liab0. 
Rev.  Hetland  was  elected  president,  Mr.  Micha- 


194 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


elsen  vice-president,  Mr.  Liab0  secretary,  and 
Mr.  Rude  treasurer.  The  constitution  is  sum- 
marized as  follows: 

1.  The  name  of  this  association  shall  be  The 
Norwegian  Lutheran  Children's  Home  Society. 

2.  The  object  is  to  care  for  and  educate  poor 
and  neglected  children.     To  do  this   the   society 
will  build  and  conduct  a  children's  home  in  Chi- 
cago. 

3.  Any  one  of  good  character  can  become  a 
member,  by  signing  the  constitution  and  paying 
dues    of   one    dollar   annually.      Members   behind 
in   dues   for   one   year   are   not   allowed   to   vote. 
Members    paying   $10    at    one    time    become    life 
members. 

4.  New   members     may    be     admitted   at    any 
regular   meeting,   providing   a   majority   of   those 
present  vote  favorably  on  the  application. 

5.  The   annual   meeting   shall  be   held  on   the 
first  Wednesday  in  November,  at  7:30  p.  m.,  in 
Chicago,   111.,  the  place   to  be  designated  by  the 
management.     The    order    of    business    shall    be 
prayer,  reading  the  minutes  of  last  meeting,  re- 
port   by    the    chairman,    secretary,     cashier     and 
committees;   unfinished   business;   election   of  of- 
ficers and  standing  committees;  admission  of  new 
members;    new    business;    adjournment.      Extra 
meetings   can   be   called   by   the   management   as 
often  as  necessary,  on  request  in  writing  by  fif- 
teen regular  members.     Annual  and  extra  meet- 
ings  must   be   published   in   a   Norwegian   news- 
paper in  Chicago  in  time  for  such  meeting.    The 
board    of    directors    shall    meet    regularly    once 
each  month.     A  majority  of  the  board  shall  con- 
stitute a  quorum. 

6.  The  board  of  directors  shall  consist  of  nine 
members    who    subscribe    to   the    Lutheran    faith. 
Their  term  of  office  shall  be  three  years.     They 
shall   elect   from  their  own  number  a  chairman, 
vice-chairman,  secretary  and  treasurer,  who  shall 
hold  their  offices  until  their  successors  have  been 
elected  and  qualified.    If  a  member  is  absent  from 
three  successive  meetings,  except  for  sickness  or 
absence  from  the  city,  his  seat  shall  be  declared 
vacant,   and   a   member   of   the   society   shall   be 
appointed  in  his  place.     All  other  vacancies  shall 
be  filled  in  the  same  manner.     The  duties  of  all 
officers    are    those   usually   assigned   in   regularly 
incorporated   associations;    the    treasurer   to   fur- 
nish a  good  and  sufficient  bond. 

7.  At     the    annual     meeting    a    committee    of 
three    members    shall   be    elected   for   one    year. 
who    shall    examine    and    verify    all    reports    and 
accounts. 

8.  Fifteen  members  shall  constitute  a  quorum 
at  all   meetings. 


9.     Rules.  —  Children  received  should  as  a  rule 
not  be  under  two  nor  over  ten  years  old.    After 
having  been   accepted   they  hold   the   same   rela-.-i 
tion  to  the  home  that  other  children  do  to  their 
parents,  and  remain  under  the  care  of  the  home 
until  they  are  confirmed.     Money  due  or  which 
may  become  due  to  the  child,  to  the  amount  of; 
$200  or  less,  belongs  to  the  home.     If  the  amount 
be    greater,   the    society   can   demand   up    to    $75 
per  year. 

In   the   fall    of   1897   the    Norwegian    Lutheran 
Children's    Home    Society   was   incorporated.     In 
November,  1898,  the  society  bought  the  property 
on  Irving  Park  boulevard  and   Fifty-eighth  ave-, 
nue,  previously  known  as  Martin  Luther  College, 
consisting  of  a  three-story  building  and  six  lots.] 
The   price   paid   was   $4,000,   $1,000   cash,   with   ai 
mortgage  for  the  remainder.     The  purchase  had 
no    more   than   been     closed     when     applications 
for   the   acceptance   of   children   poured    in    upon 
the    managers,    indicating    that    they    could    not 
long  keep  the  doors  closed. 

In  F'ebruary,  1899,  Miss  Annie  M.  Abraham- 
sen  was  appointed  matron  for  the  home.  In 
April  the  ladies  of  the  society  made  an  inventory 
of  the  home  and  set  about  to  provide  necessary 
supplies,  as  it  had  been  decided  to  open  the' 
home  on  the  1st  of  May.  It  was  not  an  easy 
matter  to  provide  the  supplies,  for  the  treasury 
was  nearly  empty,  but  the  Lord,  who  had  helped 
us  thus  far,  would  not  abandon  us  at  this  crit-, 
ical  moment.  Skandinaven,  which  had  always 
been  willing  to  publish  short  articles  in  relation 
to  the  home,  gave  timely  assistance  now.  We 
were  allowed  to  publish  calls  for  what  we  needed 
most,  in  order  to  open  the  home  at  the  time  set, 
and  it  was  surprising  how  the  necessities  came 
to.  us  as  gifts.  A  chain  letter  was  sent  out  by 
one  of  the  directors  and  brought  in  $220.  This 
money  was  truly  a  great  help  just  before  the 
opening.  "Bo'rnevennen,"  which  was  started  ini 
the  interest  of  the  home,  was  also  a  great  help 
to  the  committee  in  charge. 

On  the  llth  of  May,  1899,  the  home  was  open- 
ed for  the  reception  of  children.  Many  friends 
of  the  management  met  at  the  home,  glad  and 
thankful  to  God  for  the  day  that  they  had  for 
so  many  years  looked  forward  to.  Rev.  Het- 
land  read  from  the  Scriptures  and  encouraged 
those  present  to  trust  in  God  and  not  forsake 
the  good  work,  even  though  at  times  the  future 
might  look  dark  and  foreboding. 

A  little  girl,  Ella  Hazel  Mjzfrk,  who  had  been 
accepted,  was  taken  in  as  the  home's  first  in- 
mate. On  June  18,  the  same  year,  the  home 
was  dedicated  in  the  name  of  the  Triune  God  by 


THE  NORWEGIANS  IN  CHICAGO 


195 


Rev.  Kildahl.  On  that  day  six  children  were  ac- 
cepted and  received,  four  having  been  accepted 
previously,  making  in  all  ten  inmates  on  dedica- 
tion day. 

After  this  the  interest  in  the  home  began  to 
grow,  as  was  clearly  evidenced  by  the  money 
and  useful  articles  continually  sent  in  by  friends. 
Small  societies  were  organized  for  the  benefit 
of  the  home.  "B0rnevennen"  —  which  was  or- 
ganized March  1,  1898,  with  Mrs.  Andrew  John- 
sen,  1412  Sawyer  avenue,  president;  Mrs.  Nord- 
lie  secretary,  and  Mrs.  Lindholdtz  treasurer  — 
was  the  first.  These  societies,  of  which  there 
are  now  ten,  have  been  of  great  financial  benefit 
to  the- home.  In  1902  large  improvements  were 
made  on  the  premises,  costing  in  all  $3,503.  The 
means  the  society  has  employed  to  raise  funds 
have  been  annual  bazars,  picnics,  concerts  and 
social  gatherings.  After  the  formal  opening  of 
the  home  the  management  requested  Rev.  Het- 
land  to  undertake  the  raising  of  funds  from 
other  Lutheran  congregations,  preferably  in  the 
country.  This  he  did,  and  during  four  months' 
time  raised  $1,500.  Money  has  since  come  in  in 
larger  sums,  among  which  we  can  mention  that 
from  Mr.  Bessesens'  will  and  testament,  $6,000, 
and  from  Mr.  A.  P.  Johnson,  $1,000.  The  debt 
on  the  home  now  is  only  $500.  This  obligation, 
however,  the  above-mentioned  societies  have 
pledged  themselves  to  take  care  of. 

During  the  last  year  the  number  of  children  at 
the  home  has  increased  from  sixty  to  seventy. 
If  there  are  more  than  sixty  there  are  too  many; 
in  fact  it  has  been  realized  for  a  long  time  that 
the  home  is  too  small  to  accommodate  the  mer- 
itorious applicants.  It  has  been  impossible  for 
the  management  to  lock  out  all  of  the  worthy 
applicants,  however,  though  there  has  been  some 
crowding.  But  now  there  is  a  promise  of  a 
change  for  the  better.  Last  fall  the  society 
bought  a  tract  of  land,  eighteen  acres,  at  Edison 
Park,  111.,  where  it  expects  to  build  as  soon  as 
the  needed  money  is  provided.  The  property 
was  secured  for  $6,480,  of  which  $6,000  has  al- 
ready been  paid. 

At  present  the  management  of  the  home  is  in 
the  hands  of  the  following  board  of  directors: 
Rev.  C.  K.  Solberg,  president;  Christian  Petter- 
sen,  vice-president;  Rev.  O.  K.  Espeseth,  secre- 
tary; N.  M.  Norman,  financial  secretary;  M.  T. 
Christoffersen,  treasurer;  Rev.  L.  Harrisville, 
Mrs.  J.  P.  Jensen,  Mrs.  J.  B.  Johnsen,  Mrs.  A. 
Johnson,  Mrs.  Reque,  Miss  Hulda  Miller  and 
Miss  Anna  Michaelsen.  Miss  Annie  Abrahamsen 
has  been  matron  since  the  home  was  opened. 

The    society   has    a    membership    of   four    hun- 


dred, and  there  is  at  this  writing  seventy-three 
children  at  the  home. 

Mrs.  Michaelsen  adds  in  closing  the  statement 
and  data  for  this  sketch:  "In  reading  these  lines 
over  and  reverting  in  my  memory  to  the  time 
when  the  society  was  started  I  must  exclaim: 
It  was  God's  work,  and  is  wonderful  before 
my  eyes. 

May  His  blessings  always  rest  over  the  Chil- 
dren's Home." 


The  Hope  Mission  and 

Scandinavian  Girls' 

Home 

By  Mathilda  B.  Carse. 


In  1888  Mrs.  U.  F.  Bruun,  an  earnest-hearted, 
gifted  Norwegian,  came  to  the  president  of  the 
Chicago  Central  W.  C.  T.  U.  and  pleaded  with 
her  to  do  something  for  her  countrymen  to  save 
them  from  the  allurements  of  the  saloon.  She 
said:  "The  young  men  of  my  country  emigrate 
to  Chicago  in  great  numbers.  Most  of  them  are 
ignorant  of  the  ways  of  a  large  city.  They  grow 
homesick  in  cold,  dingy  rooms  in  cheap  boarding 
houses.  The  saloon,  with  its  brilliant  lights  and 
gay  company,  is  more  inviting  to  them;  thus  they 
take  the  first  step  in  the  downward  path  to  ruin.- 
If  your  union  will  only  help  me  open  a  Scandi- 
navian reading  room  in  a  small  way  where  I  can- 
welcome  my  people  when  they  come  to  this  city 
as  strangers,  and  where  I  can  hold  gospel  tem- 
perance meetings,  I  will  give  my  services  free." 

Although  the  Central  W.  C.  T.  U.  was  over- 
taxed with  other  reform  and  charitable  work,  it 
could  not  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  the  earnest  plea  of 
this  unselfish  and  devoted  Norwegian.  An  empty 
store  in  the  midst  of  the  foreign  population, 
flanked  by  saloons  on  every  side,  was  rented  and 
furnished  for  a  reading  room;  the  Central  W.  C. 
T.  U.  paid  the  rent  for  several  years,  until  the 
hard  times  of  the  last  decade  forced  them  to 
stop.  Since  then  it  has  been  kept  up  through  the 
untiring  efforts  and  great  self-denial  of  Mrs. 
Bruun,  who  has  been  nobly  assisted  by  Miss 
Muhlhausen. 

The  Hope  Mission  has  been  truly  a  Bethel  to 
souls  for  eighteen  years;  thousands  have  fre- 
quented the  reading  room  yearly,  and  large  num- 


19C 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


bers  of  drinking  men  have  been  converted  at  the 
evening  and  Sunday  gospel  temperance  meetings. 

From  this  mission  sprang  the  Scandinavian 
W.  C.  T.  U.,  the  Scandinavian  Prohibition  Club 
and  a  Loyal  Temperance  Legion.  They  each  hold 
weekly  meetings  in  Harmony  Hall. 

The  association  was  incorporated  by  the  laws 
of  Illinois  in  May,  1905.  The  incorporators  were: 
Rev.  S.  C.  Simonsen,  Dr.  Horace  Somers»,  Mrs. 
Matilda  B.  Carse,  all  of  Chicago,  and  Mrs.  Ma- 
rion H.  Dunham  of  Burlington,  Iowa.  The  ob- 
ject was  "to  establish  in  Chicago  and  maintain, 
a  gospel  temperance  mission,  with  free  reading 
room  and  temperance  lunchroom  for  men;  a 
separate  reading  room,  dining  room  and  rest 
room  for  wo.men;  also  to  establish  and  main- 
tain a  home  for  working  girls,  especially  Scan- 


Harmony  Hall. 

dinavians,  to  afford  a  safe  and  cheap  stopping 
place  and  bring  them  under  Christian  influence." 
The  administration  of  this  work  is  to  be  carried 
on  by  eleven  trustees.  These  trustees  have  been 
appointed.  Mrs.  U.  F.  Bruun  was  elected  presi- 
dent, Miss  Louise  Muhlhausen  vice-president, 
Mr.  Carl  A.  E.  Droisum  secretary,  Mr.  H.  A. 
Haugan  (president  State  Bank  of  Chicago), 
treasurer. 

The  trustees  have  purchased  Harmony  Hall, 
on  the  corner  of  Ohio  and  Noble  streets,  for 
$5,000.  The  lot  is  125  by  29  feet.  The  hall  was 
built  fifteen  years  ago  by  the  Harmony  Total 
Abstinence  Society.  The  founder  was  Lamit  Carl- 


sen.  His  young  manhood  was  ruined  by  drink, 
but  he  reformed  and  became  a  Christian.  A  few 
years  ago  he  died.  After  his  death  the  society 
broke  up.  There,  was  a  mortgage  on  the  prop- 
erty and  it  was  foreclosed.  It  was  about  to  be 
rented  for  a  beer  and  dance  hall,  had  not  Mrs. 
Bruun  five  years  ago  rented  it  for  "The  Hope 
Mission."  The  building  is  of  brick,  with  a  stone 
foundation,  strong  enough  to  erect  upon  it  three 
more  stories.  It  is  the  intention  of  the  trustees 
to  enlarge  it  for  a  Scandinavian  girls'  home, 
which  is  greatly  needed,  and  for  other  purposes 
above  enumerated. 

When  it  is  considered  that  there  are  about 
250,000  Scandinavians  in  Chicago,  and  that  Har- 
mony Hall  is  the  center  of  this  vast  foreign  popu- 
lation, the  strategic  position  of  this  building  for 
the '  work  contemplated  for  God  and  humanity 
cannot  be  overestimated,  especially  as  this  part 
of  the  city  swarms  with  saloons  and  every  other 
iniquity  that  degrades  the  people. 


The    First   Norwegian  Total 
Abstinence  Society 

By  Mrs.  U.  F.  Bruun. 

Not  long  after  the  W.  C.  T.  U.  crusade  in 
1874  a  few  Norwegian  men  interested  them- 
selves in  the  temperance  cause  and  began  to 
consider  the  organization  of  a  Scandinavian 
temperance  union.  It  was,  however,  uphill 
work,  and  it  was  only  after  persistent  agitation 
that  they  ventured  to  call  a  meeting.  A  meeting 
was  held,  however,  and  though  only  four  or  five 
responded  they  were  earnest  workers  and  friends 
of  the  cause  and  kept  up  the  agitation  until  they 
succeeded  in  organizing  the  First  Norwegian 
Total  Abstinence  Society,  and  appointed  them- 
selves as  its  first  officers.  The  meetings  were 
held  at  the  home  of  Mrs.  Christ  Wilson,  who 
then  lived  at  286  W.  Erie  street.  Those  pioneers 
of  the  first  society  were  Messrs.  C.  Wilson,  M. 
F.  Hammer,  P.  Seim,  P.  S.  Diihring  and  Tallack 
Ellingson.  Mr.  Ellingson  while  in  Norway  was 
a  co-worker  with  the  famous  and  beloved  As- 
bj0rn  Closter. 

In  1876  the  society  began  to  hold  meetings  in 
the  Lutheran  church  at  the  corner  of  Peoria 
street  and  Grand  avenue,  under  the  presidency 
of  Lauritz  Carlsen,  a  converted  inebriate  who 
was  an  exceedingly  enthusiastic  and  eloquent 
pleader  for  the  cause.  The  membership  grew  to 


THE  NORWEGIANS  IN  CHICAGO 


197 


900,  and  among  them  were  some  of  the  best 
business  men  in  the  city.  In  1878  there  arose 
a  discussion  as  to  the  religious  part  of  the  meet- 
ings, together  with  other  matters,  and  resulted 
in  a  split  in  the  ranks.  President  Carlsen  and 
seventy  members  went  out  of  the  union  and 
started  the  Harmony  Total  Abstinence  Society, 
which  held  meetings  in  different  places.  In  1888 
they  built  the  Harmony  Hall  at  the  corner  of 
Noble  and  Ohio  streets. 

Mr.  Carlsen  was  president  most  of  the  time 
until  1893,  when  he  died.  The  late  Mr.  Ole  Br. 
Olsen,  editor  of  Reform,  was  won  over  to  the 
temperance  cause  at  one  of  Mr.  Carlsen's  meet- 
ings and  proved  an  efficient  helper.  For  a  time 
he  was  president  of  the  society.  Mr.  Olsen  aft- 
erward started  the  Scandinavian  Prohibition 
Club  in  Chicago — -in  1887.  The  Harmony  So- 
ciety dissolved  in  1902  and  the  Hope  Mission 
and  the  Scandinavian  W.  C.  T.  U.  took  up  the 
work  and  have  held  weekly  gospel  temperance 
meetings  in  Harmony  Hall  for  the  past  five 
years.  The  First  Norwegian  Total  Abstinence 
Society  broke  up  in  1883;  but  though  of  short 
duration  it  educated  our  people  and  brought  to 
light  talent  which  might  have  remained  unrec- 
ognized. 

The  best  temperance  workers  among  our  peo- 
ple to-day,  those  who  are  now  carrying  on  the 
work  both  in  the  Hope  Mission  and  the  Scan- 
dinavian Good  Templars  and  Templars,  were 
once  members  of  the  First  Society.  So,  even  if 
the  temperance  unions  are  no  more,  the  good 
seed  they  have  sown  is  bearing  fruit  unto  eternal 
life. 

"Live  for  self  you  live  in  vain; 

Live  for   God  and  truth,  you  live  again." 


International  Order  of 
Good  Templars 


By  Henry  Weardahl. 

As  an  introduction  to  this  little  historical 
sketch  of  the  temperance  movement  in  our  local- 
ity, Mr.  Tallak  Ellingsen  should  be  mentioned 
as  the  very  first  of  the  worthy  workers  in  Chi- 
cago. O.  G.  Horton,  another  of  the  pioneers, 
held  for  many  years  honorary  positions  in  the 
first  Norwegian  total  abstinence  society  of 
Chicago,  as  well  as  in  the  I.  O.  G.  T.  and  the 


T.  of  T.  Hans  Larsen,  a  well  known  tailor  of 
Chicago,  has  been  an  active  worker  for  over 
thirty  years,  spending  both  time  and  money  in 
the  cause.  L.  D.  Oftedahl  is  also  an  old-time 
temperance  worker  who  for  many  years  has 
offered  his  talent  and  held  prominent  positions 
in  the  T.  of  T. 

The  first  Norwegian  I.  O.  G.  T.  lodge  was 
organised  in  Chicago  by  C.  A.  Vannatta,  Nov. 

28,  1879,  as  Norden   Lodge  No.  65.     Among  the 
first  members  were  O.  G.   Horton,  Fred  Nelson, 
Swan  Carlson,  Wm.  Hillestad  and  Mr.  Olsen   (a 
tailor   now   residing   in    Brainerd,    Minn.),   all   of 
whom  were. members  of  the  first  Norwegian  total 
abstinence  society.     Two  other  pioneer  members 
of  the  Norden  Lodge  were  Ole  Johnson  (a  street- 
car conductor  of  Chicago,  now  deceased)  and  C. 
A.  Dahl,  a  jeweler.     Norden  No.  65,  was  in  active 
operation    for    eight    years    and    a    half.      In    the 
August-October  quarter,  1881,  it  reached  its  high- 
est   membership  —  about    250.     This    lodge    pos- 
sessed its  own  banner  as  well  as  a  good  library. 

In  the  fall  of  the  year  1880  the  Jail  Resque 
was  organized  by  Norden  members,  and  worked 
in  the  English  language.  Associate  members 
from  Norden  were  O.  G.  Horton,  C.  A.  Dahl  and 
others,  Mr.  Dahl  being  chief  templar.  The  Jail 
Resque,  of  which  state  senator  Niels  Juul  was 
also  a  member,  existed  for  about  three  years. 

Leif  Erikson  No.  176,  Springfield,  111.,  was 
organized  Feb.  9,  1889,  by  O.  Odelius,  the  greater 
part  of  the  membership  being  employes  of  the 
Illinois  Watch  Co.,  Springfield.  First  L.  D.  was 
Sivert  Sve  (now  watchmaker  and  jeweler  at 
Pana,  111.). 

Enighed,  No.  262,  was  organized  Oct.  29,  1890, 
by  Senator  Niels  Juul.  First  L.  D.  was  Chr. 
Nicolaisen. 

Nordlyset  No.  572,  was  organized  Aug.  2,  1891, 
by  Arvie  Queber.  First  L.  D.,  H.  A.  Johnson. 

Det  Code  Haab   No.  660   was  organized  March 

29,  1892,  by  Senator  Juul.     First   L.   D.,  Rasmus 
Olsen;    C.    T.,   Jorgen    Carlsen;    V.    T.,    Mrs.    A. 
Rasmussen;    Sec.,    Hans    Johannesen;    Fin.    Sec., 
A.    Rasmussen;    Treas.,    Ingebrigt    Ingebrigtsen; 
M.,  Tonnes  Christensen;  P.  C.  T.,  John  Nelson. 
The   following  were   also   charter  members:   Th. 
Gransted,  T.  T.  Obrestad,  S.  C.  Michelson,  Peter 
Vallem,  Mrs.  Louise  Hansen,  Mi'ss  Bertha  Han- 
sen.     This  lodge  worked  for  seven  years,  and  its 
highest  membership — about  150 — was  reached  in 
the    May-July    quarter,    1894.      Possessed    library 
and  banner. 

A  juvenile  temple,  under  the  name  of  Good 
Hope  No.  173  was  instituted  March  25,  1893, 
and  reacher  a  membership  of  about  200.  Organ- 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


izer  and  Superintendent  Hanna  Grimm  (now 
Mrs.  Stevens). 

Nordkap  No.  262  was  organized  Feb.  2,  1893, 
by  the  amalgamation  of  Nordlyset  No.  572,  and 
the  Norden  No.  262,  the  latter  being  a  reorgani- 
zation of  Enighed  No.  262,  and  chartered  Oct. 
9,  1892.  First  L.  D.,  Annie  Pedersen;  C.  T.,  C. 
Nicolaisen;  V.  T.,  Chas.  Olsen;  Sec.,  Geo.  Bil- 
ling; Asst.  Sec.,  Augusta  Scholberg;  F.  S.,  Lau- 
ritz  Hoist;  Treas.,  John  M.  Pederson;  M.,  Bernh. 
Johnson;  D.  M.,  Alma  Ecker;  G.,  Geo.  Olsen; 
Sent.,  T.  Tonnesen;  S.  J.  T.,  Marie  Lange;  P. 
C.  T.,  H.  Svee.  This  lodge  was  in  active  opera- 
tion for  about  seven  years. 

Tordenskjold  No.  221  was  organized  April  1, 
1894,  by  Geo.  Billing.  First  L.  B.,  Mauritz  Ris- 
ing. 

Northern  Star  No.  440    was  organized  April  4, 

1894,  by  C.  A.  Vannatta.     First  L.  B.,  A.  G.  Ten- 
neison;  C.  T.,  John  M.  Pederson.     Worked  with 
English   as   well   as   Norwegian   rituals,   alternat- 
ing. 

Fremtids  Haab  No.  779  was  organized  June 
25,  1895,  by  Henry  Weardahl.  L.  B.,  Jens  Jen- 
sen; P.  C.  T.,  Hans  P.  Pedersen;  C.  T.  H.  P. 
Jensen;  Sec.,  Chr.  J.  0stergaard. 

Aurora  No.  782  was  organized  Sept.  1,  1895, 
by  Bateman  Ganley.  First  L.  B.,  Br.  Henry  M. 
Oyen;  C.  T.,  S.  C.  Michaelsen;  Sec.,  Thw.  Gran- 
sted. 

Midnatsolen    No.    812    was    organized    Bee.    1, 

1895,  by  Henry  Weardahl.     First   L.   B.,   Minnie 
Billing;   C.  T.,  Haftor  Svee,  Sr.;   P.   C.  T.,  Olaf 
Sundt;  V.  T.,  C.  Stefansen;   Sec.,  Nettie   Sundt. 

Viking  No.  859  was  organized  at  Evanston, 
111.,  April  12,  1896,  by  Henry  Weardahl.  First 
L.  B.,  Tillie  Hansen;  P.  C.  T.,  Anton  Andersen; 
C.  T.,  Chr.  Kjelsoe;  S.  J.  T.,  Anna  Kjelsoe;  Sec., 
Knud  Olsen.  The  Viking  Lodge  existed  for  seven 
or  eight  years  and  had  a  large  roll  of  members, 
the  majority  of  whom,  after  its  dissolution,  organ- 
ized themselves  into  the  English  lodge  Venus. 

Success  No.  966  was  organized  in  September, 
1898,  by  members  of  Bet  Code  Haab,  Aurora  and 
Nordkap.  The  organizer  as  well  as  first  L.  B.,  S. 
C.  Michaelsen:  C.  T.,  O.  K.  Olsen;  V.  T.,  R.  Op- 
stad;  Sec.,  G.  Kloster;  F.  S.,  Nils  Oftedahl; 
Treas.;  Olaus  Christensen;  P.  C.  T.,  -Hans  Lar- 
sen. 

Norr^na  No.  113  was  organized  June  28,  1903, 
by  Ch.  Kjelsoe.  First  L.  B.,  Henry  Weardahl; 
C.  T.,  Einar  Kristiansen;  V.  T.,  Mrs.  Christianna 
Svee;  Sec.,  Haftor  Svee;  F.  S.,  Carl  Jorgensen; 
M.,  Hans  Edw.  Olsen;  P.  C.  T.,  Chr.  Ludvigsen; 
Treas.,  Izac  Michaelson;  G.,  Arnt  Grotle.  Nor- 


r0na  possesses  its  own  banner.  In  the  Grand 
Lodge  Report  of  June,  1905,  the  Norrjzfna  is  said 
to  enjoy  the  distinction  of  having  done  more  edu- 
cational work  than  any  other  lodge  within  the 
jurisdiction.  Every  other  meeting  night  during 
the  winter  quarter  had  been  set  aside  for  this 
work,  and  a  number  of  lecturers  were  engaged 
and  at  these  meetings  addressed  the  members  on 
various  subjects,  all  centering  around  the  liquor 
question.  And  not  only  this,  the  lodge  has  been 
instrumental  in  the  organization  of  another  lodge 
working  in  the  Norwegian  language.  The  regu- 
lar visitations  between  the  two  lodges  have 
strengthened  both,  and  the  most  promising  re- 
sults of  the  work  are  expected  in  the  future. 

Tordenskjold  No.  137  was  organized  Feb.  11, 
1905,  by  Bistrict  Lecturer  G.  Lindgren,  with  the 
assistance  of  ten  associate  members  from  Nor- 
r0na  Lodge.  First  L.  B.,  Hans  Olsen;  C.  T., 
Tom  Benton  Kleve. 

Kamp  og  Seir  No.  157  was  organized  Sept.  10, 

1905,  by  A.  Ronberg  and  Chr.  Hestnes.     First  L. 
B.,  Albert  Lie;  C.  T.,  Hans  Lie;  V.  T.,  Jann  Byb- 
dal;   S.  J.   T.,   Miss   Rose   Krembull;   Sec.,  Oscar 
Olsen;  Financial  Sec.,  S.  Setlikmann;  Treas.,  Ole 
Olufsen;  M.,  Olaf  Osmundsen;  Chap.,  Mrs.  Marie 
Lie;  Sent.,  Miss  Helga  Bybdahl;  G.,  Alfred  Lie; 
P.  C.  T.,  H.   Lie. 

Henrik  Ibsen  No.  101  was  organized  August  5, 

1906,  by   Chr.   Ludvigsen   under  the   auspices    of 
the  Norwegian  Bistriktcirkel  of  I.  O.  G.  T.,  Chi- 
cago.    L.  B.,  Albert  Metzke;  C.  T.,  Henry  0de- 
gaard;  V.  T.,  Oscar  Olsen;  S.  J.  T.,  Mrs.  Oscar 
Olsen;   Sec.,   Chr.   Hestnes;  Treas.,  Hans   E.   Ol- 
sen;  M.,  Albert  Lie;   Chap.,  Miss   Herdis   Chris- 
tiansen; Guard,  Thorwald  Hansen;  Sent.,  K.  Mor- 
tensen;  B.  M.,  Miss  Nelly  Johnsen;  P.  C.  T.,  Mrs. 
A.  Metzke. 

January  1,  1907,  a  Scandinavian  Grand  Lodge 
was  organized  in  Illinois.  About  1,500  Scandi- 
navian members  of  the  English  speaking  Grand 
Lodge  resigned  and  organized  their  own  Grand 
Lodge.  Of  the  1,500  members  that  organized  the 
Junior  Grand  Lodge  were  1,300  Swedes  and  200 
Norwegians.  Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the 
Norwegians  were  in  the  minority  a  good  deal  of 
notice  and  consideration  was  given  them  on  ac- 
count of  the  energy  they  had  put  forth  in  estab- 
lishing the  Scandinavian  Grand  Lodge  and  the 
splendid  work  for  the  good  of  the  Order  general- 
ly. The  result  was  that  in  two  of  the  highest 
offices  were  placed  Norwegians;  namely,  Grand 
Counselor,  Henry  Weardahl,  of  "Norr^na"  lodge, 
and  P.  G.  C.  Templar,  Richard  Nilsen  of  "Tor- 
denskjold" lodge. 

February   17,   1907,  the   Norwegians    organized 


THE  NORWEGIANS  IN  CHICAGO 


199 


their  own  district  lodge  under  the  Scandinavian 
Grand  Lodge.  It  was  organized  by  Henry  Wear- 
dahl  with  jurisdiction  in  Lake,  Cook,  Will  and 
Du  Page  counties  with  privilege  to  put  all  Nor- 
wegian lodges,  organized  in  the  state,  under  their 
jurisdiction. 

The'following  were  the  first  officers  of  the  Nor- 
wegian District  Lodge:  D.  C.  T.,  Chr.  Ludvig- 
sen,  of  "Norr^na";  D.  Coun.,  Aksel  Gundersen, 
of  "Henrik  Ibsen";  D.  V.  T.,  Lu'dvig  Hagen,  of 
"Kamp  og  Seier";  D.  S.  J.  T.,  Mrs.  Ingeborg 
Ludvigsen,  of  "Norr0na";  D.  S.,  Henry  0de- 
gaard,  of  Henrik  Ibsen";  D.  Treas.,  Sam  Stivens, 


Skandinavian   Young  Men's 
Christian  Association 

On  Oct.  28,  1872,  a  society  was  organized  in 
Chicago  called  "De  unge  Maends  kristelige  For- 
ening  of  den  Norsk  Evang.  Trefoldigheds  Me- 
nighed  i  Chicago,  111."  The  soul  and  originator 
of  this  commendable  enterprise  was  the  lamented 
Rev.  J.  Z.  Torgersen,  who  devoted  all  his 
strength  and  energy  to  promote  it  until,  in  1876, 
he  was  obliged  to  give  it  up  in  dismay. 

The  first  officers  of  the  association  were:  Rev. 
J.  Z.  Torgersen,  president;  H.  P.  Hansen,  first 
vice-president;  B.  O.  Thompson,  second  vice- 
president;  O.  C.  Erickson,  corresp,  sec'y;  Thos. 
Monsen,  recording  secretary;  M.  Olsen,  treas- 
urer; C.  M.  Jevne,  librarian;  assistant  librarians: 
T.  Christransen,  O.  Jensen,  John  A.  Olsen,  S. 
Sivertsen. 

By  perusing  the  records  for  the  following 
troublesome  years  one  will  find  most  of  those 
names  at  the  front.  The  first  and  greatest  dif- 
ficulty encountered  was  in  financing  the  enter- 
prise, and  the  next  arose  from  overestimating 
the  society's  own  resources  in  the  zeal  of  its 
members  to  attain  something  great  for  the  cause 
of  the  Lord.  During  the  first  struggles  to  get  a 
footing  one  capital  mistake  is  apparent.  A  veri- 
table craze  for  appointing  committees  seems  to 
have  prevailed,  for  at  almost  every  business  meet- 
ing some  new  committee  was  appointed,  in  conse- 
quence of  which  the  same  names  were  frequently 
found  on  half  a  dozen  different  committees.  This 
procedure  caused  strife  and  discord  instead  of 
harmony  and  unity.  Another  weak  spot  of  the 
society  was  its  adherence  to  one  definite  branch 
of  the  church  to  the  exclusion  of  other  denomi- 
nations. Several  attempts  were  made  later  on 


to  sever  this  connection  and  to  build  on  a  broader 
Christian  basis,  but  they  only  caused  more  strife 
and  a  bitter  animosity  in  the  contending  fac- 
tions. 

At  almost  all  of  the  business  meetings  the 
question  came  up  regarding  the  relation  of  the 
society  to  the  Trinity  Congregation,  until  in  De- 
cember, 1874,  a  voice  was  heard,  that  "something 
must  be  done  in  order  to  save  the  society  from 
its  present  dying  condition."  Prominent  and 
active  members  threatened  to  resign  if  a  better 
condition  of  things  were  not  at  once  inaugurated, 
and  the  dissolution  became  practically  a  fact  at 
the  meeting  on  Jan.  5,  1875.  To  be  sure,  the 
regular  meetings  were  still  held,  and  a  committee 
was  appointed  to  revise  the  constitution,  but  no 
real  work  was  accomplished,  and  the  indifference 
of  the  members  became  more  evident  as  time 
passed,  the  intervals  growing  longer  between 
the  business  meetings,  until  the  society  finally 
arranged  its  accounts  and  was  formally  dissolved. 


SCANDINAVIAN     YOUNG    MEN'S    CHRIS- 
TIAN ASSOCIATION  OF  CHICAGO, 
WEST  DIVISION. 

On  June  13,  1876,  a  meeting  was  held  at  the 
Tabernacle  Church,  corner  Morgan  and  Indiana 
streets,  at  which  an  earnest  effort  was  made  by 
Scandinavian  men  to  start  a  young  men's  Chris- 
tian association  which  would  be  able  to  give 
signs  of  a  stronger  vitality  than  the  one  igno- 
minously  departed.  Fifteen  persons  among  those 
present  agreed  in  writing  to  unite  their  forces 
and  work  in  harmony  to  this  end.  A  committee 
of  five  was  appointed  to  get  up  a  constitution 
and  by-laws,  the  members  being  S.  C.  Hansen, 

B.  O.  Thomsen,  L.  Ross,  O.  E.  Erickson  and  E. 
Johnson.     At   the    next   meeting   this   committee 
reported  and  further  arrangements  were  made,  and 
thus   was   born    the   present   strong   and    healthy 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association. 

The  first  association  was,  however,  not  yet 
absolutely  dissolved,  and  it  needed  more  time  to 
liquidate  its  business  before  it  finally  closed  its 
doors. 

Wise  by  its  earlier  experience,  the  new  asso- 
ciation adopted  this  paragraph  in  its  by-laws: 
"It  shall  be  absolutely,  prohibited  to  discuss  de- 
nominational differences  of  the  various  churches 
in  this  association." 

As  the  first  officers  of  the  association  the  fol- 
lowing were  elected:  E.  Johnson,  president;  B. 

C.  Hansen,    vice-president;    O.    Erickson,    corre- 
sponding secretary;  P.  A.  G.  Moe,  recording  sec- 


200 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


retary;    P.    Pedersen,    librarian;    L.    Ross,    treas- 
urer. 

The  records  from  that  time  make  it  evident 
that  the  work  from  the  beginning  was  started  in 
dead  earnest.  Prayer  meetings,  bible  classes, 
Sunday  evening  entertainrrjents,  singing  exer- 
cises, etc.,  were  of  the  weekly  occurrences. 


available,  and  as  a  consequence  two  members  were 
expelled  and  one  (the  accused)  resigned.  All  of 
them  had  been  very  enthusiastic  and  active  work- 
ers for  the  association. 

One  great  step  in  the  right  direction  was 
taken  when  the  association  bought  the  library  of 
300  volumes  which  had  belonged  to  the  older 


Scandinavian  Ycur.g  Men's  Christian  Association  of  Ch'.cago,  West  Division. 


The  proportions  of  this  book  do  not  admit  of 
a  more  extended  record  of  the  activities  of  the 
society.  Suffice  it  to  mention  here  that  already 
before  the  first  year  of  its  existence  had  expired 
serious  dissensions  began  to  arise  about  the 
doctrine  of  the  atonement.  No  man  of  sufficient 
authority  to  explain  or  settle  the  difficulty  was 


association.  Later  on  lectures  were  given  in 
favor  of  the  association  by  such  men  as  Prof.  R. 
B.  Anderson,  P.  Fisk  and  Peter  Hendriksen, 
and  a  bazar,  held  in  the  fall  of  1879,  showed  a 
net  result  of  $158.00.  This  and  other  incomes 
were  badly  needed,  as  the  association  not  seldom 
was  in  a  debt  of  more  than  $100  for  rent  alone, 


THE  NORWEGIANS  IN  CHICAGO 


201 


and  compelled  to  move  from  one  locality  to  an- 
other. 

No  wonder,  therefore,  that  the  idea  of  a  build- 
ing for  the  association  ripened  under  such  cir- 
cumstances, and  here,  as  at  many  other  times 
before  and  since,  one  of  the  oldest  and  truest 
friends  of  the  association,  Ole  L.  Stangeland, 
"put  his  shoulder  to  the  load"  with  a  substantial 
subscription.  ' 

The  first  step  now  was  to  get  the  association 
incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the  state.  This 
was  done  on  April  14,  1888,  with  three  members 
as  a  board  of  directors.  These  three  were  Stan- 
geland, Pihl  and  A.  K.  Melu'm,  who  seem  to  have 
been  the  only  members  that  were  naturalized 
citizens.  As  members  of  the  building  committee 
were  elected:  O.  L.  Stangeland,  L.  Blix,  S. 
Swenson,  H.  Bakke,  K.  J.  Hall,  A.  K.  Melum  and 
P.  Theel. 

The  committee  now  went  to  work  gathering 
subscriptions  holding  bazars  and  giving  musical 
entertainments,  etc.,  so  that  the  association  at 
its  sixteenth  annual  festival  in  June,  1892,  could 
show  a  building  fund  of  $2,564.  Two  years  later, 
on  a  similar  occasion,  the  committee  was  able 
to  report  that  the  building  lots  on  W.  Erie  street 
had  been  bought,  and  here  finally  the  building 
was  erected.  It  was  dedicated  with  festivities 
Nov.  5,  1899.  This  year  consequently  may  be 
put  down  as  the  banner  year  in  the  annals  of 
the  association.  The  lots  at  No.  315%-317  W. 
Erie  street  cost  $3,300,  and  the  building  and  lots 
$11,500.  It  was  encumbered  to  an  amount  of 
$7,700. 

At  the  annual  election  of  officers  in  1906, 
which  was  their  thirtieth  aniversary,  the  follow- 
ing were  chosen:  Iver  Olsen,  president;  Tarald 
Thorp,  vice-prcs-dent;  S.  G.  Nilsen,  recording 
secretary;  John  Person,  financial  secretary;  John 
Olsen,  corresponding  secretary;  O.  L.  Stange- 
land, treasurer;  Gus.  Nilsen,  librarian.  At  this 
time  a  valuable  addition  to  the  association's  li- 
brary was  also  made.  Rev.  Torgersen  had  left  a 
well  selected  library  of  nearly  a  thousand  volumes, 
and  as  his  widow  could  not  make  any  use  of  it 
she  offered  the  association  the  first  opportunity 
to  buy  it  at  practically  their  own  price.  A  price 
was  agreed  upon  and  Mr.  Iver  Olsen  started  out 
to  see  what  he  could  do  in  raising  the  needed 
money.  He  called  upon  Paul  O.  Stensland  first, 
who,  after  having  heard  Mr.  Olsen's  explanation, 
handed  him  the  full  amount,  saying,  "Let  that 
be  my  contribution  to  your  association."  They 
have  now  a  very  good  selection  which  proves  of 
great  interest  to  visitors  and  members.  The  fol- 
lowing regulations  may  be  of  interest: 


The  reading  room  is  open  every  day  from 
9  a.  m.  to  9  p.  m.,  with  free  admission  to  all. 
Newspapers  and  magazines  in  different  lan- 
guages can  be  found  on  the  tables. 

From  the  library,  which  numbers  over  1,000 
volumes,  books  are  loaned  under  certain  rules. 

Regular  meetings  every  Sunday  at  4  and  8  p.  m. 
Bible  classes  every  Tuesday,  except  the'  first 
Tuesday  in  the  month,  which  is  -set  aside  for  the 
business  meeting.  The  association  appoints 
seven  committees,  of  three  members  each,  which 
look  after  details  and  report  to  the  board  of 
directors.  These  committees  are:  revivals  and 
missions,  employment  and  boarding  houses, 
finance,  library  and  printing,  admission  of  mem- 
bers, selection  of  reading,  and  hall. 

The  association  has  a  choir  of  well  trained 
voices. 


The    Norwegian    Natio- 


nal League 


By  Andrew  Hummeland. 


(Det  Norske  Nationalforbund  i  Chicago)  is  a 
central  delegate  organization,  formed  by  Nor- 
wegian societies,  clubs  and  lodges  of  Chicago 
as  their  joint  organ  in  matters  of  common  in- 
terest. It  is  composed  of  two  delegates,  elected 
respectively  for  one  and  two  years,  from  such 
Norwegian  societies  in  Chicago  as  desire,  repre- 
sentation. Twenty-five  organizations,  being  the 
principal  Norwegian  societies  of  the  city,  are 
now  represented. 

The  league  is  strictly  non-sectarian  and  non- 
political.  The  main  thought  in  founding  it  was 
the  establishment  of  a  central  organization,  rep- 
resentative of  the  Norwegians  of  Chicago,  pre- 
pared and  equipped  to  take  the  initiative  and  un- 
dertake the  management  when  joint  action  on 
part  of  the  Norwegians  of  Chicago  in  matters  of 
interest  to  our  nationality  would  seem  necessary 
or  desirable.  The  aim  is  to  make  the  league  as 
representative  of  our  people  as  possible.  To 
that  end  every  Norwegian  society  or  organiza- 
tion having  a  membership  of  at  least  twenty 
may  send  delegates.  It  has  also  been  the  policy 
of  the  league  to  secure  the  co-operation  of  such 
of  our  Norwegian  citizens  as  are  not  represented 
in  the  various  Norwegian  organizations,  by  in- 


202 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


eluding  on  its  committees  for  special  national 
undertakings  representative  Norwegian-Amer- 
icans not  directly  affiliated  with  the  league. 

The  league  was  formed  in  1899.  On  June  26 
in  that  year  delegates  from  twenty-three  Nor- 
wegian societies  met  in  response  to  a  call  issued 
by  a  number  of  representative  men,  among 
whom  were  Dr.  Karl  F.  M.  Sandberg,  Birger 
Osland,  L.  Johansen,  Julius  Jaeger  and  Ferdinand 
Nelson.  The  desirability  of,  and  necessity  for, 
a  central  organization  had  long  been  recognized. 
It  was  felt  that  many  occasions  would  arise, 
as  they  had  arisen  in  the  past,  calling  for  joint 
action  by  all  Norwegians  in  Chicago  in  matters 
of  common  interest.  The  existence  of  a  central 
body,  which  when  occasion  should  arise  might 
serve  as  the  framework  for  a  strong  and  active 
organization  ready  and  capable  of  doing  effective 
work  when  concerted  action  is  desirable,  would 
tend  to  unify  Norwegian-Americans  and  give 
prestige  and  strength  to  common  interests  and 
undertakings.  With  this  in  view  the  league  was 
formed.  The  organization  was  completed  at  a 
meeting  held  August  7,  1899,  at  which  the  fol- 
lowing officers  were  elected:  President,  Dr.  K. 
F.  M.  Sandberg;  first  vice-president,  L.  Johan- 
sen; second  vice-president,  Mrs.  M.  Monsen; 
third  vice-president,  Julius  Jaeger;  corresponding 
secretary,  Ferdinand  Nelson;  recording  secre- 
tary, Birger  Osland;  treasurer,  C.  H.  Lee. 

The  league  was  founded  by  the  following  Nor- 
wegian societies:  —  The  First  Norwegian  Wo- 
men's Burial  Society;  the  women's  societies 
"Thora"  and  "Minde";  the  Norwegian  Women's 
Industrial  Society;  Nora  Lodge  R.  H.  K.;  the 
Tabitha  Hospital  Society;  North  Star  Lodge 
137,  I.  O.  M.  A.;  the  Norwegian  Singers'  Soci- 
ety; Singing  Society  Bj0rgvin;  Nordfaelles  Su- 
preme Lodge;  the  Norwegian  Turners'  Society; 
the  sick-benefit  society  "Nordlyset";  the  Nor- 
wegian Club;  the  Norwegian  Quartet  Club;  Leif 
Erickson  Lodge  No.  9,  R.  H.  K.;  the  society 
"Nordlasndingen";  "Tordenskjold"  Lodge  No.  15, 
R.  H.  K.;  Leif  Erickson  Monument  Society; 
Athletic  Club  "Sleipner";  the  Scandinavian- 
American  Prohibition  Club;  Court  I.  O.  F.  Nor- 
mania  No.  174  I.  O.  F.;  the  Norwegian  Sharp 
Shooters'  Society;  the  Norwegian  Old  Settlers' 
Society;  Normania  Band;  the  Norwegian  Glee 
Club;  Dovre  Lodge  No.  18,  R.  H.  K.;  the  Scan- 
dinavian Painters'  Union;  Scandia  Lodge  No.  80, 
K.  of  P.;  and  the  Scandinavian  Shoemakers' 
Society. 

The  league  was  incorporated  under  the  laws 
of  Illinois  on  Sept  4th,  1899. 

Within    a    few    months    after    its    organization 


proof   was    strikingly    afforded    of   the    utility    of 
the  organization.     In  the  fall  of  1899,  in  a  fear- 
ful   storm,    173    Norwegian    fishermen    lost    their, 
lives    at    R0vser,    Norway,    bringing    distress    and 
want  into  as  many  homes.     The  situation  of  the 
widows  and  orphans  called  for  immediate  relief  ; 
from    kinsmen    on    both    sides    of   the   sea.     The 
league    was    found    equipped    and   ready    to    take 
hold  of  the   matter   so  far  as   Chicago   Norweg- 
ians were  concerned.  At  a  meeting  of  the  league 
on   December  3,   1899,   it  was   decided  to   render 
aid,  and  a  committee  was   appointed   to  arrange 
a  benefit  entertainment  and  concert  at  the   Au-  ] 
ditorium,  which  was  held  on  December  20,  with  j 
the  result  that  the  net  proceeds  thereof,  amount- 
ing to  $1,100,  were  sent  to  the  proper  local  au- 
thorities in  Norway  for  distribution. 

On  many  other  occasions  the  league  has  rend- 
ered its  financial  assistance  to  alleviate  distress 
as  well  as  in  aid  of  Norwegian  charitable  insti- 
tutions. Among  its  contributions  may  be  men- 
tioned: To  the  Norwegian  Tabitha  Hospital  in 
Chicago,  proceeds  of  bazar  under  the  auspices 
of  the  league,  $2,300;  to  the  famine  sufferers  in 
Norway,  Finland  and  Sweden,  proceeds  of  a 
notable  Auditorium  concert,  etc.,  $2,700;  to  the 
Norwegian  Children's  Home  in  Chicago,  $450; 
to  the  fire  sufferers  at  Aalesund,  $550;  to  aid  in 
the  erection  of  the  Leif  Erickson  monument  in 
Chicago,  $250.  About  $11,000  in  the  aggregate 
has  been  contributed  by  the  league  in  these  and 
like  worthy  causes. 

As  part  of  the  purpose  of  its  organization,  as 
declared  in  its  constitution,  the  league  has  for 
years  undertaken  the  arrangement  for  the  cele- 
bration of  the  17th  of  May  in  Chicago.  These 
patriotic  celebrations  under  the  auspices  of  the 
league  have  become  annual  events  among  the 
Norwegians  of  Chicago.  The  attendance  has 
reached  ten  thousand,  and  United  States  senators 
and  the  governor  of  the  state  have  been  speak- 
ers on  these  occasions. 

Among  other  undertakings  of  the  league  may 
be  mentioned:  A  series  of  lectures  given  in  the 
spring  of  1904  with  a  view  to  encouraging  inter- 
est in  Norwegian  literature;  the  giving  of  sum- 
mer festivals  in  1902  and  1903  —  discontinued  in 
later  years  as  more  properly  coming  within  the 
province  of  the  individual  societies;  and  the  re- 
ception in  .1905,  conjointly  with  the  Norwegian 
Singers'  League,  of  the  Norwegian  student 
singers. 

The  crisis  in  1905  in  Norway  found  the  league 
fully  prepared  to  do  whatever  would  seem  nec- 
essary or  advisable  in  aid  of  the  cause.  A  great 
mass-meeting  was  arranged  at  the  Auditorium  in 


THE  NORWEGIANS  IN  CHICAGO 


203 


Chicago  by  the  league  within  ten  days  after  the 
famous  7th  of  June  resolution,  at  which  meeting 
;  the  Norwegians  of  Chicago  pledged  their  sup- 
port to  the  old  fatherland,  if  support  was  needed. 
A  stirring  address  of  congratulation,  with  the 
assurance  of  material  aid  if  it  became  necessary, 
was  adopted  at  the  meeting  and  cabled  to  the 
Norwegian  government  and  Storthing.  When 
the  situation  later  threatened  to  become  acute, 
the  Norwegian  National  League  took  steps  to 
redeem  its  pledges  of  material  aid,  and  at  a 
closed  meeting  appointed  a  central  committee  of 
representative  men  to  form  a  relief  organization 
designed  to  embrace  the  entire  country.  This 
committee  was  composed  of  the  following  Nor- 
wegian-Americans: A.  Anderson,  John  Anderson, 
C.  J.  Backer,  F.  Ferdinandsen,  Ommund  Harve- 
land.  A.  Hummeland,  Rev.  A.  Johnson,  Marius ' 
Kirkeby,  Hans  Nordahl,  H.  P.  G.  Norstrand,  O. 
C.  S.  Olsen,  A.  Opstad,  Birger  Osland,  Paul  O. 
Stensland  and  John  A.  Wold.  The  venerable 
John  Anderson,  publisher  of  the  Skandinaven, 
was  elected  its  chairman,  Paul  O.  Stensland  its 
treasurer,  and  Birger  Osland  its  secretary.  Ow- 
ing to  their  position  as  citizens  of  another  coun- 
try, and  in  order  to  cause  no  unnecessary  irri- 
tation among  fellow-citizens,  the  members  of 
the  committee  unanimously  decided  to  take  no 
public  action  until  demanded  by  the  situation, 
although  it  was  held  a  sacred  right  to  all  Amer- 
ican citizens  of  foreign  birth  or  extraction,  and 
clearly  permissible  under  international  law,  to 
render  aid  to  the  non-combatants  and  widows 
and  orphans  of  the  land  of  their  fathers,  in  case 
of  eventual  hostilities.  However,  the  organiza- 
tion was  fully  completed  in  a  discreet  manner, 
and  preparations  made  to  organize  branches 
throughout  the  United  States,  at  a  moment's 
notice. 

To  convey  its  congragulations  to  the  New 
Norway  the  league  appointed  a  delegation  to  at- 
tend the  coronation  celebration  at  Trondhjem  in 
1906,  which  was  cordially  and  courteously  re- 
ceived by  the  king  and  authorities  of  Norway. 

The  names  of  the  officers  of  the  league  from 
its  organization  to  the  present  time  are  as  fol- 
lows : 

President,  1899-1901,  Dr.  K.  F.  M.  Sandberg; 
1902,  C.  H.  Lee;  1903-4,  A.  Hummeland;  1905, 
Ommund  Harveland;  1906,  A.  Abrahamsen. 

First  vice-president,  1899,  L.  Johanson;  1900, 
Olaf  Ray;  1901,  Mrs.  E.  Brown;  1902,  J.  M. 
Blackstad;  1903-1904,  O.  Harveland;  1905-1900, 
A.  Anderson. 

Second  vice-president,  1899,  Mrs.  M.  Monsen; 
1900,  Peder  Olsen;  1901,  F.  Ferdinandsen;  1902, 


Mrs.  E.  Brown;  1903-1904,  Mrs.  K.  M.  Hagland; 

1905,  Mrs.  Valborg  Lund;  1906,  Mrs.  K.  M.  Hag- 
land. 

Third  vice-president,  1899,  Julius  Jaeger;  1900. 
Mrs.  Elise  Brown;  1901,  J.  M.  Blackstad;  1902, 
Gus.  G.  Martin;  1903-1904,  F.  Ferdinandsen;  1905, 
John  A.  Wold;  1906,  Carl  Bauer. 

Corresponding     secretary,     1899,     F.    .Nelson; 

1900,  K.    Drolsum;    1901,    L.    H.    Stehnson;    1902, 
K.    M.    Hagland;    1903-1904,    Ben    Blessum;    1905, 
F.  Asche;  1906,  John  Malmstrom. 

Recording  secretary,  1899,  B.  Osland;  1900,  F. 
Asche;  1901,  A.  B.  Lange;  1902,  Chas.  Nergaard; 
1903,  Gus.  G.  Martin;  1904-1905,  O.  J.  Backer; 

1906,  Albert  Johnson,  resigned;   H.  Jentoft. 
Treasurer,    1899,    C.    H.    Lee;    1900,   P.    Balken; 

1901,  C.  H.  Lee;  1902,  F.  Ferdinandsen;  1903,  H. 
B.   Hanson;   1904-1905,  O.   Gullicksen;   1906,   C.  J. 
Backer. 


The  Nordmaendenes 
Sangforening 


Was  organized  on  October  30,  1870.  Some  few 
months  previous  to  this  time  eight  or  ten  mem- 
bers of  the  Scandinavian  Turners'  Society,  who 
had  maintained  a  male  chorus  within  that  or- 
ganization, becoming  dissatisfied  with  their  con- 
ditions, seceded,  and  for  a  few  months  main- 
tained an  independent  organization  called  the 
Scandinavian  Singing  Society. 

Mr.  Johan  S.  Lindtner,  who  had  recently  come 
from  Norway,  had  been  engaged  as  their  in- 
structor. All  of  the  members  of  this  singing 
chorus  except  two  being  Norwegian,  Mr.  Lindt- 
ner began  an  agitation  to  make  the  Society 
purely  Norwegian.  At  a  meeting  held  at  204 
N.  Desplaines  street,  on  the  date  above  given, 
his  efforts  were  crowned  with  success;  a  reor- 
ganization took  place,  the  name  "Nordmaendenes 
Sangforening"  was  adopted,  and  Mr.  Younge  was 
elected  its  first  president. 

The  first  public  appearance  of  any  note  which 
the  Nordmaendenes  Sangforening  made  was  on 
June  16,  1871,  when  it,  together  with  Freja,  a 
Swedish  singing  society,  with  Mr.  Lindtner  di- 
recting, tendered  a  serenade  to  Christina  Nelson 
at  her  concert  at  the  Germania  Hall  on  the 
North  Side. 

During  the  spring  of  1872  the  Nordmaendenes 
Sangforening  began  to  lay  plans  for  a  celebra- 


204 


A  HISTORY  OK  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


tion  of  Norway's  one  thousand-year  anniversary, 
and  to  that  end  endeavored  to  interest  other 
Norwegian  societies  in  the  undertaking,  but  with- 
out success.  Not  daunted  by  being  refused  co- 
operation, the  Nordmaendenes  Sangforening  pro- 
ceeded alone,  and  on  July  18,  1872,  made  the 
grandest  Norwegian  demonstration  which  up  to 
that  tirqe  had  ever  been  made  in  America.  In 
the  morning  a  procession  marched  through  the 
streets  of  the  West  Side  and  ended  at  the  Chi- 
cago &  North-Western  Railway  Station,  where 
trains  were  taken  to  Haas'  Park,  which  was  lo- 
cated at  or  near  the  present  site  of  the  Con- 
cordia  Cemetery.  Fully  five  thousand  persons 
attended  the  celebration  at  the  park,  where  the 
day  was  spent  listening  to  speeches  and  songs 
by  a  mixed  chorus  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
voices.  A  cablegram  was  sent  to  Haugesund, 
Norway,  where  the  principal  celebration  in  Nor- 
way was  taking  place.  A  banner  was  presented 
by  the  Norwegian  women  of  Chicago  to  the 
Nordmaendenes  Sangforening,  and  is  still  one  of 
its  cherished  treasures.  At  6  o'clock  the  mem- 
bers returned  to  town  and  gave  a  concert  in  the 
evening. 

The  success  and  popularity  of  this  celebration 
had  the  effect  of  placing  this  young  society  in 
the  front  rank  of  the  Norwegian  societies  in 
Chicago,  a  place  which  it  has  always  kept.  It 
also  demonstrated  to  its  members  —  a  useful 
lesson  in  later  days  — that  the  Nordmxndenes 
Sangforening  could  accomplish  anything  which 
it  undertook. 

In  December,  1872,  Ole  Bull,  then  in  the  zenith 
of  his  fame,  came  to  Chicago.  He  was  met  at 
the  train  by  a  large  delegation  from  the  Nor- 
wegian colony  in  Chicago  and  escorted  to  the 
hotel,  where  he  was  serenaded  by  the  Nordmaen- 
denes  Sangforening  as  he  was  also  upon  the  fol- 
lowing day.  These  serenades  so  pleased  Ole 
Bull  that  he  presented  the  society  with  a  dona- 
tion as  a  token  of  his  appreciation.  This  gift 
was  used  as  a  foundation  for  the  library  of  the 
society,  which  now  numbers  over  500  volumes. 

A  few  months  later  Mr.  Lindtner,  the  instruc- 
tor, removed  to  California,  where  he  still  resides. 

Mr.  A.  Larson  was  then  engaged  as  instructor, 
but  remained  only  a  few  months. 

In  September,  1873,  Mr.  August  Uhe  was  en- 
gaged as  instructor,  and  held  the  position  until 
July,  1874.  On  August  9,  1874,  Mr.  John  W.  Col- 
berg  became  its  instructor  and  remained  such  for 
the  succeeding  twenty-five  years. 

Prior  to  1874  the  Nordmaendenes  Sangforening 
had  simply  rented  rooms  at  various  places  for 
holding  rehearsals,  but  in  that  year  it  toojc  a 


lease  on  a  hall  at  107  Milwaukee  avenue,  where 
it  remained  until  1878,  when  it  moved  into  the 
Vindette  Parlors  (Erickson's  .Hall),  at  228-230 
Milwaukee  avenue,  which  it  also  leased,  and  in 
which  it  remained  until  May  1,  1894. 

During  the  intervening  years  the  Nordmaende- 
nes  Sangforening  had  outstripped  all  of  the  other 
Norwegian  societies,  and  numbered  some  four 
hundred  members.  It  had  also  during  this  time 
giv^n  two  or  three  concerts  each  year,  and  had 
sung  for  a  number  of  societies,  which  were  al- 
ways eager  to  get  its  assistance  and  to  use  its 
reputation  as  a  drawing  card  for  their  celebra- 
tions. 

On  April  28,  1877,  the  Nordmaendenes  Sangfor- 
ening was  incorporated  under  the  laws  of  the 
state  of  Illinois. 

In  1880  the  Nordmaendenes  Sangforening  sere- 
naded Bjo'rnstjerne  Bj0rnson,  at  his  hotel,  which 
won  for  them  some  warm  words  of  appreciation 
from  the  Norwegian  poet  and  author. 

In  1881  the  first  down-town  concert  was  held 
in  Central  Music  Hall,  and  in  the  same  year  a 
concert  was  held  at  the  North  Side  Turner  Hall 
for  the  relief  and  benefit  of  the  sufferers  at  Fin- 
marken,  which  concert  netted  $350,  which  was 
sent  to  Norway. 

In  1883  a  sick  and  funeral  fund  was  established 
by  the  society  for  the  benefit  of  its  members, 
to  which  the  society  made  a  donation  of  $100; 
a  funeral  benefit  of  $60  is  paid;  also  sick  benefits 
of  $6  per  week;  and  although  the  dues  of  this 
department  are  but  $4  per  year,  the  fund  has 
now  upward  of  $1,000  in  its  treasury.  That  it 
has  proven  to  be  a  "friend  in  need"  can  be  at- 
tested to  by  its  many  beneficiaries  during  the 
past  twenty-three  years. 

In  1885  the  Nordmaendenes  Sangforening  made 
an  excursion  to  Madison,  Wis.,  and  gave  a 
concert  there,  which  was  followed,  in  1886,  by  a 
similar  trip  to  St.  Paul  and  Minneapolis;  a  trip 
to  La  Crosse,  Wis.,  for  the  following  year  had 
been  planned,  but  was  abandoned  on  account  of 
an  invitation  to  attend  the  Sangerfest  of  the 
United  Scandinavian  Singers  of  America,  to  be- 
held in  Philadelphia.  The  Nordmaendenes  Sang- 
forening participated  with  forty-three  singers, 
and  was  the  only  western  singing  society  that 
was  represented  there;  it  also  had  a  larger  rep- 
resentation than  any  other  society  present.  No 
prizes  had  been  arranged  for  this  sangerfest,  but 
the  Nordmaendenes  Sangforening  aroused  so  much- 
enthusiasm  that  is  was  presented  with  a  silver- 
mounted  drinking  horn.  The  members  were  so 
well  pleased  with  the  reception  accorded  them  in 
the  Quaker  City  that  they  remained  there  for  a 


THE  NORWEGIANS  IN  CHICAGO 


205 


week,  and  the  participants  have  not  yet  grown 
tired  of  recounting  the  experiences  of  that  trip. 
This  sangerfest  was  the  first  which  had  been 
held  by  the  Scandinavians  in  this  country,  and 
the  Nordmaendenes  Sangforening  at  once  took  an 
active  interest  in  the  association.  It  took  upon 
its  own  shoulders  the  burden  of  arranging  the 
sangerfest  in  Chicago  in  1889,  and  made  a  suc- 
cess of  it;  but  it  was  at  the  expense  of  its  own 
treasury,  which  it  almost  bankrupted.  At  this 
sangerfest  more  than  ten  additional  societies 
joined  the  association.  Sangerfests  of  this  asso- 
ciation were  held  in  Minneapolis  in  1891,  and 
again  in  Chicago  in  1893,  in  both  of  which  the 
Nordmaendenes  Sangforening  participated,  after 
which  the  association  disbanded. 

The"  Northwestern  Scandinavian  Singers'  As- 
sociation, of  which  mention  is  made  hereafter, 
is  a  direct  outgrowth  of  the  United  Scandinavian 
Singers  of  America. 

In  1896,  at  an  international  competitive  singing 
contest,  held  at  the  Auditorium,  the  Nordmaende- 
nes Sangforening  received  a  gold  medal  as  a 
trophy. 

On  October  30,  1895,  the  Nordmasndenes  Sang- 
forening celebrated  its  twenty-fifth  anniversary  by 
a  banquet  in  Normania  Hall,  to  which  hall  it  had 
removed  the  previous  year,  and  five  years  later 
it  celebrated  its  thirtieth  anniversary  by  a  similar 
banquet  at  Wicker  Park  Hall. 

In  the  fall  of  1899,  a  benefit  concert  was  tend- 
ered to  Mr.  John  W.  Colberg  on  the  completion 
of  his  twenty-fifth  year  as  musical  director,  and 
shortly  after  this  he  resigned  his  position.  Mr. 
Kristian  Nilsson  was  engaged  as  director,  re- 
maining until  December,  1903. 

Prior  to  the  year  1900,  the  government  of  the 
Normaendenes  Sangforening  rested  in  the  hands 
of  its  members,  the  officers  being  elected  directly 
by  them  semi-annually;  and  monthly  business 
meetings  were  held  in  which  the  members  par- 
ticipated. 

In  1900  the  constitution  and  by-laws  were 
thoroughly  revised.  The  new  revision  provided 
that  the  government  of  the  society  should  rest 
in  a  board  of  directors  consisting  of  twelve  mem- 
bers, who  should  be  elected  annually,  at  the 
yearly  meeting  of  the  society.  All  of  the  of- 
ficers of  the  society,  except  the  revision  commit- 
tee are  elected  by  the  board  of  directors.  At  the 
monthly  directors'  meetings  the  members  have 
the  right  of  speaking  upon  any  subject  before  the 
meeting,  but  only  the  directors  can  vote. 

The  revision  committee,  consisting  of  three 
members,  is  elected  at  the  annual  meeting,  and 
in  addition  to  auditing  all  the  accounts  they  have 


the  privilege  of  calling  a  special  members'  meet- 
ing, if,  in  their  opinion,  the  directors  are.  not 
performing  their  duties  properly.  This  preroga- 
tive has  not  yet  been  availed  of,  and  the  govern- 
ment by  the  board  of  directors  has  been  found, 
after  six  years  of  experience,  to  be  more  satis- 
factory than  the  old  system. 

The  Nordmasndenes  Sangforening  had  partic- 
ipated in  no  sangerfest  since  the  dissolution  of 
the  United  Scandinavian  Singers  of  America; 
but  in  1902  it  received  an  invitation  to  attend  a 
sangerfest  to  be  held  that  year  by  the  North- 
western Scandinavian  Singers'  Association,  in 
Sioux  Falls,  S.  D.  In  connection  with  the  other 
singing  societies  belonging  to  the  Norwegian 
Singers'  League  of  Chicago,  sixteen  men  from 
the  Singers'  League  attended  this  sangerfest,  and 
in  1904,  under  the  same  conditions,  thirty-two 
men  from  the  Singers'  League  (eleven  of  whom 
were  from  the  Nordmaendenes  Sangforening) 
participated  in  the  sangerfest  at  Grand  Forks, 
N.  D. 

On  Oct.  15,  1905,  at  a  concert  held  at  Wicker 
Park  Hall,  the  society  introduced  to  Chicago  Mr. 
Harold  Heide,  the  young  Norwegian  violinist, 
who  has  since  that  time  made  a  successful  tour 
through  the  Northwest. 

On  Oct.  30,  1905,  the  thirty-fifth  anniversary 
of  the  society  was  celebrated  by  a  banquet  at 
the  Boston  Oyster  House,  which  surpassed  the 
previous  banquets  given. 

In  addition  to  the  banquets  given  every  five 
years,  the  other  anniversaries  are  celebrated  by 
stag  parties,  where  old  times  are-  recalled  and 
plans  for  the  future  discussed. 

The  Nordmaendenes  Sangforening  has  prob- 
ably done  more  than  any  other  single  agency 
to  keep  alive  in  the  hearts  and  minds  of  the 
Norwegian  people  of  Chicago  the  memories 
of  "gamle  Norge,"  at  its  concerts  given  two  or 
three  times  each  year,  and  upon  the  countless 
other  occasions  where  it  has  rendered  its  songs, 
it  has  quickened  the  pulse  and  warmed  the  hearts 
of  its  hearers.  Its  chorus  singing  has  always 
been  uniformly  good,  and  in  addition  thereto  it 
has  always  been  fortunate  enough  to  have  in  its 
ranks  one  or  two  solo  singers  who  as  amateurs 
have  ranked  high  among  the  Norwegian  singers 
of  Chicago. 

All  of  the  other  singing  societies  now  in  the 
Norwegian  Singers'  League  of  Chicago  were  or- 
ganized by  members  of  the  Nordmaendenes  Sang- 
forening, and  in  addition,  by  its  precept  and  ex- 
ample, it  has  been  indirectly  instrumental  in  the 
organization  of  all  of  the  Norwegian  singing  so- 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


cieties  in  the  Northwest,  so  that  it  can  truly  be 
said  to  be  the  mother  of  them  all. 

In  addition  to  the  singing  societies  referred  to 
above,  the  Norwegian  Relief  Society  was  organ- 
ized by  a  committee  appointed  by  the  Nordmsen- 
denes  Sangforening  for  that  purpose.  This  relief 
society  afterward  organized  the  Norwegian  Lu- 
theran Tabitha  Hospital  Society. 

Interest  in  sangerfests  having  been  rekindled 
by  the  members  who  had  attended  those  held 
in  Sioux  Falls  and  in  Grand  Forks,  the  Nord- 
masndenes  Sangforening,  in  1905,  joined  the  North- 
western Scandinavian  Singers'  Association. 

In  July,  1906,  the  Nordmaendenes  Sangforening, 
with  twenty-five  singers,  participated  in  the  sang- 
erfest  held  at  La  Crosse,  Wis.  Though  no  of- 
ficial judgment  was  pronounced,  it  was  conceded 
by  the  press  of  La  Crosse  and  Minneapolis  to 
have  easily  carried  off  first  honors. 

Mr.  Gustaf  A.  Carlson  has  been  musical  direc- 
tor since  January,  1904,  and  Mr.  Hans  L.  Ofte- 
dahl  is  the  present  (1906)  president. 

The  rehearsals  of  the  chorus  are  held  every 
Wednesday  night,  and  the  directors'  meetings  on 
the  first  Friday  night  of  each  month. 

The  Nordmxndenes  Sangforening  has  been  lo- 
cated at  Schoenhofen's  Hall  since  1898.  It  still 
has  the  largest  membership  among  the  Norweg- 
ian societies  in  Chicago.  The  membership  as 
now  constituted  consists  of  three  classes,  viz.: 
active  members  (singers),  passive  or  associate 
members  and  honorable  members  (yEresmedlem). 

When  a  member  has  been  in  good  standing  for 
twenty  years,  or  has  rendered  exceptional  ser- 
vices to  the  society  (in  the  latter  case  it  requires 
a  three-fourths  vote  of  all  members  present  at 
the  annual  meeting  to  elect),  he  is  created  an 
honorary  member.  At  a  stag  party  arranged  for 
the  occasion  the  member,  with  suitable  cere- 
monies, is  decorated  with  a  solid  gold  emblem. 
There  are  now  some  twenty  honorary  members 
of  the  society. 

The  Nordmsendenes  Sangforening,  although  its 
chief  aim  has  been  the  fostering  of  Norwegian 
song  and  music  in  America,  has  also  been  a  so- 
cial club.  In  addition  to  its  many  public  enter- 
tainments it  also  holds  two  or  three  private 
parties  for  its  members  and  their  families  each 
year,  one  of  which  is  the  Christmas  festival, 
where  each  child  receives  a  gift. 

It  has  also  been  the  custom  of  the  Nordmsen- 
denes  Sangforening  to  serenade  its  members  up- 
on the  occasion  of  their  marriage,  and  upon  such 
anniversaries  thereof  as  are  celebrated. 

When  a  member  has  gone  upon  his  last  long 


journey,  the  Nordmasndenes  Sangforening  can 
always  be  relied  upon  to  show  its  last  homage 
and  respect  for  the  departed. 


The   Sleipncr  Athletic 
Club 

In  the  summer  of  1894  a  few  young  Norwegi- 
ans  between   the   ages   of  19   and  25   met  in  the] 
center    of     the     Norwegian     settlement,     Centre 
avenue  and  Ohio  street,  for  the   purpose   of  or-j 
ganizing  a  Norwegian  ball  club  to  play  Norweg- 
ian baseball. 

August  15,  1894,  the  club  was  started  at  the 
home  of  T.  Wold,  98  N.  Centre  avenue.  Fourteen 
members  were  present,  namely:  H.  Rolseth,  pres- 
ident; T.  Young,  secretary;  S.  Huseby,  treas- 
urer, and  A.  Thorsen,  T.  Lund,  L.  Huseby,  E. 
Wold,  N.  Nilsen,  A.  Nilsen,  H.  Wold,  B.  Knud- 
sen,  K.  0ien,  H.  Hoel  and  A.  Brodahl.  The 
club  was  named  "The  Norwegian  Baseball  Club 
Sleipner."  The  meetings  were  held  at  first  in 
the  homes  of  the  members  and  afterward  in  the 
basement  at  the  corner  of  Grand  avenue  and 
Morgan  street.  The  club,  however,  did  not  seem 
to  prosper  until  the  fall  of  1895,  when  the  few 
members  who  were  left  decided  to  hold  an  an- 
nual ball  for  the  benefit  of  the  club.  This  proved 
a  success,  and  since  then  the  club  has  been  gain- 
ing both  in  membership  and  finances.  In  the 
latter  part  of  the  same  year  they  concluded  to 
make  it  an  athletic  club  for  the  Norwegians  of 
Chicago.  On  July  25, 1896,  the  club  was  incorpo- 
rated as  "The  Norwegian  Athletic  Club  Sleipner." 
The  charter  members  were  O.  Dahl,  E.  Helge- 
sen,  Louis  Andersen  and  E.  Nystrom.  In  July, 
1897,  a  five-mile  foot-race  was  run  and  one  of 
the  members  of  the  club,  E.  Wold,  lowered  the 
Chicago  record  by  six  minutes  and  thus  made 
the  club  known  in  athletic  fields.  The  club  grew 
so'  fast  that  the  place  of  meeting  was  too  small, 
and  they  rented  Scandia  Hall.  Here  they  took 
up  the  bicycle  sport  and  the  Sleipner  boys  were 
soon  recognized  as  good  riders.  A  ladies'  class 
was  also  started  and  developed  into  one  of  the 
best  features  of  the  club,  but  disbanded  in  1904. 
In  the  winter  of  1900  the  club  held  a  skating 
contest  for  the  championship  of  Illinois.  This 
proved  of  unusual  interest  to  the  public;  for  it 
attracted  over  25,000  spectators.  A  member  of 
the  club,  J.  Langh,  won  the  race.  Ever  since 
the  club  has  'won  the  Illinois  and  Northwestern 


THE  NORWEGIANS  IN  CHICAGO 


207 


champion  races.  All  skaters  and  those  inter- 
ested look  to  the  Sleipner  club  to  promote  skat- 
ing. They  are  the  most  prominent  in  the  skating 
ranks,  and  every  year  has  seen  an  increase  in 
competitors  and  visitors.  There  were  fully  50,000 
present  at  the  races  in  1904.  The  Governor  De- 
neen  medal  was  won  by  C.  L.  Christopherson, 
a  member  of  the  club  in  1895,  for  the  champion- 
ship of  Illinois.  He  also  took  the  champion- 
ship of  the  Northwest.  Annual  balls  and  picnics 
are  held  by  the  club,  and  at  the  festival  held 
last  May  the  governor  of  the  state  was  an  hon- 
ored guest. 

In  January,  1905,  a  permanent  home  for  the 
club  was  decided  upon  and  a  committee  selected 
to  find  a  suitable  location.  A  lot  at  759  N.  Fair- 
field  avenue  was  bought,  and  in  May  of  the  same 
year  they  moved  into,  their  new  home,  where 
they  are  comfortably  housed  with  the  latest  ath- 
letic appliances,  enthusiastic  members,  and  in  ex- 
cellent financial  circumstances. 

In  1906,  at  the  Illinois  Athletic  Club  meet,  the 
Sleipner  tug-of-war  team  took  two  cups  as  first 
prizes  —  one  for  light  weight  and  one  for  heavy 
weight.  In  May  of  the  same  year,  at  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  in  Chicago,  a  wrest- 
ling match  was  held,  sanctioned  by  the  A.  A.  U., 
where  members  of  Sleipner  Athletic  Club  took 
second  prize  in  the  115-pound  and  second  prize 
in  the  158-pound  contest. 

The  club  teaches  turning  and  all  indoor  and 
outdoor  sports. 

The  officers  are:  P.  Becker,  president;  O. 
Sather,  vice-president;  J.  C.  Johnsen,  recording 
secretary;  O.  Hagen,  corresponding  secretary; 
J.  Wold,  financial  secretary;  C.  Becker,  treasurer; 
C.  Nelson,  turner  instructor;  C.  Magnusen,  ath- 
letic manager.  Trustees:  O.  Hendricksen,  H. 
Hansen  and  C.  Hendricks.  The  presidents  of  the 
club  since  its  organization  have  been  as  follows: 
H.  Rolseth,  N.  Nilsen,  H.  Stromsen,  E.  Helge- 
sen,  Ed.  Hansen,  J.  Wold,  L.  Langley,  H.  Han- 
sen,  C.  J.  Becker,  H.  Wold  and  P.  Becker. 


Court  Normania  No.  174, 
I.  O.  F.  of  Illinois 

Court  Normania  was  organized  October  6,  1888, 
by  A.  F.  Johannessen,  Fred.  Ferdinandsen,  and 
Lars  Christiansen.  These  three  men  were  mem- 
bers of  Court  Greeley  of  the  same  order  and  were 
desirous  of  organizing  a  subordinate  branch  with 


exclusively  Norwegian  members,  and  for  that 
purpose  organized  a  club  with  F.  Ferdinandsen 
as  chairman,  A.  F.  Johannessen  as  secretary,  and 
L.  Christiansen  as  treasurer.  After  three  months' 
labor  they  were  able  to  present  a  charter  member 
list  as  follows:  O.  M.  Aasmundsen,  A.  T.  Ander- 
sen, C.  M.  Andersen,  Hans  Andersen,  T.  O.  An- 
dersen, Elias  M.  Berg,  John  Bergesen,  Halvor 
Bjornson,  Carl  Christiansen,  Lars  Christiansen, 
Carl  Christophersen,  Carl  Carlsen,  Hans  Ellefsen, 
Fred  Ellis,  Geo.  Enger,  Anton  Engh,  E.  Erick- 
sen,  F.  Ferdinandsen,  Chas.  Foss,  H.  Gasman, 
Adolph  Hansen,  John  Hansen,  Thos.  Holland,  H. 
Hartwig,  Theo.  Jacobsen,  Jens  C.  Jensen,  A.  F. 
Johannessen,  Johannes  Johannessen,  Charles  H. 
Johansen,  C.  M.  Johnson,  Aug.  Kraft,  Peder 
Knudsen,  John  M.  Knudsen,  Gunnar  Larsen,  John 
Larsen,  Lorentz  Larsen,  Olaus  Larsen,  C.  M. 
Madsen,  John  A.  Malum,  M.  Michalsen,  Martin 
Mickelsen,  Adolph  Moore,  John  M.  Nelson,  Chas. 
Nergard,  Jacob  Nilsen,  Olaf  Olsen,  Martin  Olsen, 
Theo.  Olsen,  O.  T.  Olsen,  H.  C.  Olsen,  J.  A.  D. 
Olsen,  Chris  Sangstad,  D.  M.  Svensen,  Ole  Solem, 
C.  Westby,  B.  Winnan. 

These  charter  members  were  all  Norwegians, 
and  conducted  their  business  in  the  mother  lan- 
guage, admitting  as  new  members  only  Norweg- 
ians and  those  of  Norwegian  descent.  The  court 
took  a  prominent  part  in  all  Norwegian  national 
affairs,  parades  and  festivals;  the  17th  of  May 
festivals  always  received  a  very  strong  support 
from  this  society,  and  the  members  are  still  proud 
of  their  achievements  in  the  parade  of  the  Nor- 
wegian societies  to  Kuhn's  Park  on  May  17, 1891, 
when  the  court  was  awarded  the  prize  for  the  best 
appearing  body  in  the  procession.  The  prize  was 
presented  by  Mayor  Carter  H.  Harrison,  Jr.,  and 
consisted  of  a  solid  silver  gavel  with  the  follow- 
ing inscription:  "In  remembrance  of  May  17, 
1891.  Presented  to  Court  Normania,  No.  .174,  I. 
O.  F.,  as  the  best  appearing  body  in  the  Proces- 
sion." 

When  a  call  was  made  upon  the  Norwegian  so- 
cieties for  delegates  to  organize  the  Norwegian 
National  League,  Court  Normania  responded 
cheerfully,  and  its  delegate,  Mr.  J.  T.  Johnsen, 
was  a  member  of  the  committee  to  draw  up  a 
constitution  and  by-laws. 

While  Court  Normania's  history  was  a  glorious 
one,  it  was  also  a  short  one.  It  was  subordinate 
to  the  Independent  Order  of  Foresters  of 
Illinois,  a  fraternal  insurance  organization, 
and  subject  to  the  rules  and  regulations  of 
that  order.  It  conducted  its  business  on  the 
"current  cost"  plan,  collecting  just  enough  to 
pay  the  claims  as  they  came  along  and  not 


208 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


providing  for  a  higher  death  rate,  which  was  sure 
to  come  when  the  members  grew  older;  and 
it  came  even  sooner  than  expected.  To  meet  the 
increased  number  of  claims  an  extra  assessment 
was  called  now  and  then;  then  extras  became 
more  frequent,  and,  as  they  were  objectionable  to 
the  members,  the  regular  assessments  were  in- 
creased. An  increase  was  made  several  times,  and 
each  time  it  was  attended  with  a  falling  off  in  the 
number  of  members.  The  natural  consequence 
was  an  increased  death  rate,  and  extra  assess- 
ments were  necessary  again.  Court  Normania 
stood  it  nobly  until  it  became  evident  that  in  a 
very  short  time  the  order  would  be  placed  in  the 
hands  of  receivers,  and  then,  at  the  regular  meet- 
ing held  on  November  1,  1899,  the  court  decided 
to  dissolve  and  return  the  charter  to  the  High 
Court. 

The  following  held  the  office  of  chief  ranger 
(president) :  A.  F.  Johannessen,  Fred.  Ferdinand- 
sen,  Adolph  Moore,  Olaf  Olsen,  Lorentz  Larsen, 
Chas.  Nergard,  B.  Winnan,  John  I.  Johnsen,  John 
Hansen,  Elias  M.  Berg  and  John  Malmstrom. 

Previous  to  the  dissolution  the  members,  still 
desirous  of  holding  together,  had  been  looking 
around  for  other  headquarters.  At  a  mass  meet- 
ing held  on  Sept.  15,  1899,  Mr.  Chas.  Nergard 
presiding,  the  past  history  and  experience  were 
reviewed  and  the  prospects  of  other  fraternal  so- 
cieties discussed.  A  committee  of  nine  was  ap- 
pointed to  investigate  the  standing  of  other  so- 
cieties. This  committee,  with  Mr.  John  Malm- 
Strom  as  chairman,  covered  a  large  field,  going 
into  the  history  and  financial  standing  of  about 
a  dozen  of  the  prominent  fraternal  insurance  so- 
cieties. A  meeting,  held  on  Oct.  3,  1899,  to  which 
this  committee  reported,  decided  almost  unani- 
mously to  apply  to  the  Knights  of  the  Maccabees 
of  the  World  for  a  charter.  This  being  granted, 
Normania  Tent,  No.  264,  K.  O.  T.  M.,  was  or- 
ganized on  Oct.  13,  1899,  with  the  following  char- 
ter members:  A.  Alfreds,  Andy  Andersen,  C.  E. 
Anderson,  Frank  Anderson,  Herman  Andersen,  J. 
Oscar  Andersen.  Oscar  R.  Anderson,  Elias  M. 
Berg,  Martin  Bruhn,  Halvor  Bjornson,  O.  A. 
Bensen,  John  Bomengen,  Hans  Brons,  Garl  Chris- 
tiansen, Alex.  Danielsen,  Anton  Engh,  A.  Enge- 
bretsen,  A.  Ferdinandsen,  Fred.  Ferdinandsen,  D. 
M.  Hansen,  Emil  Hansen,  Gilbert  Hansen,  Hans 
Hansen,  John  Hansen,  Henry  Hansen,  Severin 
Halvorsen,  Axel  Horn,  John  Horn,  John  Hauge, 
Julius  Jensen,  Anton  Johnson,  Otto  E.  Johnson, 
John  T.  Johnsen,  Chas.  H.  Johansen,  A.  F.  Jo- 
hannessen, Jens  Kjer,  Hilmer  Korsan,  Peter  S. 
Lauson,  Carl  Lund,  Adolph  Moore,  Alfred  Moore, 


John  Malmstrom,  Thos.  Madland,  Nic.  Morten- 
sen,  Jacob  Nelson,  Chas.  Nergard,  Peder  Oppe- 
dal,  Marius  Olsen,  Sigw.  G.  Olsen,  Anton  Olsen, 
H.  C,  Olsen,  J.  A.  D.  Olsen,  Jorgen  Olsen,  Olaf 
Olsen,  Harry  Rundquist,  Kittel  Sandsteel,  John 
J.  Sonsteby,  Ole  Solem,  Oskar  Sandberg,  Elias 
Sunde,  Albert  Scorvoll,  Andrew  Thompson,  A. 
Westby,  John  Weberg,  B.  Winnan,  J.  O.  Win- 
nan. 

The  tent,  through  the  Knights  of  the  Macca- 
bees of  the  World,  to  which  it  is  subordinate, 
furnishes  life  insurance  from  $250  to  $3,000.  The 
rates  are  paid  monthly,  are  graded  according  to 
age  at  admission,  and  are  sufficiently  high  to  take 
care  of  future  obligations.  The  tent  also  furnishes 
sick  benefits  of  $5  per  week  to  its  members  when 
sick  or  disabled.  Since  its  organization  in  1899 
it  has  paid  in  sick  benefits  $1,435,  and  three  of 
its  members  have  died:  Hans  Hansen,  after  a 
membership  of  nine  months;  Henry  Bendt,  after 
a  membership  of  one  year,  and  Marius  Madsen, 
after  a  membership  of  four  years.  It  has  now 
a  membership  of  120,  the  oldest  one  being  57 
years  and  the  youngest  18  years  of  age.  The 
average  age  of  the  members  at  the  time  of  organi- 
zation was  38J^  years,  but  owing  to  a  large  in- 
flux of  young  members  the  average  age  is  now 
36%  years. 

The  social  affairs  of  the  tent  have  not  been 
conducted  with  a  financial  profit  in  view,  but 
merely  for  the  entertainment  of  its  members  and 
their  friends.  These  "socials"  have  never  been 
advertised  and  no  tickets  have  ever  been  sold 
to  strangers,  but  nevertheless  they  have  been  re- 
warded with  great  attendance,  especially  during 
the  last  two  or  three  years. 

The  tent  naturally  takes  a  great  interest  in 
Norwegian  national  affairs.  On  Oct.  12,  1900,  in 
spite  of  a  heavy  rain,  it  turned  out  strong  in  the 
procession  from  Scandia  Hall  to  Humboldt  Park 
at  the  unveiling  of  the  Leif  Erickson  monument. 
The  Norwegian  National  League  is  strongly  sup- 
ported by  the  tent,  and  its  delegates  always  an- 
swer the  roll  call  at  the  league's  meetings.  One 
of  its  delegates  has  held  the  offices  of  vice-presi- 
dent and  treasurer,  and  another  is  now  corres- 
ponding secretary  of  the  league. 

Officers  of  Normania  Tent,  No.  264,  Knights  of 
the  Maccabees  of  the  World: 

Past  Commander,  1899,  John  Malmstrom;  1900, 
J.  T.  Johnsen;  1901,  Olaf  Olsen;  1902,  Olaf  Olsen; 
1903,  S.  G.  Olsen;  1904,  Sam'l  Olsen;  1905,  H. 
Brons;  1906,  J.  J.  Sonsteby. 

Commander,  1899,  J.  T.  Johnsen;  1900,  Olaf  Ol- 
sen; 1901,  Sigw.  G.  Olsen;  1902,  Sigw.  G.  Olsen; 


THE  NORWEGIANS  IN  CHICAGO 


209 


1903,    Sam'l    Olsen;    1904,    H.    Brons;    1905,    J.    J. 
Sonsteby;   1906,  A.  Scorvoll. 

Lieut.  Commander,  1899,  Olaf  Olsen;  1900,  J. 
J.  Sonsteby;  1901,  A.  F.  Johannessen;  1902,  J.  O. 
Andersen;  1903,  H.  Brons;  1904,  W.  B.  Muench; 

1905,  A.  Ferdinandsen;  1906,  S.  G.  Olsen. 
Record    Keeper,     1899    and    1900,    C.    Nergard; 

1901  to  1906,  J.  Malmstrom. 

Finance  Keeper,  1899  to  1905  (after  which  year 
that  office  was  consolidated  with  the  office  of 
record  keeper),  F.  Ferdinandsen. 

Chaplain,  1899,  A.  Moore;  1900,  P.  S.  Lauson; 
1901,  A.  Ferdinandsen;  1902,  A.  Scorvoll;  1903,  A. 
Lenzer;  1904,  Theo.  Masset;  1905,  A.  Scorvoll; 

1906,  Theo.  Masset. 

Sergeant,  1899,  B.  Winnan;   1900,  S.  G.  Olsen; 

1901,  A.  Scorvoll;   1902,  M.  Johnson;  1903,  F.  A. 
.Ferdinandsen;    1904,    G.   W.    Moore;    1905,    P.    S. 

Lauson;  1906,  P.  S.  Lauson. 

Master-at-Arms,  1899,  John  Hansen;  1900,  Hans 
Hansen;  1901,  A.  Thompson;  1902,  H.  Brons; 
1903,  G.  Osmundsen;  1904,  C.  J.  Vevang;  1905,  C. 
Andersen;  1906,  C.  J.  Vevang. 

First  Master  of  the  Guards,  1899,  Carl  Christi- 
ansen; 1900,  A.  Westby;  1901,  H.  Brons;  1902, 
T.  Christophersen;  1903,  P.  S.  Lauson;  1904,  B. 

D.  Bank;  1905,  C.  J.  Vevang;  1906,  Rud.  O.  Sme- 
stad. 

Second  Master  of  the  Guards,  1899,  C.  H.  Jo- 
hansen;  1900,  H.  Bjornson;  1901,  Elias  Sunde; 

1902,  M.    Monsen;    1903,   A.    Ferdinandsen;    1904, 
A.  Lenzer;  1905  and  1906,  Olaf  Schow. 

Sentinel,  1899,  E.  M.  Berg;  1900,  A.  Scorvoll; 
1901,  H.  Bjornson;  1902,  E.  Popp;  1903,  C.  Chris- 
tiansen; 1904,  E.  Knudsen;  1905,  Rud.  O.  Sme- 
stad;  1906,  L.  H.  Johnson. 

Picket,  1899,  M.  B.  Olsen;  1900,  H.  Brons;  1901, 

E.  M.  Berg;  1902,  C.  Scorvoll;  1903  and  1904,  M. 
Monsen;  1905  and  1906,  C.  Scorvoll. 


The  Norwegian  Sick-Benefit 
Society  "Nordlyset" 

Was  organized  Jan.  22,  1893,  as  Branch  No.  10 
of  Den  Skandinaviske  Arbeiderforening  af  Nord- 
Amerika.  The  object  of  the  society  was,  in  ad- 
dition to  that  of  the  central  organization,  to 
establish  a  sick-benefit  fund,  and  by  socials,  lec- 
tures, books  and  newspapers  to  work  for  the  en- 
lightening of  its  members.  The  first  officers 
were:  O.  A.  Hedvig,  president;  H.  E.  Thorp, 
vice-president;  J.  Johnsen,  recording  secretary; 


A.  Melsnes,  financial  secretary;  F.  Stang,  treas- 
urer; S.  Fredrichs,  marshal;  J.  Stensrud,  sergeant- 
at-arms;  trustees:  Charles  Larsen,  J.  E.  Dahl- 
strom  and  J.  H.  Haugen.  Dr.  Thomas  Warloe 
was  the  society's  first  physician.  Following  were 
the  charter  members:  Johan  Andersen,  H.  C. 
Bierman,  Hans  Borger,  Ole  C.  Brown,  Olaf  Bry- 
nilsen,  Anthony  Christensen,  Oscar  Fredrik 
Claussen,  John  E.  Dahlstrom,  Anthony  Falk, 
Edward  Finholt,  Sigurd  Fredrichs,  Anton  Hagen, 
Ole  A.  Hedvig,  John  Johnsen,  Michael  Kolberg, 
John  A.  Levin,  Jjzirgen  Lund,  Adolf  Melsnes, 
Oscar  Martins,  John  Fr.  Ollanqvist,  Hakon  I. 
Pedersen,  Chas.  G.  Schiller,  Fredrik  Stang,  Jakob 
Stensrud,  Hans  Edv.  Thorp,  S.  A.  Thorsen,  Thos. 
Warloe,  Ole  Mikalsen  Wold.  A  committee  of 
five — Messrs.  J.  Johnsen,  A.  Melsnes,  J.  H.  Hau- 
gen, H.  Pedersen  and  S.  Fredrichs — was  ap- 
pointed to  draft  the  by-laws. 

March  1,  1893,  the  organization  festival  was 
held  in  Scandia  Hall.  May  8,  1893,  delegates 
were  elected  to  the  17th  of  May  arrangement 
committee  of  the  central  organization.  This 
celebration,  in  which  "Nordlyset"  took  part,  was 
held  in  Jackson  Park,  at  the  time  of  the  World's 
Fair,  and  was  very  successful. 

The  officers  for  the  second  term,  1893,  were: 
President,  O.  A.  Hedvig;  vice-president,  J.  H. 
Haugen;  recording  secretary,  H.  E.  Thorp; 
financial  secretary,  O.  Hoitomt;  treasurer,  E. 
Falk;  marshal,  J.  Lund;  sergeants-at-arms,  J. 
Stensrud  and  O.  M.  Wold;  trustee,  A.  Melsnes. 

Officers  of  the  first  term,  1894,  were  as  follows: 
President,  J.  Johnson;  vice-president,  H.  J.  Pe- 
dersen; recording  secretary,  C.  T.  Birck;  finan- 
cial secretary,  C.  G.  Schiller;  treasurer,  A.  Nokle- 
bye;  marshal,  S.  Fre'drichs;  sergeants-at-arms,  M. 
S0hol  and  A.  Hagen;  Dr.  T.  Schroeder  was  elected 
to  serve  as  the  society's  physician.  The  officers 
of  the  second  term,  1894,  were:  president,  J. 
Johnson,  re-elected;  vice-president,  H.  J.  Peder- 
sen, re-elected;  recording  secretary,  J.  H.  Hau- 
gen; financial  secretary,  O.  Hoitomt;  treasurer, 
A.  N.  Noklebye,  re-elected;  marshal,  Ole  C.  Nil- 
sen;  sergeants-at-arms,  H.  C.  Knudsen  and  S. 
Fredrichs. 

August  16,  1894,  "Nordlyset"  withdrew  from 
the  Scandinavian  Workingmen's  Association.  For 
one  month  it  was  undecided  whether  "Nordlyset" 
should  join  another  organization.  This  question 
was  finally  decided  on  Sept.  20,  1894.  Several 
members  were  not  willing  to  unite  with  a  new 
organization,  and  withdrew.  The  members  that 
remained  loyal  to  "Nordlyset"  in  this  crisis  were: 
John  Johnson,  Olai  Hoitomt,  S.  Frederichs,  Edw. 


210 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Finholdt,   Frank  Ollanqtiist,  C.  G.  Schiller,   Christ. 
Ellertsen  and  John  H.  Haugen. 

October  24,  1894,  "Nordlyset"  affiliated  with 
the  United  Scandinavians  of  America,  and  be- 
came Branch  No.  1.  The  following  officers  were 
elected:  President,  O.  Hoitomt;  recording  secre- 
tary, J.  H.  Haugen;  financial  secretary,  Fr.  El- 
lertsen; treasurer,  C.  G.  Schiller;  marshal,  O.  C. 
Nilsen;  sergeant-at-arms,  G.  Olsen.  Dr.  Ur- 
heim  was  selected  to  serve  as  the  society's  phy- 
sician. Installation  of  these  officers  took  place 
Nov.  15,  1894. 

June  4,  1895,  it  was  decided  to  withdraw  from 
the  United  Scandinavians  of  America  and  con- 
tinue as  an  independent  society.  On  June  18  a 
committee  was  appointed  to  draft  constitution 
and  by-laws.  On  July  2  the  new  constitution 
and  bv-laws  were  adopted,  to  go  into  effect  Aug. 
7.  Under  the  new  constitution  "Nordlyset"  be- 
came a  sick-benefit  society,  and  also  established 
a  burial  fund.  On  Dec.  17  officers  were  elected 
as  follows:  President,  O.  Hoitomt;  vice-presi- 
dent, P.  L.  Jones;  recording  secretary,  J.  H.  Hau- 
gen; financial  secretary,  O.  B.  Johnsen;  treasurer, 
Gustav  Olsen;  marshal,  J.  Hoitomt;  sergeant-at- 
arms,  N.  Olsen. 

"Nordlyset"  was  incorporated  under  the  laws 
of  Illinois,  April  13,  1896.  Incorporators:  Olai 
Hoitomt,  Nils  Olsen,  Hjalmar  M.  Fossum,  Ove 
B.  Johnsen  and  Ole  Thoresen.  Officers  for  the 
second  term  of  1896  were:  President,  O.  Hoi- 
tomt, re-elected;  vice-president,  J.  H.  Haugen; 
recording  secretary,  Hjalmar  Fossum;  financial 
secretary,  J.  Hoitomt;  treasurer,  G.  Olsen,  re- 
elected;  marshal,  O.  Thoresen;  sergeant-at-arms, 
P.  G.  Swanson. 

Officers  for  the  first  term,  1897:  President, 
O.  Hoitomt;  vice-president,  J.  H.  Haugen;  re- 
cording secretary,  Hjalmar  Fossum;  financial 
secretary,  O.  C.  Nilsen;  treasurer,  G.  Hansen; 
marshal,  Henry  Jansen;  sergeant-at-arms,  E. 
Johnsen.  Officers  for  second  term,  1897:  Presi- 
dent, O.  Hoitomt;  vice-president,  Ed.  Johnsen; 
recording  secretary,  Hjalmar  Fossum;  financial 
secretary,  J.  Hoitomt;  treasurer,  G.  Hansen; 
marshal,  Henry  Jansen;  sergeant-at-arms,  O. 
Thoresen. 

Officers  for  first  term,  1898:  President,  J.  Hoi- 
tomt; vice-president,  G.  Olsen;  recording  secre- 
tary, H.  Olsen;  financial  secretary,  John  Thore- 
sen; treasurer,  Henry  Jansen;  marshal,  E.  Sal- 
vesen;  sergeant-at-arms,  Thomas  Sorensen. 

Dec.  15,  1897,  the  name  of  the  society  was 
changed  to  "Den  Norske  Sygeforening  Nordly- 
set" (the  Norwegian  Sick-Benefit  Society  "Nord- 


lyset"), and  as  such  only  Norwegians  by  birth  or 
descent,  and  able  to  speak  the  Norwegian  lan- 
guage, could  become  members. 

The  officers  for  the  second  term,  1898,  were: 
President,  O.  C.  Nilsen;  vice-president,  Gustav 
Olsen;  recording  secretary,  John  H.  Haugen; 
financial  secretary,  John  Thoresen;  treasurer, 
Henry  Jansen;  marshal,  Jens  Hoitomt;  sergeant- 
at-arms,  John  S0rensen. 

Officers  for  first  term,  1899:  President,  Jens 
Hoitomt;  vice-president,  Hans  Hansen;  record- 
ing secretary,  John  H.  Haugen;  financial  secre- 
tary, Louis  Tallaksen;  treasurer,  Henry  Jansen; 
marshal,  John  Hansen;  sergeant-at-arms,  Gustav 
Hansen. 

March  7,  1899,  O.  Hoitomt  was  elected  a  del- 
egate to  work  with  the  Norwegian  Tabitha  Hos- 
pital's officers  for  the  arrangement  of  a  17th  of 
May  celebration.  This  celebration  was  held  in 
the  Auditorium  and  was  a  great  success. 

June  20,  1899,  O.  Hoitomt  was  elected  a  dele- 
gate to  represent  "Nordlyset"  in  a  conference  of 
the  various  Norwegian  societies  for  the  purpose 
of  organizing  a  Norwegian  national  league. 

The  officers  for  the  second  term,  1899,  were: 
President,  Jens  Hoitomt r  vice-president,  Gustav 
Olsen;  recording  secretary,  Wm.  Sandberg;  finan- 
cial secretary,  Thomas  Sdrensen;  treasurer,  H. 
Jansen;  marshal,  John  A.  S^rensen;  sergeant-at- 
arms,  Gustav  Hansen. 

The  officers  for  the  first  term,  1900,  were: 
President,  O.  A.  Hedwig;  vice-president,  John 
H.  Haugen;  recording  secretary,  Wm.  Sandberg; 
financial  secretary,  Thos.  Sorensen;  treasurer, 
Gustav  Hansen;  marshal,  John  A.  S0rensen; 
sergeant-at-arms,  H.  C.  Hansen;  delegate  to  the 
Norwegian  National  League,  O.  Hoitomt.  Offi- 
cers for  the  second  term,  1900;  President,  Jens 
Hoitomt;  vice-president,  L.  Tallaksen;  recording 
secretary,  Edw.  Johnsen;  financial  secretary,  J. 
P.  Wiik;  treasurer,  O.  B.  Johnsen;  marshal, 
John  A.  S0rensen;  sergeant-at-arms,  Gustav  Ol- 
sen and  O.  Andersen. 

Officers  for  the  first  term,  1901:  President,  J. 
Hoitomt;  vice-president,  H.  C.  Hansen;  record- 
ing secretary,  J.  Nelsen;  financial  secretary,  J. 
P.  Wiik;  treasurer,  Gustav  Hansen;  marshal, 
Thos.  Sorensen;  sergeant-at-arms,  O.  Andersen 
and  Andrew  Larsen.  At  the  annual  meeting,  Dec. 
18,  1900,  it  was  decided  to  withdraw  from  the 
Norwegian  National  League.  Officers  for  second 
term,  1901:  President,  John  Hansen;  vice-presi- 
dent, L.  Tallaksen;  recording  secretary,  O.  A. 
Hedwig;  financial  secretary,  John  A.  S0rensen; 
treasurer,  Gustav  Hansen;  marshal,  J.  P.  Wiik; 


THE  NORWEGIANS  IN  CHICAGO 


211 


sergeants-at-arms,  Ole  Orum  and  Andrew  Lar- 
sen. 

Officers  for  first  term,  1902:  President,  J. 
Hoitomt;  vice-president,  John  Hansen;  recording 
secretary,  William  Sandberg,  financial  secre- 
tary, John  A.  SoYensen;  treasurer,  Gustav  Han- 
sen;  marshal,  Thomas  SjzSrensen,  sergeant-at- 
arms,  O.  Iversen  and  H.  C.  Hansen;  John  H. 
Haugen  and  Jens  Hoitomt  were  elected  dele- 
gates to  the  Norwegian  National  League.  Of- 
ficers for  second  term,  1902:  President,  Jens 
Hoitomt;  vice-president,  John  Hansen;  record- 
ing secretary,  Olaf  Oppedale;  financial  secretary, 
John  A.  Sjzirensen;  treasurer,  Gustav  Hansen; 
marshal,  Adolf  Moore;  :  ergeants-at-arms,  Oscar 
Iversen  and  Edw.  Orum.  Sept  17,  1902,  "Nordly- 
set"  decided  to  contribute  to  the  bazar  given 
by  the  Norwegian  National  League  for  the  ben- 
efit of  the  Norwegian  Tabitha  Hospital. 

Officers  for  first  term,  1903:  President,  Jens 
Hoitomt;  vice-president,  John  Hansen;  record- 
ing secretary,  O.  Oppedale;  financial  secretary, 
John  A.  S^rensen;  treasurer,  G.  Hansen;  mar- 
shal, Ole  Moe;  sergeants-at-arms,  Oscar  Iver- 
sen and  Edw.  Orum;  delegate  to  the  National 
League,  M.  Bjzirresen;  physician,  Dr.  Wm.  Hans- 
hus.  Officers  fpr  second  term,  1903:  President, 
Jens  Hoitomt;  vice-president,  A.  Abrahamsen; 
recording  secretary,  Olaf  Oppedale;  financial 
secretary,  John  A.  S0rensen;  treasurer,  Gustav 
Hansen;  marshal,  Martin  B0rresen;  sergeants-at- 
arms,  H.  Bjerke  and  Edw.  Orum. 

Officers  for  first  term,  1904:  President,  Olaf 
Oppedale;  vice-president  A.  Abrahamsen;  re- 
cording secretary,  Hjalmar  M.  Possum;  financial 
secretary,  John  A.  S0rensen;  treasurer,  Gustav 
Hansen;  marshal,  John  Hansen;  sergeants-at- 
arms,  Edw.  Orum  and  Severin  Nilsen;  delegate 
to  the  Norwegian  National  League,  Jens  Hoi- 
tomt. Officers  for  second  term,  1904:  President, 
Olaf  Oppedale;  vice-president,  A.  Abrahamsen; 
recording  secretary,  Hjalmar  M.  Possum;  finan- 
cial secretary,  John  A.  S^irensen;  treasurer,  Gus- 
tav Hansen;  marshal,  Thomas  Sjzirensen;  ser- 
geants-at-arms, H.  Bierke  and  Aslak  Abraham- 
sen;  delegate  to  the  National  League,  A.  Abra- 
hamsen. 

Officers  for  first  term,  1905:  President,  O. 
Oppedale;  vice-president,  H.  Bjerke;  recording 
secretary,  Hjalmar  M.  Possum;  financial  secre- 
tary, John  A.  Sjzirensen;  treasurer,  Gustav  Han- 
sen; marshal,  Edw.  Orum;  sergeants-at-arms,  M. 
Frogner  and  Paul  Andersen;  delegate  to  the 
National  League,  Hjalmar  Possum.  Officers  for 
second  term,  1905:  President,  -O.  Oppedale; 
vice-president,  H.  Bjerke;  recording  secretary, 


Hjalmar  M.  Possum;  financial  secretary,  John' 
A.  Sjzirensen;  treasurer,  Gustav  Hansen;  marshal, 
Edw.  Orum;  sergeant-at-arms,  Ole  Orum  andi 
John  Andersen;  physician,  Wm.  Hanshus. 

Officers  for  first  term,  1906:  President,  Hjal- 
mar M.  Possum;  vice-president,  H.  Bjerke;  re- 
cording secretary,  John  Thoresen;  financial  "sec- 
retary, John  A.  Sjzirensen;  treasurer,  Gustav  Han-, 
sen;  marshal,  Edw.  Orum;  sergeants-at-arms, 
Ole  Orum  and  John  Possum;  delegate  to  the 
National  League,  A.  Abrahamsen;  physician,  Dr. 
Wm.  Hanshus. 

"Nordlyset"  has  held  annual  picnics  and  balls. 

Although  not  as  strong  in  membership  as  some 
of  the  Scandinavian  lodges  in  Chicago,  it  is  very 
strong  financially  and  has  always  been  prompt 
in  paying  burial  and  sick-benefits  to  its  members. 
It  has  always  been  willing  to  take  part  and  assist 
in  national  undertakings. 


Skandinavian  Women's 
Burial  Benefit  As- 


sociation 


The  Scandinavian  Women's  Burial  Benefit  As- 
sociation of  Chicago  was  organized  Feb.  12,  1879, 
by  Mrs.  Christina  Christophersen  and  eight  other 
ladies.  The  object  was  to  be  of  mutual  help  to 
each  other  and  also  to  be  able  to  give  their 
members  a  respectable  burial.  In  organizing 
they  started  with  the  idea  of  making  the  terms 
and  conditions  so  reasonable  that  any  one- 
would  be  able  to  join.  The  initiation  fee  was- 
fixed  at  10  cents,  2  cents  per  week  as  dues  and! 
2  cents  per  month  for  extra  expenses.  At  the 
first  meeting  the  receipts  were  90  cents.  Others 
joined  at  each  meeting.  After  two  years  the  in- 
itiation fee  was  raised  to  50  cents,  and  shortly 
afterward  to  $1,  with  25  cents  additional  for  each 
death.  When  the  association  was  four  years 
old  it  paid  its  first  death  loss,  amounting  to  $40. 
Since  then  the  association  has  increased  in  mem- 
bership year  by  year  until  now  (1906)  it  has  a 
membership  of  700.  It  has  again  increased  the 
initiation  fee,  to  $2,  leaving  the  other  dues  as 
before.  In  the  meantime  the  funeral  benefits 
have  increased  from  year  to  year  until  they  now 
pay  $200,  which  is  paid  to  a  surviving  member 
of  the  family  on  the  same  day  the  death  occurs. 

The  management  prides  itself  upon  its  prompt 
payments,  and  also  upon  the  fact  that  it  has 


212 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


helped  many  of  its  members  in  the  way  of  pri- 
vate loans  in  case  of  sickness  or  urgent  neces- 
sities. The  members  are  mostly  Norwegian 
women,  but  each  member  has  a  right  to  take  in 
her  husband  and  sons  as  members,  though  they 
have  no  vote  in  its  management.  The  associa- 
tion has  never  been  divided  against  itself,  for 
under  the  management  of  Mrs.  Christophersen 
it  has  always  been  united,  although  it  had,  dur- 
ing its  early  period,  to  weather  many  hard 
storms.  It  has  never  organized  any  branches, 
Mrs.  Christophersen  always  having  opposed  such 
action.  When  she,  after  serving  as  organizer 


The  members  recall  with  great  satisfaction 
that  they  were  ridiculed  and  nicknamed  as  the 
two-cent  society  in  the  early  days.  Now,  how- 
ever, they  can  help  themselves,  for  the  members 
have  already  paid  185  death  benefits,  loaned  to 
its  members  about  $600,  sent  $50  to  the  bereaved 
widows  of  fishermen  at  R0ver  in  Norway  in 
1899,  and  have  donated  $100  to  the  Dr.  Quales 
fund  for  the  Old  People's  Home.  Those  who 
have  seen  this  society  grow  from  a  feeble  in- 
fancy to  strong  and  vigorous  age  have  every 
reason  to  thank  God  and  be  glad  that  they  have 
been  enabled  to  do  good  to  others,  who  grate- 


Mrs.  Christina  Christophersen. 


Mrs.  Anna  Berg. 


and  president  of  the  association  for  twenty-five 
years,  withdrew  from  the  active  management, 
other  members  could  look  up  to  something  ac- 
complished for  the  benefit  of  fellow-men,  for 
God  had  crowned  their  effort  with  success.  The 
association  has  grown  to  be  big  and  strong,  in- 
deed rich.  Aside  from  Mrs.  Christophersen  as 
president  the  society  has  been  officered  by  eight 
others  and  by  three  trustees.  The  officers  are 
elected  every  six  months,  but  as  a  rule  the  same 
officers  have  held  their  places  for  years.  After 
Mrs.  Christophersen  retired  from  the  presidency 
the  vice-president,  Mrs.  Anna  Berg,  was  elected 
president  and  has  held  the  office  since. 


fully  will  recall  the  aid  accorded  them  in  the 
hour  of  need.  The  society  hopes  that  it  may 
be  blessed  with  many  such  members  as  Mrs. 
Christophersen,  who  was  56  when  she  organ- 
ized this  association.  She  is  now  over  82,  but 
attends  every  meeting  with  the  same  intense 
interest  for  its  welfare.  She  is  seen  in  her  best 
element  when  she  is  in  the  midst  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  society.  She  is  the  mother  to  them 
all.  Fortunate  is  the  society  that  has  such  a 
management;  for  here  all  strive  to  do  right  and 
fear  no  one.  The  present  officers  are: 

Past  protector,  Mrs.  Christina  Christophersen; 
president,   Mrs.   Anna   Berg;  vice-president,   Mrs. 


THE  NORWEGIANS  IN  CHICAGO 


213 


Solly  Heole  Solley;  treasurer,  Mrs.  Marie  Man- 
sen;  first  financial  secretary,  Margerethe  Berg; 
second  financial  secretary,  Dorothea  Hendrick- 
son;  secretary,  Marie  Fossum;  marshal,  Mrs. 
Sjulstad;  door  keeper,  Mrs.  Ottesen. 


Sick  and  Aid  Society  of 
the  Bethlehem  Con- 
gregation 

Was  organized  November  27,  1893;  incorporated 
March  22,  1897. 

This  society  was  the  outcome  of  a  meeting 
held  in  the  church  on  Oct.  30,  1893.  A  few  mem- 
bers of  the  church  and  also  a  few  outsiders  were 
present.  Rev.  T.  N.  Kildahl  was  selected  as 
temporary  chairman  and  Abraham  Johnson  was 
made  secretary.  The  chairman  then  read  a  previ- 
ously prepared  draft  for  a  constitution  and  by- 
laws, which  was  adopted. 

The  next  meeting  was  held  on  Nov.  13,  to  com- 
plete the  organization.  It  was  then  a  question 
of  members  before  completing  the  organization. 
Twenty-three  of  those  present  enrolled  them- 
selves. 

The  next  meeting  was  on  Nov.  27,  when  eigh- 
teen applications  for  membership  were  received 
and  enrolled.  An  election  was  then  held  for 
permanent  officers  and  resulted  in  the  choice  of 
the  following  for  the  first  year:  Rev.  T.  N. 
Kildahl,  president;  Hans  Tw«dt,  vice-president; 
Hakon  Thompson,  treasurer;  Abraham  Johnson, 
secretary.  The  members  then  paid  their  initia- 
tion fees,  and  as  a  result  $66.50  was  placed  in 
the  treasury. 

Objects  and  Rules  of  the  Society. 

To  aid  and  help  members  in  case  of  sickness 
or  death. 

All  men  and  women  of  good  moral  character, 
between  18  and  50  years,  living  in  Chicago,  are 
eligible  but  must  pass  medical  examination. 

There  is  an  initiation  fee  of  $1.50;  and  35  cents, 
dues  for  the  first  month,  must  be  paid  in  advance. 

A  membership  of  three  months  entitles  one  to 
benefits. 

Sick  benefits  are  limited  to  $5  per  week  for 
twelve  weeks,  and  the  funeral  expenses  to  $70. 
In  case  of  the  death  of  a  member  who  has  not 
contributed  to  the  society  for  the  necessary  three 


months  his  heirs  are  entitled  to  $50  for  funeral 
benefit. 

A  woman  is  not  eligible  for  the  office  of  presi- 
dent or  vice-president. 

All  officers  are  elected  by  ballot.  The  regular 
monthly  meetings  are  held  at  8  p.  m.  on  the  last 
Monday  in  each  month.  A  majority  vote  decides 
all  questions. 

All  officers  of  the  society  must  be  members 
of  Bethlehem  Church. 

Cash  Statement  for  1905. 

Cash  on  hand  Jan.  1,  1905 $387.36 

"     received    during   the   year....   600.25 


$987.61 
Sick  benefits  paid  during  the  year    466.90 


$520.71 
Funeral  benefits  paid  during  year.   140.00 


Balance,  Jan.   1,   1906 $380.71 

The  association  has  paid  out  since  its  organiza- 
tion $5,740.71,  being  $4,970.71  for  sick  benefits  and 
$770  for  funerals.  The  membership  is  128  —  79 
women  and  49  men.  The  present  officers  are: 
President,  Hakon  Thompson;  vice-president, 
S0ren  Hansen;  treasurer,  M.  T.  Christofferson; 
secretary,  Conrad  de  Lange.  The  auditing  com- 
mittee consists  of  N.  C.  N.  Juul,  Ludvig  Morten- 
sen  and  Andrew  Petersen. 

The  annual  meeting  is  held  on  the  last  Mon- 
day of  January  of  each  year. 


Enigheden 


Is  a  woman's  club  composed  of  Norwegian  wo- 
men for  mutual  benefit  and  pleasure. 

It  was  organized  in  September,  1905,  and  has 
now  a  membership  of  over  sixty.  The  first 
meeting  was  held  at  the  home  of  Mrs.  Kristine 
Berg,  80  Ogden  avenue,  Chicago.  The  objects 
are:  First,  to  visit  each  member  on  her  birth- 
day; second,  to  help  and  aid  each  other  in  case 
of  sickness,  to  attend  each  other's  funeral,  and 
also  to  distribute  flowers  to  all  members.  Their 
meetings  are  held  on  the  first  and  third  Mondays 
of  each  month,  at  the  home  of  Mrs.  Kristine 
Berg.  On  the  first  Monday  they  attend  to  the 
regular  business  of  the  club,  and  on  the  third 
Monday  they  hold  a  social  session  interspersed 
with  song,  music  and  reading.  They  also  have 
one  picnic  and  a  dance  each  year,  the  receipts 


214 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


so  received  going  toward  paying  the  expenses 
of  the  club.  They  are  entitled  to  two  delegates 
to  the  National  League,  as  they  are  always  in 
on  everything  that  is  "Norsk." 

The  officers  are:  Mrs.  Kr-istine  Berg,  presi- 
dent; Mrs.  Rachel  Dorow,  secretary;  Mrs.  Tora 
Smith,  vice-president;  Mrs.  Emma  Ellefsen,  cash- 
ier; Mrs.  Ragna  Arvesen,  trustee;  Miss  Marge- 
reth  Sorley,  recording  secretary;  Mesdames  Elsie 
Brown  and  Kristine  Berg  are  delegates  to  the 
Norwegian  National  League.  They  promise  to 
fight  unitedly  for  the  objects  they  believe  to  be 
best. 

Here  is  their  song,  composed  by  Mrs.  Berg 
especially  for  Dameforeningen  Enigheden.  We 
shall  have  to  give  it  in  the  original: 

Air:    "Shall   We   Gather   at   the    River?" 

H0it  i  aften  lyder  sangen 
Fra  vor  sisters  jubelkor; 
Det,  som  binder  os  tilsammen, 
Er  til  en  hjaelp  saa  stor. 

Kor: 

Altid  enig  vi  skal  stande, 
Med  venner  her  vi  m0der  frem, 
Langt  fra  vore  Nordens  lande 
At  stedse  mindes  dem. 

2. 

Vasr  velkommen,  vaer  velkommen 
Til  vor  kjzre  s0sterkreds. 
Vi  vil  kjaempe  med   hverandre 
I  det  Maal  vi  ser  er  bedst. 


Liberty  Band 

Liberty  Band  of  Chicago  was  organized  in  the 
latter  part  of  the  year  1904,  receiving  its  charter 
Dec.  15,  1904.  Its  objects  are  purely  musical  and 
sociable.  The  officers  are  elected  for  a  term 
of  six  months,  in  January  and  July. 

Officers  first  half  of  1905:  L.  Hanson,  presi- 
dent; J.  Wennberg,  secretary;  M.  Wennberg, 
financial  secretary;  Oscar  E.  Gray,  treasurer;  H. 
M.  Gassman,  manager;  O.  Enger,  leader;  C. 
Wangberg,  librarian. 

Officers  second  half  of  1905:  J.  Wennberg,  pres- 
ident; C.  Wangberg,  secretary;  M.  Wennberg, 
financial  secretary;  Oscar  E.  Gray,  treasurer;  H. 
M.  Gassman,  manager;  O.  Enger,  leader;  C. 
Christofferson,  librarian. 

Officers  first  half  of  1906:  Oscar  E.  Gray,  presi- 
dent; C.  Wangberg,  secretary;  H.  M.  Gassman, 
financial  secretary;  M.  Wennberg,  treasurer;  H. 
M.  Gassman,  manager;  O.  Enger,  leader;  C. 
Christofferson,  librarian;  Math.  Pedersen,  direc- 
tor. 

Officers  second  half  of  1906:  Oscar  E.  Gray, 
president;  J.  Wennberg,  secretary;  C.  Christof- 
ferson, financial  secretary;  M.  Wennberg,  treas- 
urer; H.  M.  Gassman,  manager;  O.  Enger,  leader; 
W.  Enger,  librarian;  Math.  Pedersen,  director. 


BIOGRAPHICAL     SKETCHES 

Of  a  Few  Chicago  Norwegians  Departed  from  This  World 


ANDREW  NELSON  BREKKE, 

one  of  the  earliest  Norwegian  settlers  in  Chi- 
cago, died  at  his  residence,  in  July,  1887.  His 
death  was  sudden  and  resulted  from  overheat- 
ing and  exhaustion.  He  had  taken  a  trip  to 
Yellowstone  Park  with  a  friend,  and  on  the  re- 
turn journey  was  overcome  by  the  heat  at  St. 
Paul.  He  was  brought  to  his  home  and  died  the 
•evening  of  the  same  day.  His  funeral  was  an  im- 
posing affair.  Large  numbers  of  the  old  settlers 
were  in  attendance,  while  the  Norwegians  were 
present  en  masse.  Rev.  F.  C.  C.  Kahler  of  the 
Trinity  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  delivered  a 
feeling  address  on  the  life  and  virtues  of  the 
•deceased,  and  incidentally  highly  lauded  the  Nor- 
wegians of  Chicago,  of  which  the  deceased  was 
a  representative  member. 

Mr.  Nelson  was  born  at  Brekke,  Voss,  Nor- 
way, Feb.  12,  1818.  He  came  to  Chicago  in  1839, 
and  worked  as  a  laborer  for  Mathew  Laflin  and 
John  Wright.  He  laid  the  foundation  of  his 
future  fortune  in  1845,  when  he  purchased  some 
property  on  Superior  street,  on  part  of  which  he 
built  the  residence  where  he  resided  until  his 
death.  From  time  to  time  he  purchased  other 
real  estate,  shares  in  car  lines,  bank  and  railway 
stocks,  the  natural  increase  of  value  afterward 
making  him  a  wealthy  man.  His  total  posses- 
sions were  at  the  time  of  his  death  estimated  at 
over  $500,000.  Mr.  Nelson  in  1848  was  elected 
North  Side  street  commissioner,  and  a  little  later 
was  chosen  trustee  of  the  First  Norwegian  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran  Church.  In  1866  he  was  elected 
North  Town  assessor,  and  in  1869  Lincoln  Park 
•commissioner.  All  these  offices  were  filled  by 
him  with  honor,  and  his  integrity  and  honesty 
were  never  impeached.  In  the  great  fire  his 
losses,  as  compared  with  his  means,  were  very 
heavy,  and  it  was  only  by  great  perseverance  and 
the  excercise  of  his  financial  ability  that  he  was 
•enabled  to  surmount  them.  Mr.  Nelson  was  twice 


married.  The  first  time  was  in  Norway  to  Miss 
Inger  Nelson,  who  bore  him  three  children,  all 
dead  long  ago.  His  second  wife,  Mrs.  Julia  K. 
Williams,  who  survived  him,  he  married  in  Chi- 
cago in  1849.  Three  daughters  out  of  a  family 
of  seven,  the  result  of  his  second  marriage,  are 
still  living.  One  is  married  .to  J.  A.  Waite,  of  the 
Anchor  Line  Steamship  Co. 

MRS.  LAURA  ANDERSON, 

Mother  of  John  Anderson,  publisher  of  Skandi- 
naven,  was  one  of  the  first  Norwegians  to  settle 
in  Chicago,  and  behold  its  marvelous  growth 
from  a  struggling  town  to  one  of  the  world's 
greatest  cities. 

Mrs.  Anderson  was  born  in  Norway,  Sept.  22, 
1812,  and  died  in  Chicago  Aug.  8,  1897.  She  left 
her  native  land  with  her  husband  and  three  sons 
in  1844,  coming  direct  to  Chicago.  One  of  her 
sons  died  and  was  buried  at  sea,  and  another 
died  on  the  journey  from  Albany  to  Buffalo,  and 
was  buried  at  the  latter  place.  A  daughter,  the 
wife  of  H.  L.  Dahl,  was  born  in  Chicago.  Mrs. 
Anderson's  husband  was  carried  away  in  the 
cholera  epidemic  which  prevailed  in  1849.  She 
was  prominently  identified  with  the  Norwegian 
Lutheran  Church,  of  which  the  late  Rev.  Paul 
Anderson  was  the  first  pastor,  taking  particular 
interest  in  all  its  activities  along  charitable, 
educational  and  social  lines.  She  exhibited  all 
the  vigor  and  sturdiness  of  her  race,  and,  until 
in  recent  years  afflicted  with  dropsy  and  com- 
plaints incident  to  old  age,  she  led  an  active  life. 
Within  two  months  of  her  death  she  was  able 
to  attend  the  christening  of  her  great-grand- 
daughter, the  child  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Arthur  Eilert, 
and  the  wedding  of  her  daughter's  daughter, 
events  in  which  she  took  a  keen  interest.  The 
funeral  was  held  from  her  son's  residence,  646 
Cleveland  avenue.  She  is  buried  in  Graceland 
Cemetery. 


215 


216 


A  HISTORY   OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


JENS  OLSEN  KAASA, 

Who  died  Febr.  16,  1907,  was  one  of  the  earliest 
Norwegian  settlers  in  Chicago.  He  was  born 
April  12,  1824,  at  Kaasa  in  Siljord's  prxstegjaeld, 
0vre  Telemarken,  Norway.  ,In  the  spring  of 
1840  the  family  moved  to  Bamle  prastegjaeld, 
where  they  lived  for  three  years.  In  1843  Jens 
Olsen  together  with  his  parents  and  their  eight 
other  children  emigrated  to  America  and  arrived 
in  Milwaukee  in  Ausrust  after  a  voyage  of  twelve 
weeks'  duration.  October  20,  of  the  same  year, 
he  arrived  in  Chicago  where  he  at  the  time  of 
his  demise  had  resided  nearly  64  years. 


Jens  Olsen  Kaasa. 

He  was  married  Jan.  6,  1853,  to  Miss  Martha 
Andersen,  the  ceremony  being  performed  by  Rev. 
G.  F.  Dietrichson  in  the  Long  Prairie  Church, 
111.  His  wile  was  born  April  28,  1827,  at  St0k- 
keb0,  Levanger's  praestegjaeld,  Bergen's  Stift, 
Norway.  Of  their  children  only  three  are  living: 
Mrs.  Rosa  Bothne,  wife  of  Rev.  Johannes  Bothne, 
Hitterdal,  Minn.;  Albert  Olsen,  Poplar  Grove, 
111.,  and  Olandina,  who  has  been  living  with  her 
father.  An  adopted  daughter,  now  Mrs.  Charles 
J.  Schroeder,  of  Chicago,  is  also  a  survivor.  Mrs- 
Jens  Olsen  departed  this  life  Oct.  16,  1895. 

As  significant  for  the  times  and  circumstances 
can  be  mentioned  that  the  family  walked  all  the 


way  from  Milwaukee  to  Chicago.  Jens  Olsen 
later  on  accompanied  by  some  other  Norwegians 
went  to  New  Orleans  and  from  there  to  Cuba 
with  the  purpose  of  starting  a  colony  there,  but 
the  plan  was  soon  abandoned  and  he  returned  to 
Chicago.  During  the  cholera  epidemic  Jens 
Olsen  lost  his  father,  mother  and  a  sister  on  the 
same  day.» 

He  had  learned  the  trade  of  mason  and  brick- 
layer and  had  the  contract  to  build  Our  Savior's 
Church  at  the  corner  of  Erie  and  May  streets. 
Jens  Olsen  and  Rev.  Krohn  were  the  leading  men 
in  pushing  that  splendid  house  of  worship  to 
completion.  Jens  Olsen  charged  the  congrega- 
tion only  for  his  actual  expenditures,  spending  his 
own  work  and  time  for  nothing,  and  contributing 
a  good  deal  of  money  besides.  It  was  Jens  Ol- 
sen's  greatest  ambition  to  build  a  church  for  his 
countrymen  which  would  surpass  everything  that 
had  been  attempted  in  that  line  among  them  in 
this  country.  He  was  for  many  years  a  member 
of  the  council  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Synod. 
His  residence  on  Erie  street  was  a  home  of  hos- 
pitality for  visiting  ministers  and  other  travelers, 
to  whom  he  extended  "the  glad  hand."  Those 
days  formed  the  brightest  period  in  Jens  Olsen's 
life,  and  even  after  his  memory  commenced  to 
be  veiled  and  his  body  strength  to  fail  him,  the 
old  man  was  still  able  to  narrate  anecdotes  con- 
nected with  such  visitors  as  Muus,  Bi0rn, 
Schmidt,  Koren  and  others.  While  visiting  in 
Chicago,  the  lamented  Rev.  P.  A.  Rasmussen  took 
sick  and  was  for  many  weeks  a  welcome  patient 
in  the  hospitable  home  on  Erie  street. 

Ever  since  the  death  of  Mrs.  Olsen,  which  oc- 
curred in  1895,  it  commenced  to  look  as  if  the 
ebb  tide  in  Jens  Olsen's  life  was  breaking  in. 
From7 that  day. he  seemed  to  dwindle  until  he 
passed  away.  She  had  been  a  true  and  loving 
helpmate  to  him,  and  when  she  died,  his  sun  com- 
menced to  set.  Five  years  ago  he  addressed,  in 
Skandinaven,  a  last  farewell  to  all  his  old  friends 
and  acquaintances,  realizing  that  his  time-glass 
would  soon  have  run  through.  During  the  last 
years  he  was  unable  to  attend  the  services  in  the 
Bethlehem  Church  of  which  he  was  a  member. 
He  spent  his  last  days  sitting  in  an  easy  chair 
waiting  for  the  last  great  summons.  As  long  as 
the  daughter  "Junie"  was  at  home,  he  was  ten- 
derly cared  for  by  her  and  her  sister  Dina;  but 
when  Junie  was  married,  her  place  was  taken  by 
Mrs.  Nilsen,  of  Morris,  111.,  a  sister  of  Jens  Ol- 
sen's departed  wife.  His  favorite  hymn  was 
"Christi  Blod  og  Retfaerdighed  er  alt,  hvad  jeg 
vil  smykkes  med"  and  in  this  faith  and  hope  he 
passed  to  his  reward. 


THE  NORWEGIANS  IN  CHICAGO 


217 


IVER   LAWSON 

Was  born  at  B0e,  Voss,  Norway,  Dec.  21,  1821, 
and  came  to  America  before  he  had  attained  his 
majority.  He  was  one  of  the  pioneer  Norwegian 
residents  of  Chicago,  making  his  home  on  the 
north  side  where  he  lived  all  the  rest  of  his  life. 
With  his  brother  Knut  he  engaged  in  any  kind 
of  work  to  be  had  in  those  days  and  finally  turned 
his  attention  to  real  estate.  By  making  shrewd 
investments  in  vacant  property  he  soon  acquired 
a  competence  and  before  his  death  in  1872  was 
accounted  one  of  the  successful  men  of  the  city. 
The  fire  in  1871  destroyed  a  number  of  buildings 
owned  by  him  in  various  parts  of  the  north  side 
and  also  rendered  valueless  much  of  the  insur- 
ance stock  and  other  securities  held  by  him  but 
he  left  his  family  in  very  comfortable  circum- 
stances, the  fine  homestead  in  Lake  View  having 
escaped  destruction  and  the  real  estate  proving 
profitable. 

Mr.  Lawson  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
First  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  which  in  1848 
and  a  number  of  years  after  was  located  on  Su- 
perior street  between  Wells  street  and  La  Salle 
avenue.  He  was  a  strong  republican  and  served 
as  alderman  from  the  old  15th  ward  on  the  north 
side  from  1864  to  1867.  Prior  to  that  time  and 
durino-  the  last  year  of  John  Wentworth's  admin- 
istration he  was  city  marshal.  While  a  member 
of  the  city  council  he  took  a  prominent  part  in 
carrying  out  plans  for  purifying  the  Chicago  river 
and  improving  the  general  health  conditions  of 
the  city.  In  1869  he  was  a  member  of  the  house 
of  representatives  in  the  state  legislature  and  was 
closely  identified  with  the  legislation  which  gave 
to  Chicago  its  splendid  park  system.  The  crea- 
tion of  Lincoln  park  in  particular  was  owing  in 
great  part  to  his  efforts. 

Iver  Lawson  was  also  one  of  the  founders  with 
John  Anderson  and  Knud  Langland  of  the  "Skan- 
dinaven,"  in  the  success  of  which  he  took  a  deep 
interest.  He  died  Oct.  3,  1872,  leaving  a  widow, 
two  sons  and  a  daughter.  The  widow,  Malinda 
Lawson,  died  in  Chicago,  Oct.  16,  1896.  The 
eldest  son,  Victor  F.  Lawson,  is  the  editor  and 
proprietor  of  The  Chicago  Daily  News.  The 
other  son.  Iver  Norman  Lawson,  is  a  resident  of 
San  Diego,  Cal.,  and  the  daughter,  Carrie,  is  Mrs. 
H.  William  Harrison  Bradley,  whose  husband  is 
now  in  the  United  States  consular  service  in 
England. 

DR.  GERHARD  CHRISTIAN  PAOLI, 

An  ardent  follower  of  Thomas  Paine,  was  born 
at  Trondhjetn,  Norway,  June  23,  1815.  The  pecu- 
liarity of  his  name  was  owing  to  the  fact  that 


his  father,  who  was  the  ambassador  to  the  island 
of  Corsica  from  Norway,  was  named  after  Pascal 
Paoli,  at  that  time  governor  of  the  island,  who 
was  godfather  to  the  elder  Paoli. 

In  1832  he  entered  the  University  of  Christi- 
ania  and  studied  for  six  years,  paying  particular 
attention  to  chemistry.  After  a  year  in  London 
hospitals  and  three  years  at  the  Carolingian  In- 
stitution in  Stockholm,  Paoli  came  to 'America  in 
1846,  landing  at  New  York  after  a  three  months' 
voyage.  He  first  followed  his  countrymen  to 
Wisconsin  and  settled  at  Milwaukee.  Then  he 
went  to  Madison,  and  later  came  to  Chicago, 
which  was  then  a  town  of  12,000.  He  stayed 
here  but  a  few  weeks,  going  to  Springfield,  Ohio, 
remaining  there  for  a  time,  and  coming  back  to 
Chicago  in  1853. 

His  reading  led  him  to  espouse  the  abolitionist 
cause,  and  his  first  vote  was  cast  for  John  P. 
Hale  and  free  soil.  He  followed  the  profession 
of  medicine,  and  his  love  for  experimental  chem- 
istry resulted  in  his  discovering  a  method  of 
forcing  out  of  spirits  the  poisonous  oils  that  are 
found  in  them.  This  method  was  applied  to  the 
manufacture  of  beverages,  but  was  used  a  great 
deal  in  the  manufacturing  of  perfumery. 

While  in  Ohio  he  was  chosen  an  honorary 
member  of  the  Ohio  Medical  Society.  Twice 
he  was  elected  president  of  the  Chicago  Medical 
Society,  and  twice  was  its  vice-president.  He 
assisted  in  the  establishment  of  the  first  woman's 
medical  college  in  Chicago,  and  was  chosen  pro- 
fessor emeritus  of  the  same.  He  also  organized 
the  Scandinavian  Medical  Society.  He  was  also 
appointed  the  first  physician  to  the  mail  carriers. 

In  his  social  life  he  was  especially  active,  and 
took  part  in  the  deliberations  of  the  free  thinkers 
of  the  city.  He  was  a  warm  personal  friend  of 
Ingersoll  and  entertained  the  lecturer  several 
times  on  his  visits  to  Chicago.  Ole  Bull  was 
numbered  among  his  friends,  and  among  those 
whom  he  entertained  was  BjfSrnstjerne  Bjffrnson, 
who  was  also  a  correspondent  of  Paoli. 

Paoli  was  married  twice.  The  first  wife  died 
in  1847.  In  1881  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Sara 
Corning  Magnusson.  Mrs.  Paoli  is  well  known 
as  a  writer.  In  the  first  marriage  Mr.  Paoli  had 
one  son;  his  second  wife  had  two  daughters  and 
one  son  in  her  first  marriage. 

Dr.  Paoli  died  Jan.  29,  1898. 

CAPTAIN  CHRISTIAN  ERICKSON 

Was  born  May  7,  1839,  in  Bergen,  Norway,  and 
was  the  son  of  Erick  and  Bertha  Christensen. 
He  received  only  a  limited  education,  but  learned 


218 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


bookkeeping  in  Norway.  At  the  age  of  20  years 
he  came  to  the  United  States,  and,  anxious  to 
acquire  a  better  education,  he  attended  the  Lake 
Forest  College. 

After  two  years'  study  he' came  to  Chicago  and 
obtained  a  position  in  the  dry  goods  store  of  J. 
B.  Shay.  In  March,  1862,  he  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany I  of  the  Eighty-second  Illinois  Volunteer 
Infantry,  as  a  private,  and  soon  after  was'  pro- 
moted to  orderly  sergeant.  Shortly  after  enter- 
ing the  field  in  Virginia  he  was  promoted  to 
second  lieutenant;  after  the  battle  of  Chancellors- 
ville,  to  first  lieutenant,  and  as  such  took  com- 
mand of  the  company  until  after  the  battle  of 
Gettysburg.  The  next  year  he  took  part  in  the 


Captain  Christian  Erickson. 

battles  of  Lookout  Mountain  and  Missionary 
Ridge,  under  the  command  of  General  Hooker. 
Later  he  went  to  Knoxville,  but  arrived  too  late 
for  that  battle.  He  was  with  Sherman's  Army 
in  the  campaign  to  Atlanta  and  the  glorious 
"march  to  the  sea,"  participating  in  the  battles 
on  the  way.  On  that  march  he  was  on  the  regi- 
mental staff  as  quartermaster,  and  after  being 
honorably  discharged  was  given  a  captain's  com- 
mission, signed  by  President  Johnson,  for  gallant 
and  meritorious  services  during  the  war. 

His  company  was  nearly  all  from  Chicago,  and 
composed   of  Scandinavians.     The   regiment  was 


known  in  the  army  as  the  "Hecker  Boys,"  who 
could  always  be  depended  upon  in  a  fight.  He 
took  part  in  not  less  than  fourteen  battles  and 
many  minor  engagements. 

Captain  Erickson  was  a  temperate  man  in  all 
things,  and  during  the  war  saved  enough  money 
to  enable  him  to  start  in  business  in  Chicago. 
He  engaged  in  the  dry  goods  business  on  Mil* 
waukee  avenue,  and  later  he  started  a  branch 
store  on  Division  street,  which  later  was  de-^ 
stroyed  by  the  great  fire.  In  1882  he  built  a 
four-story  brick  building  at  1190-92  Milwaukee 
avenue,  where  he  continued  the  dry  goods  busi- 
ness till  1896,  when  ill  health  compelled  him  toi 
retire. 

Sept.  11,  1870,  he  married  Miss  Agnete  Jevne, 
whose  portrait  appears  on  another  page,  where 
we  also  give  an  account  of  their  four  children. 

Captain  Erickson  was  a  member  of  the  G.  A. 
R.  and  the  Loyal  Legion.  He  died  Jan.  20,  1900.3 

CHRISTOPHER  LORENTZ  BUCK  STANGE 

Was  born  at  Flekkefjord,  Norway,  Aug.  29,  1843.J 
His    parents   were     Merchant    Jacob    Stange,   ofj 
Flekkefjord,    and     Dorothea    Christine   Buck,   of 
Molde.     After   passing   through   the   "Borgersko- 
le"   he   was   apprenticed   with   the   apothecary  of' 
the  place,  where  he  remained  the  time  fixed  be- 
fore he  could  enter  the  University  at  Christiania 
and  pass  through  the  required  course  for  grad- 
uating as  a  druggist.     He  graduated  with  honors 
and    held    positions     as    pharmacist   at    Farsund, 
H(Z(nefos  and  Skien.     In  1867  he  was  offered  the 
position  of  medical    attendant    on    the  emigrant 
sailing  vessel  "Rjukan"  for  a  passage  to  America, 
and  accepted,  intending  at  the  time  to  return  to 
Norway. 

From  New  York  he  made  a  trip  westward  vis- 
iting several  cities,  including  Chicago.  Here  he 
was  offered  and  accepted  a  very  promising  posi- 
tion as  chemist  with  the  Granger  Chemical 
Works,  located  at  206-210  Illinois  street.  This 
business  was  soon  after  reorganized  under  the 
firm  name  of  Roemheld  &  Co.,  Manufacturing 
Chemists,  with  Mr.  Stange  as  the  manufacturing 
partner.  The  firm  did  a  profitable  business,  en- 
larging the  plant  up  to  the  time  of  the  great  fire, 
in  which  the  factory  buildings  and  all  stock  were 
destroyed,  leaving  the  firm  unable  to  re-establish 
the  business.  Mr.  Roemheld  now  started  a  drug 
store  at  Canal  and  Barber  streets,  with  a  small 
manufacturing  chemist's  laboratory  attached,  and 
Mr.  Stange  entered  his  employ.  In  1873  Mr. 
Stange  established  his  own  business  as  a  drug- 
gist and  manufacturing  chemist  at  Larrabee  and 


THE  NORWEGIANS  IN  CHICAGO 


219 


Division  streets,  but  later  moved  his  business  to 
iic  West  Side,  where  he  was  for  many  years 
i.-stahlished  on  the  corner  of  Grand  avenue  and 
Jarpi'iiter  street.  With  his  excellent  business 
'.ibility  he  met  with  success  and  later  enlarged 
ind  built  his  own  factory,  on  Kinzie  street,  near 
Elizabeth.  He  now  sold  his  drug  store  and  con- 
fined himself  to  the  manufacturing  business,  with 
his  office  and  salesrooms  at  Grand  avenue  and 
Carpenter  street,  where  he  continued  until  his 
death  in  1889. 

Mr.  Stange  was  married  in  186.9  to  Wilhelmine 
Moeller.  Five  children  were  born  to  them  — 
William  Jan,  Alfred  Christopher,  Christopher  L- 
B.,  Minnie  and  Olive.  Mr.  Stange  was  a  leader 
among  the  Norwegians  and  a  member  of  several 
of  their  societies.  He  was  a  man  of  excellent 
mental  capacity  and  well  learned  not  only  in  his 
own  branch  but  in  all  modern  sciences. 

CANUTE  R.  MATSON. 

Former  Sheriff  Canute  R.  Matson  died  Jan.  12, 
1903,  at  his  residence,  609  Cleveland  avenue.  Heart 


Canute  R.  Matson. 

disease  was  the  cause,  and  the  end  came  after  an 
illness  of  ten  days.  His  death  marked  the  pass- 
ing of  a  once  prominent  factor  in  local  republican 


politics.  From  1869  until  his  election  as  sheriff, 
in  1886,  Mr.  Matson  took  a  leading  part  in  the 
councils  of  the  republican  party.  When  he  re- 
tired as  sheriff  of  Cook  county,  in  1890,  he  also 
retired  from  politics.  In  1899  he  was  appointed 
superintendent  of  the  Lincoln  Park  postal  sta- 
tion, succeeding  General  Herman  Lieb.  Mr. 
Matson  at  the  time  of  his  death  was  senior  mem- 
ber of  the  law  firm  of  Matson  &  Edwards.  Mr. 
Matson  was  born  in  Voss,  Norway,  April  9,  1843, 
and  came  to  America  with  his  parents,  when  6 
years  old,  or  in  1849.  The  Matsons  settled  in 
Walworth  county,  Wisconsin.  Mr.  Matson  re- 
ceived his  early  education  in  the  common  schools 
and  at  Albion  College,  and  later  he  studied  law 
at  Milton  College,  Wis.,  until  in  1861,  he  enlisted 
as  a  soldier  in  the  Thirteenth  Wisconsin  Infantry, 
during  the  Civil  War.  He  served  four  years  and 
four  months,  and  was  promoted  first  as  'sergeant 
and  later  to  higher  positions,  and  when  at  the 
close  of  the  war  he  was  honorably  discharged  he 
was  a  first  lieutenant.  As  a  member  of  the  gov- 
ernor's staff  and  the  G.  A.  R.  he  was  promoted 
first  as  major  and  finally  as  colonel. 

KNUD  LANGLAND. 

Though  a  resident  of  Wisconsin  during  the 
greater  part  of  the  time  after  his  arrival  in  Amer- 
ica, Knud  Langland  spent  some  of  the  most 
active  years  of  his  life  in  Illinois  as  editor  of 
Skandinaven,  and  it  was  during  the  period  from 
1866  to  1872  that  he  did  the  work  which  firmly 
established  his  reputation  as  a  thinker  and  writer. 
It  is  quite  proper,  therefore,  that  a  brief  sketch 
of  his  life  appear  in  this  volume.^ 

Knud  Langland  was  born  Oct.  27,  1813,  in 
Samnanger,  Bergen  stift,  Norway.  Though  obliged 
to  work  hard  for  a  living  even  in  his  early  youth, 
he  managed  to  secure  a  good  education  through 
his  own  efforts.  He  went  to  Bergen,  where  he 
pursued  his  studies  for  a  time,  and  then  became 
a  school  teacher.  Afterward  he  was  appointed 
public  vaccinator.  In  1835  he  made  a  short  visit 
to  England,  and  on  returning  home  he  engaged 
in  business  in  Bergen.  An  elder  brother,  Mons 
A.  Adland,  emigrated  to  America  in  1837,  first 
settling  at  Beaver  Creek,  111.,  and  then  going  to 
what  at  that  time  was  known  as  Yorkville  Prai- 
rie, in  Racine  county,  Wisconsin.  Knud  Lang- 
land  followed  him  in  1843,  making  his  home  in 
the  same  place  in  Wisconsin.  Two  years  later 
he  went  to  the  southern  part  of  Columbia  county, 
but  returned  to  Racine  county  in  1846  and  con- 
tinued farming  until  1849  when  he  bought  Nord- 
lyset,  the  first  Norwegian  paper  published  in 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


America.  He  changed  the  name  to  Demokraten, 
and  with  his  brother-in-law,  O.  J.  Hatlestad,  ran 
it  for  a  year.  The  venture  was  not  a  financial 
success  and  publication  was  suspended  in  1852. 
The  next  year  he  issued  the  Maanedstidende,  in 
Janesville,  Wis.,  but  soon  sold  out  and  returned 
to  the  farm.  In  1856  he  was  editor  for  a  short 
time  of  Den  Norske  Amerikaner,  published  in 


Mr.  Knud  Langland. 

Madison,  Wis.,  but  the  pro-slavery  views  of  its 
proprietor  caused  him  to  resign  the  position. 
In  1860  he  was  a  member  of  the  Wisconsin  state 
assembly.  The  postoffice,  where  the  old  York- 
ville  Prairie  settlers  received  their  mail,  was 
named  North  Cape  at  his  suggestion. 

In  1866,  when  the  Skandinaven  was  established 
by  John  Anderson  and  Iver  Lawson,  father  of 
Victor  F.  Lawson,  Mr.  Langland  was  asked  by 
them  to  become  its  editor.  He  consented  and 
came  to  Chicago,  to  which  place  he  moved  his 
family  in  1868,  and  was  connected  with  that 
paper,  which  proved  a  remarkable  success,  until 
a  year  or  two  after  the  great  fire  of  1871.  Per- 
haps the  most  notable  of  the  editorials  contri- 
buted by  him  to  Skandinaven  were  those  in  de- 
fense of  the  American  public  schools  and  in  op- 
position to  certain  views  entertained  by  a  part 
of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  in  regard  to 


slavery.  It  was  in  recognition  of  his  attitude  on 
the  school  question  that  one  of  the  public  schools 
of  Chicago  was  named  after  him  some  years 
later.  With  the  exception  of  a  brief  connection 
with  a  new  Norwegian  paper,  the  Amerika,  which 
was  subsequently  consolidated  with  Skandinaven, 
all  the  editorial  work  performed  by  him  until  he 
was  compelled  by  ill  health  to  retire  from  jour- 
nalism was  for  Skandinaven.  After  some  years 
spent  on  his  farm  at  North  Cape  he  moved  to 
'  Milwaukee.  There  he  wrote  Nordmaendene  i 
Amerika,  which  is  partly  historical  and  partly 
autobiographical.  His  original  intention  was  to 
make  it  a  comprehensive  work  on  the  early  set- 
tlements of  Norwegians  in  America,  but  illness 
and  the  loss  of  a  portion  of  the  manuscript  ill 
the  mails,  compelled  him  to  modify  his  plans. 
He  died  at  his  home  in  Milwaukee,  Feb.  8,  188fl. 
Mr.  Langland  was  married  April  10,  1849,  to 
Anna  M.  Hatlestad,  daughter  of  Jens  and  Anna 


Mrs.  Knud  Langland. 

Hatlestad,  who  came  to  America  in  1846  and 
settled  at  Yorkville  in  1847.  The  ceremony  was 
performed  by  Rev.  H.  A.  Stub,  one  of  the  pio- 
neer Norwegian  clergymen  in  America.  Mrs. 
Langland  was  born  in  Skjold,  Kristiansand  stift, 
Norway,  Jan.  12,  1831.  She  is  still  living,  in  Mil- 
waukee, where  three  of  the  children  also  reside. 
Two  others  live  in  Chicago  and  four  are  dead. 


THE  NORWEGIANS  IN  CHICAGO 


221 


REV.    JOHN    Z.    TORGERSEN 

iVas  a  native  of  Bergen,  Norway,  where  he  was 
>orn  March  1,  1841.  When  6  years  old,  he  came 
:6  America  with  his  parents.  They  settled  in  Dane 
:ounty,  Wisconsin,  but  five  years  later  moved 
o  near  Scandinavia,  Waupaca  county,  and  later 
:o  Winnebago  county.  Up  to  this  time  John  had 
ittended  the  public  schools  regularly,  and  here 
ic  studied  at  the  Neenah  high  school  and  then  for 
bur  terms  attended  the  Lawrence  University  at 
Vppleton.  Previous  to  this  and  during  inter- 


Rev.  Torgersen. 

vals  he  taught  public  schools  in  the  vicinity. 
He  took  a  course  in  the  Illinois  State  University, 
then  under  the  control  of  the  General  Synod, 
where  he  studied  theology  and  finished  with  a 
two-year  course  in  the  old  University  of  Chi- 
cago, the  beginning  of  the  present  world-re- 
nowned institution  on  the  Midway.  After  com- 
pleting his  education  he  was  connected  with  the 
Chicago  Bible  Society  as  colporteur.  While  en- 
gaged in  this  work  he  visited  over  fifteen  thou- 
sand homes  personally  during  a  period  of  two 
years.  In  February,  1869,  he  began  preaching  in 
the  Norwegian  Church,  corner  Indiana  street,  now 
Grand  avenue,  and  Peoria  street,  and  in  June 


was  ordained  to  the  gospel  ministry  by  the  Hauge 
Synod.  About  seven  years  afterward  he  with- 
drew from  the  synod  and  organized  the  Inde- 
pendent Evangelical  Lutheran  Bethania  Church 

He  was  a  son  of  Ole  Tobias  Torgersen,  who 
passed  away  at  his  son's  home  in  thij  city  in  his 
85th  year.  His  mother,  Ingeborg,  of  Bergen  stift, 
Norway,  died  in  Michigan  in  her  81st  year. 

Mrs.  Trina  Torgersen  is  from  Wardel,  Hede- 
marken,  Norway.  They  were  married  on  Oct. 
27,  1869.  Six  children  were  born  to  them,  of 
whom  two  are  now  living  —  Mrs.  L.  E.  Wilson, 
of  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  and  Oscar  A.,  who  is  with 
John  M.  Smyth  &  Co. 

Rev.  Torgersen  was  called  to  his  reward  in 
the  fall  of  1905. 

Deceased  was  highly  esteemed  by  all  who 
knew  him.  Educated  and  refined,  an  able 
minister  and  a  convincing  and  forceful  teacher, 
he  was  agreeable  and  pleasant  in  all  his  asso- 
ciations with  others.  There  were  none  so  high 
in  mental  attainments  or  worldly  position  but  he 
could  take  his  place  beside  them;  nor  none  so 
lowly  or  poor  but  he  would  mingle  with  them, 
always  putting  forth  some  helpful  suggestions 
and  an  encouraging  word.  Direct  in  his  lan- 
gu'age,  upright  and  honorable  in  all  his  deal- 
ings, he  acquired  a  following  of  true  friends 
who  deeply  and  sincerely  mourn  his  loss.  We 
may  mention  also  that  he  was  very  popular  with 
young  people,  having  joined  in  holy  wedlock 
fifteen  thousand  couples. 


CAPTAIN  WILLIAM  JOHNSON. 

Few,  if  any,  of  the  pioneer  lake  captains  and 
vessel  owners  had  a  wider  or  more  extended  ex- 
perience on  the  great  lakes  than  Captain  Johnson. 
From  the  age  of  14  he  had  been  a  sailor  or  been 
closely  identified  with  vessel  interests.  He  was 
born  near  Arendal,  Norway,  in  1836,  and  when 
14  years  of  age  he  went  as  a  cabin  boy  from 
that  place  and  for  five  years  sailed  on  the  Baltic, 
the  North  Sea,  and  the  Mediterranean;  also  sail- 
ing from  Christiania.  During  one  of  those  trips 
he  came  pretty  near  losing  his  life  by  drowning, 
in  the  harbor  of  St.  Tubas,  Portugal,  but"  was 
saved  by  a  Portuguese  who  peddled  fruit  and 
wine  among  the  vessels. 

In  1855  he  came  to  Chicago  and  at  once  en- 
tered the  employ  of  George  Steele,  who  owned 
a  number  of  vessels.  So  attached  had  Mr.  Steele 
become  to  the  young  sailor  that  Johnson  made 
his  home  with  his  employer  during  the  seven 


A  HISTORY   OF  THE  NORWEGIANS   OF  ILLINOIS 


successive   winters,  and   was  regarded  as  one  of 
the  family. 

From  the  time  that  he  entered  the  employ  of 
Steele,  in  1855,  Captain  Johnson's  career  on  the 
lakes  was  a  successful  one.  He  first  sailed  on 
the  schooner  St.  Lawrence,  where  he  remained 
two  seasons,  and  then  became  a  vessel  owner  by 
the  purchase  of  the  schooner  Fish  Hawk,  which 


Captain  William  Johnson. 

he  sailed  from  Chicago  and  which  was  engaged 
in  the  coasting  trade.  Two  years  later  he  bought 
the  schooners  Traveler  and  Richard  Mott,  and 
engaged  in  the  grain  trade.  During  the  same 
season  he  sold  the  Mott  and  purchased  the 
schooner  D.  O.  Dickenson.  This  vessel  he  sold 
in  1860,  and  the  same  season  bought  the  schoon- 
ers Paulina,  Magnolia  and  Rosa  Bell.  To  this 
fleet  he  afterward  added  the  schooners  Cecilia 
and  Ida,  and  was  largely  engaged  in  the  grain 
trade,  besides  carrying  lumber.  In  1870  he  built 
the  schooner  Lena  Johnson,  and  later  the  schoon- 
ers Clara,  Olga,  Alice  and  William  O.  Goodman. 
In  those  early  days  freights  on  the  lakes  were 
much  higher  than  now.  He  once  took  to  Buffalo, 
in  the  Magnolia.  9,000  bushels  of  corn  in  one 
cargo,  and  received  for  carrying  it  27  cents  per 
bushel.  It  was  a  large  cargo  for  that  time. 
Captain  Johnson  was  married,  in  1872,  to  Miss 


Eline  Theodora  Shoemaker,  who  was  also  born  \ 
in  Norway.  Her  portrait  appears  elsewhere  in 
this  volume.  They  had  five  children,  of  whom 
three  are  living.  Capt.  Johnson  built  a  fine  res- 
idence for  his  family  on  Hoyne  avenue,  near 
Wicker  Park,  and  invested  largely  in  other  real 
estate.  At  the  time  of  his  death,  in  1902,  he 
was  considered  the  wealthiest  Norwegian  in  Chi- 
cago. 

CHRISTIAN  JEVNE, 

A  pioneer  and  one  of  the  leading  wholesale  gro- 
cers of  Chicago,  died  March  17,  1898,  at  his  res- 
idence, 640  La  Salle  avenue.  He  had  been  a 
sufferer  from  kidney  trouble  for  a  long  time' 
Notwithstanding  his  illness,  he  continued  to  at- 
tend to  his  business,  visiting  the  office  at  least 


Christian  Jevne. 

once  a  week,  until  a  sudden  change  for  the  worse 
confined  him  to  his  bed. 

During  his  residence  of  thirty-four  years  in 
Chicago  Mr.  Jevne  never  figured  in  public  life. 
He  was  strictly  a  business  man,  made  successful 
by  his  own  untiring  efforts.  He  came  to  this 
country  a  poor  man,  and  was  enterprising  enough 
to  engage  in  business  for  himself  at  the  end  of 


THE  NORWEGIANS  IN  CHICAGO 


his  first  year  in  America.  The  big  fire  of  '71 
cleaned  him  out,  but  with  a  little  insurance  and 
1  his  "try  again"  spirit  he  soon  started  again  and 
did  business  at  the  old  place. 

He  was  born  Sept.  13,  1839,  at  Vang,  Norway, 
and  was  the  son  of  Hans  and  Martha  (Rommen) 
Jevne.  He  attended  both  public  and  private 
schools  and  received  a  liberal  education.  He 
entered  commercial  life  at  the  age  of  13  years, 
in  Norway,  as  a  clerk  for  his  uncle,  while  he 
still  continued  his  studies.  He  remained  there 
eleven  and  a  half  years,  becoming  successively 
bookkeeper  and  business  manager  of  the  house. 

He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1864.  His 
entry  into  business  here  was  as  a  clerk  for  the 
firm  of  Knowles  Bros.  He  remained  with  them 
only  until  the  latter  part  of  1864,  when  he  formed 
a  partnership  with  Henry  Parker  and  established 
himself  in  the  grocery  business.  After  one  year 
he  bought  Parker's  interest  and  established  him- 
self at  110-112  Madison  street.  In  1892  he  pur- 
chased the  property  at  109-111  Wabash  avenue, 
where  he  opened  a  branch  store,  but  did  not  con- 
tinue long. 

In  1870  he  was  married  to  Miss  Clara  Kluge. 
His  widow,  two  daughters  (Alma  M.  and  Clara 
C),  and  a  son  (Henry  M.)  survive.  He  also  left 
two  brothers  and  three  sisters  to  mourn  his  death 
—  Hans  Jevne,  a  prominent  merchant  of  Los 
Angeles,  Cal. ;  Charles  M.  Jevne,  the  well  known 
tea  merchant  on  Milwaukee  avenue,  Chicago; 
Mrs.  Anna  Berg  and  Mrs.  Karen  Hoff,  of  Dai- 
ton,  Minn.,  and  Mrs.  Christian  Erickson,  of  Wic- 
ker Park,  widow  of  Captain  Chr.  Erickson. 

BJ0RN  EDWARDS, 

Publisher,  and  builder  of  the  Lincoln  Park  Palace, 
was  killed  July  31,  1895,  by  falling  from  the  roof 
of  that  partly  finished  structure.  His  tragic  death 
was  an  abrupt  ending  of  a  romance  in  a  work- 
aday career. 

His  ambition  was  to  build  the  finest  apartment 
house  in  the  world.  The  construction  of  Lin- 
coln Park  Palace  was  to  be  the  realization  of 
that  ambition,  but  he  never  lived  to  see  it.  The 
building  rears  its  somber,  majestic  proportions 
above  its  surroundings,  and  it  is  a  monument  to 
the  struggles  and  trials  and  the  pride  of  the  man 
who  conceived  its  plans.  Edwards  was  the  editor 
and  publisher  of  the  American  Contractor.  In 
1892  he  began  the  work  of  building  this  apart- 
ment house.  The  site  is  in  the  midst  of  a  fashion- 
able residence  district,  just  north  of  Lincoln  Park. 
The  neighbors  objected  and  did  everything  they 
could  to  prevent  the  erection  of  an  apartment 


house  in  propinquity  to  private  mansions.  Ed- 
wards kept  at  work,  however,  and  as  construc- 
tion progressed  his  rich  neighbors  looked  on  in 
wonder.  He  built  in  jasper  of  two  shades.  The 
walls  within  and  without  were  made  of  steel  and 
stone.  When  they  were  finished,  tight  stories 
in  height,  they  proved  too  heavy  for  the  founda- 
tion, and  the  two  arches  over  the  doorways  were 
broken  by  the  settling  of  the  structure.  This 
was  the  beginning  of  his  troubles  with  the  build- 
ing, on  which  he  had  been  at  work  over  two 
years. 

The  neighbors  who  watched  the  progress  of 
construction  said  that  soon  afterward  he  began 
to  act  in  a  queer  way,  and  they  concluded  it  was 
evidence  of  a  disturbed  mind.  The  work  con- 
tinued in  a  halting  manner.  Edwards  was  always 
about,  watching  every  detail  of  the  work.  On 
the  day  mentioned,  as  usual,  he  was  going  about 
among  the  workmen,  making  suggestions  here 
and  there.  He  went  to  the  roof,  and  when  he 
approached  the  ladder  to  descend  stepped  on  a 
loose  scaffolding  board,  which  gave  way  under 
him  and  he  fell  to  the  basement,  eight  stories 
below.  He  was  picked  up  unconscious  and  taken 
to  the  Alexian  Brothers'  Hospital,  where  he  died 
two  hours  later. 

Edwards  was  born  in  Norway.  He  came  to 
America  when  a  boy  and  worked  on  a  Wisconsin 
farm.  Afterward  he  came  to  Chicago  and  did 
manual  labor  until  he  had  saved  enough  to  go  to 
school.  He  spent  several  years  at  theological 
seminaries  of  the  Lutheran  Church  in  Iowa  and 
elsewhere.  Then  he  became  a  book  agent.  In 
1886  he  bought  the  plant  of  a  trade  paper  and 
started  it  under  the  name  of  the  American  Con- 
tractor and  made  a  success  of  it.  He  left  a  wife 
and  three  children.  He  was  45  years  old  at  his 
death. 

Since  then  similar  apartment  buildings  have 
been  built  by  the  hundred  in  Chicago.  But  Ed- 
wards was  the  first  man  to  undertake  such  a 
work  on  a  large  scale.  By  comparing  his  build- 
ing, with  the  first  one  built  by  a  Norwegian  in 
Chicago,  that  by  Halstein  Torrison,  in  1843, 
where  the  Chicago  and  North-Western  Railroad 
depot  now  stands,  we  can  see  what  tremenduous 
strides  Chicago  has  made  in  sixty  years. 

OLE  A.  THORP, 

Founder  of  the  firm  O.  A.  Thorp  &  Co.  and  for 
twenty  years  its  head,  died  Jan.  25,  1905,  at  St. 
Mary's  Nazarite  Hospital,  after  an  operation  for 
an  abscess.  Mr.  Thorp  had  been  confined  to  his 


224 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS   OF   ILLINOIS 


bed. at  the  hospital  for  over  a  week,  but  had  be- 
gun to  improve,  and  his  death  was  a  surprise  to 
his  family  and  friends.  With  his  wife  he  had 
two  daughters. 

Mr.  Thorp  was  born  at  Eidsberg,  near  Chris- 
tiania,  Norway  in  1856.  He  came  to  Chicago  in 
1880  and  started  in  the  provision  importing  and 
exporting  trade.  For  twenty-five  years  he  was 


Ole  A.  Thorp. 

closely  associated  with  the  business  life  of  Chi- 
cago, a  member  of  various  public  bodies,  and  a 
well  known  citizen.  Early  in  his  career  he  con- 
ceived the  idea  of  shipping  cargoes  of  merchan- 
dise between  Europe  and  Chicago  direct,  and 
finally,  in  1892,  succeeded  in  bringing  the  Werge- 
land  from  Norway  with  a  cargo  of  fish,  which 
was  landed  at  Chicago,  and  the  ship  returned 
loaded  with  provisions.  Since  then  the  Xenia 
and  the  Craig  have  sailed  from  Europe  through 
the  St.  Lawrence  river  and  the  great  lakes  and 
landed  at  Chicago  direct. 

On  account  of  having  first  demonstrated  the 
feasibility  of  making  Chicago  a  port  for  Atlantic 
vessels,  Mr.  Thorp  was  made  a  member  of  the 
deep  waterways  commission.  King  Oscar  of 
Sweden  and  Norway  made  him  one  of  the  com- 
missioners to  the  World's  Columbian  Exposition 
at  Chicago,  in  1893,  and  decorated  him  with  the 
Order  of  St.  Olaf  in  1899. 


For  three  years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Chi-  . 
cago  board  of  education,  and  as  chairman  of  the 
buildings  and  grounds  committee  was  responsible 
for  many  important  acts  of  that  body.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  board  of  trade,  and  served  on 
its  arbitration  committee  for  several  years. 

Mr.  Thorp  interested  himself  in  charitable  pro- 
jects and  contributed  to  all  manner  of  charities 
in  a  quiet  way.  He  paid  particular  attention  to 
the  welfare  of  his  countrymen,  and  his  residence 
at  59  Columbia  place  was  known  to  nearly-every 
Norwegian  in  the  city. 

When  a  young  man  Mr.  Thorp  was  made 
traveling  agent  for  a  mercantile  house  in  Chris- 
tiania  and  traveled  all  over  the  Scandinavian 
peninsula.  He  came  to  New  York  when  24  years 
old,  and  less  than  a  year  later  to  Chicago. 

IVER  LARSEN, 

The  well  known  mechanic  and  pattern  maker, 
was  born  at  Bollstad,  Norway,  Nov.  2,  1829.  He 
learned  the  trade  of  a  millwright  and  miller  in" 


Iver  Larsen. 

Skien  and  came  to  America  when  twenty  years  of 
age,  aniving  in  New  York  after  a  stormy  voyage 
of  ten  weeks  on  a  sail  ship. 

He  came  to  Chicago  via  the  Erie  Canal  and  the 


NORWEGIAN  CHURCHES  IN  ILLINOIS 


225 


Lakes,  and  has  made  this  city  his  home  since. 
Being  an  expert  wood  turner  he  found  employ- 
ment immediately  upon  his  arrival  with  the  Phil- 
lips Chair  Company.  Subsequently  he  was  em- 
ploved  by  the  H.  A.  Pitte  Company,  the  invent- 
ors of  the  tracing  machine,  with  whom  he  re- 
mained for  nearly  a  quarter  of  a  century  or  until 
the  Chicago  fire,  in  1871,  when  the  whole  plant 
was  wiped  out. 

When  the  Pitte  Company  removed  to  Mar-, 
seilles,  111.,  Mr.  Larsen  preferred  to  remain  here 
and  in  the  following  year,  1872,  engaged  in  busi- 
ness for  himself,  as  a  pattern  and  model  maker, 
at  9  S.  Jefferson  street. 

In  1880  the  firm  of  Iver  Larsen  &  Son  was 
formed,  his  son  Lauritz  becoming  a  partner. 

Mr.  Iver  Larsen  was  married  in  Chicago  to 
Miss  Maren  Nelson  from  Skien,  Nov.  12,  1853. 
They  had  five  children:  Lauritz,  born  in  1854; 
Edward,  in  1858:  Albert,  in  1862;  Alba,  in  1865; 
and  Charles,  in  1867.  Of  these  Albert  and  Alba 
have  passed  away.  Edward  was  married  to.  Miss 
Minnie  Miller  of  Chicago  in  1881. 

Our  subject  departed  this  life  Nov.  16,  1905,  at 
the  age  of  76. 

Since  that  time  the  business  has  been  con- 
ducted by  his  two  sons,  Lauritz  and  Charles 
Larsen,  at  62-64  W.  Lake  street,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Iver  Larsen's  Sons.  Their  brother  Ed- 
ward is  superintendent  with  the  Robert  Tarrant 
Machine  Works. 

Iver  Larsen  was  one  of  the  charter  members 
of  the  old  Nora  Society,  and  was  at  the  time  of 
his  death  the  oldest  survivor. 


ULRICH  DANIELS, 

Assistant  cashier  of  the  Milwaukee  Avenue  State 
Bank,  is  a  native  of  Norway.  He  was  borri  at 
Stavanger,  Oct.  1,  1868.  His  father  was  Captain 
Aanon,  his  mother  Anna  (born  Nielson)  Daniel- 
sen. 

His  first  place  in  the  working  world  was  as 
messenger  for  the  Stavanger  Foundry  and  Dock 
Company,  in  1884;  from  1885  to  1889  he  was  em- 
ployed with  R.  N.  Ball  &  Rustad,  ship  brokers, 
Riga,  Russia,  as  clerk.  From  January,  1889  to 
June,  1890,  he  was  clerk  with  Consul  W.  J.  H. 
Taylor  at  Key  West,  Fla. 

He  came  from  Key  West  to  Chicago  the  same 
year  and  secured  a  position  as  book-keeper  with 
Paul  O.  Stensland  &  Co.,  which  firm  was  later 
incorporated  as  the  Milwaukee  Avenue  State 
Bank.  He  remained  with  the  bank  and  was 
promoted  from  time  to  time  until  1901,  when  he 
was  made  assistant  cashier,  which  position  he 


still  holds.  Mr.  Daniels  was  a  member  of  the 
Norwegian  Relief  Association;  for  a  long  time  a 
member  of  the  Tabitha  Hospital,  and  acted  as 
cashier  for  the  Northwestern  Branch.  He  made 


Ulrich  Daniels. 

many  friends  while  in  Florida.  He  is  a  Mason, 
being  a  member  of  Oriental  Lodge,  No.  33. 

Since   the   above   sketch   was   set   in   type,   Mr. 
Daniels  visited   Norway  where   he   died,  in   1906. 

ALBART  J.  ELVIG 

Was  born  in  South  Bergen,  Norway,  April  13, 
1842,  where  he  was  reared  until  17  years  old. 
At  the  age  of  16  years  he  graduated  with  honor 
from  the  schools  of  his  native  city,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year,  alone,  and  without  friends,  he  crossed 
the  Atlantic  to  America  and  located  in  Boston, 
where  he  secured  employment  as  a  clerk.  As  he 
had  been  reared  on  the  coast  and  had  been  dur- 
ing his  early  life  constantly  connected  with  ad- 
venturous seafaring  operations,  he  was  from  ex- 
perience quite  a  seaman.  Owing  to  this  fact  and 
his  natural  adaptability  and  good  character  he 
was  appointed  a  subordinate  officer  on  the  Mas- 
sachusetts, at  anchor  in  the  harbor  and  used  as 
a  reform  school  for  boys.  In  this  position  he 
served  with  credit  until  the  breaking  out  of  the 


226 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


rebellion,  when  he  promptly  enlisted  and  was  or- 
dered on  board  the  United  States  frigate  Mis- 
sissippi and  sent  to  Kev  West,  Fla.  Here  he 
was  transferred  to  the  gunboat  South  Carolina. 
He  continued  to  serve  the  Federal  Government 
in  the  naval  service  until  1863,  when  he  was  hon- 
orably .mustered  out  for  disability. 


He 


participated    in  many    severe   engage- 


Albart  J.  Elvig. 

ments  along  the  gulf  coast,  especially  at  New 
Orleans  and  Galveston.  By  reason  of  his  naval 
education  he  was  often  placed  in  charge  of  prize- 
ships.  He  was  severely  wounded  several  times, 
and  to  his  death  bore  deep  and  ragged  but  hon- 
orable scars.  He  took  a  gallant  part  in  the  war 
and  lived  to  learn  how  righteous  was  the  cause 
for  which  he  fought. 

In  1863  he  came  to  Chicago  and  began  the 
study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Kenney,  Peck  & 
Kenney,  in  which  he  continued  until  1869,  when 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  immediately 
opened  an  office,  and  from  that  day  to  his  death 
continued  to  practice  with  ever  increasing  suc- 
cess, giving  his  attention  chiefly  to  chancery  pro- 
ceedings, though  at  the  same  time  conducting-  a 
large  and  lucrative  general  practice. 

In  1866  he  married  Miss  Charlotte  Smith,  a 
native  of  Pennsylvania,  who  died  in  1879.  Mr. 


Elvig  accumulated  considerable  property  and  re- 
sided at  Western  Springs.  He  died  Febr.  16, 
1907. 

LOUIS  J.  LEE. 

The  organizer  and  senior  member  of  the   Lee 
Advertising    Company,    Chicago,    was    born    in 
Voss,  Norway,   Dec.  8,  1845.     The  names   of  his 
parents  were  Joseph  and   Brita,  old  residents  of 
Voss.     Mr.  Lee  spent  his  youth  in  the  country, 
attending  school,  graduating  later  from  the  high' 
school    at   Vossevangen.      His    first    active   work! 
in  life  was  as  a  member  of  the  assessing  board 
in  Voss   in  1876,  and   later  as  a  member  of  the 
school    board    and    the    council.      He    was    for   9 
number   of  years,   or   until   he   left   for   America, 
cashier   for   the    uifferent   branches    of   the   Voss  I 
commune. 

On  June  24,  1870,  he  was  married  to  Inger  J. 


Louij  J.  Lee. 

Lee,  a  distant  relative.  They  have  had  five  chil- 
dren, all  living;  Birdie  (Mrs.  F.  J.  Asche), 
Joseph,  Iver,  Nels  and  Anna.  Joseph  married 
Miss  Hulda  Halvorsen  in  1896.  His  three  sons 
— Joseph,  Iver  and  Nels  Lee — •  are  now  actively 
associated  with  him  in  the  advertising  business. 
Mr.  Lee  came  to  America  in  1887,  coming  direct 
to  Chicago.  He  secured  a  position  on  Skan- 


THE  NORWEGIANS  IN  CHICAGO 


22T 


dinaven  and  was  for  seven  years  connected 
with  that  paper  in  various  capacities,  the  last 
three  years  as  cashier.  He  then,  with  his  three 
sons,  organized  the  Lee  Advertising  Company, 
now  located  in  the  Unity  Building,  79-81  Dear- 
born street,  Chicago,  and  referred  to  more  fully 
in  another  part  of  this  history. 

Mr.  Lee  has  never  sought  or  .held  any  pub- 
lic office  in  this  country.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church  and  contributes  occasionally 
to  worthy  charities.  The  family  resides  at  1302 
Winona  avenue. 

Since  the  above  was  written  Mr.  Lee  died,  Dec. 
11,  1906. 


BERENT  M.  WOLD 

Was  born  at  Bergen,  Norway,  in  1840.  He  was 
a  cabinetmaker  by  trade  and  came  to  Chicago  in 
1861  working  his  passage  as  steward  on  the  sail- 


ing vessel  "Sleipner,"  which  was  the  first  ship  to 
sail  directly  from  Norway  to  Chicago. 

Arrived  in  Chicago  he  at  first  worked  at  his 
trade  and  later  went  into  the  undertaking  busi- 
ness, first  on  the  North  Side  and  then  on  Grand 
avenue.  He  continued  with  this  for  about  forty 
years,  or  until  in  1904,  when  he  sold  the  business 
to  his  son  Bennie  and  nephew  Albert  Wold  and 
retired  from  active  work. 

He  was  first  married  about  40  years  ago  to- 
Miss  Josephine  Hansen,  also  a  native  of  Bergen. 
Of  their  children  the  following  are  living:  Mrs. 
Charles  Kling,  Mrs.  P.  Madsen,  Mrs.  J.  W. 
Hertz,  Mrs.  H.  A.  Hauge,  and  one  son  Bennie 
Wold.  Mrs.  Wold  died  about  29  years  ago  and 
three  years  later  Mr.  Wold  was  married  to  Miss 
Margarete  Stange  who  survives  him. 

Mr.  Wold  departed  this  life  August  29,  1906, 
and  was  buried  on  Mount  Olive  Cemetery.  He 
was  a  brother  of  Messrs.  Torris  Wold  and  Chris- 
tian Wold,  Chicago;  and  Miss  Marie  Wold, 
Bergen. 


SOME  MEMORABLE  EVENTS  IN  THE 
HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGI- 
ANS IN  CHICAGO 


A  commendable  trait  of  the  Norwegian  is  his 
love  for  his  forefathers'  land  and  ever  since  the 
first  emigrants  established  themselves  in  Chicago, 
Norway's  day  of  independence  has  been  faith- 
fully celebrated.  On  May  17,  1814,  Norway 
adopted  its  present  constitution  and  again  tool? 
its  place  in  the  world's  family  of  nations.  This 
day  thus  carries  a  sacred  significance  to  the 
American  citizen  of  Norwegian  descent,  which  in 


importance  is  outshone  alone  by  the  Independ- 
ence day  of  his  adopted  country.  But  May  17th, ! 
"Syttende  Mai,"  has  not  been  the  only  day  upon 
which  the  Norwegians  of  Chicago  have  had  good 
cause  to  display  enthusiasm.  They  have  had 
other  good  reasons  for  celebrating.  Events  in 
their  progress  have  occurred  which  are  really 
memorable  and  of  which  we  are  able  to  relate 
only  a  few  in  our  limited  space. 


DR.  FRIDTJOF  NANSEN'S  VISIT 

Furnished  the  Norwegians  of  Chicago  with  a 
splendid  opportunity  to  exhibit  their  patriotic  en- 
thusiasm. After  his  return  from  the  Polar  re- 
gions the  great  explorer  was  induced  to  make  a 
lecture  trip  throughout  the  United  States,  and  he 
came  to  Chicago  at  5  o'clock  p.  m.  on  Nov. 
17,  1897. 

Even  a  more  prosaic  man  than  the  Norwegian 
scientist  might  have  been  lifted  to  exhilarating 
mental  heights  by  the  events  of  the  reception  ac- 
corded him.  When  he  alighted  at  the  Illinois 
Central  depot  he  was  met  by  his  own  people  of 
the  Norseland,  and  a  king  might  have  envied  him 
his  reception.  In  few  lands,  indeed,  and  in  none 
of  the  Western  hemisphere,  would  a  monarch 
have  been  honored  as  was  the  simple,  sailor-ap- 
pearing man  who  seemed  to  stand  almost  in  awe 
before  the  surging,  jubilant  human  throng,  and 
who  diffidently  removed  his  cap  of  beaver  fur  at 


the  first  sound  of  a  cheer.  Pride  and  love  were 
in  the  welcome  —  pride  of  a  race  in  its  own 
achievements;  love  for  the  man  who  was  the  in- 
strument of  national  renown.  The  first  ardor 
found  its  vent  in  song,  and  with  sturdy,  patriotic 
volume  the  chorus  flung  forth  into  the  space  of 
the  depot  rotunda:  "Ja,  vi  elsker  dette  Landet." 
The  man  whose  polar  exploit  was  the  cause  of 
the  burning  enthusiasm  flushed  as  the  song  con- 
tinued, but  his  eye  kindled  and  his  frame  seemed 
even  to  grow  higher  than  his  6  feet  2  inches 
which  it  can  claim  of  right.  He  felt  the  spirit 
of  the  song  and  of  the  singers  and  he  tasted  the 
joys  of  adoration.  The  proof  that  he  was  not 
spoiled  by  them  came  later,  when  after  his  lec- 
ture he  stood  at  Battery  D  in  the  center  of  a 
crowd  which  almost  equaled  that  of  the  depot 
and  of  the  lecture,  and  shook  hands  courteously 
with  each  one  who  approached  him.  The  modesty 
of  the  man  was  displayed  too  in  the  lecture  itself. 


228 


MEMORABLE  EVENTS 


229 


Few  times  during  its  whole  course  did  he  speak 
of  himself,  and  often   he  spoke  of  his  comrades 
by  name. 
The  welcome  at  the  depot  had  besides  its  indi- 


on  time  the  visitor  was  to  have  been  escorted 
through  the  down-town  streets  at  the  head  of  a 
procession,  but,  owing  to  the  delay,  he  was  taken 
immediately  to  the  Auditorium  Hotel.  There,  in 


Dr.  Fridtjof  Nansen. 


vidual  genuineness  more  than  a  tinge  of  ceremon- 
ial. The  Norwegian  societies  of  the  city  were 
there  in  uniform,  with  standards,  and  there  were 
marshals  and  committees.  Had  the  arrival  been 


the  lobby,  Dr.  Nansen  spoke  his  first  public 
words  within  Chicago's  precincts.  His  brief  ad- 
dress of  thanks  came  in  response  to  words  of 
welcome  extended  him  in  behalf  of  the  Norweg- 


230 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


ians  of  Chicago  by  H.  O.  Oppedahl,  and  in 
thanks  for  the  freedom  of  the  city  tendered  him 
by  Dr.  Howard  G.  Taylor  as  the  representative 
of  Mayor  Harrison.  The  phrases  that  fell  from 
the  explorer's  lips  were  sweet  to  his  fellow  coun- 
trymen. 

"I  thank  you,  my  countrymen,"  he  said,  "for 
the  welcome  you  have  given  me  in  this  great 
Western  city.  I  know  that  your  sympathy  has 
gone  out  to  comrades  and  myself  in  our  endeavor 
to  carry  the  colors  of  Norway  northward,  and  I 
am  proud  to  have  the  feeling.  I  am  proud,  too, 
to  know  that  in  this  country  and  ci.ty  you  form 
so  large  a  part  of  the  people,  and  I  am  prouder 
still  to  know  that  you  are  good  citizens.'  I  thank 
you  and  the  mayor  and  all  who  stand  before  me 
for  the  warmth  of  your  welcome." 

Dr.  Nansen  spoke  from  the  elevation  of  a  stair- 
way, towering  also  above  those  who  stood  on  his 
own  level.  He  looked  the  explorer,  for  his  coat 
was  of  the  sailor  peajacket  kind,  chinchilla  in 
cloth  and  trimmed  at  the  neck  and  about  the 
wrists  with  beaver  fur.  He  was  seen  at  that 
close  distance  to  far  better  advantage  than  when, 
in  the  evening  he  appeared  on  the  lecture  plat- 
form in  conventional  evening  dress.  He  looked 
more  than  36  years,  for  the  arctic  clime  had 
wrinkled  his  face  and  thinned  his  hair.  A  mo- 
ment he  stood  silent  when  his  response  was  done 
and  in  that  moment  the  repose  of  his  countenance 
was  displayed  at  true  advantage,  sober,  thought- 
ful, not  quite  stern.  At  the  salvo  of  cheers,  the 
hearty  American  three  times  and  a  tiger,  the  face 
lightened  and  traces  of  fatigue  vanished.  He  lis- 
tened with  eagernes  to  the  song  "America,"  which 
was  sung  at  the  last,  and  the  student  in  him 
recognized  it  as  the  national  hymn  before  the 
first  strain  echoed  back  from  the  pillars. 

The  Auditorium  presented  at  8  o'clock  a  ser- 
ried vision  of  human  forms,  stretching  away  tier 
on  tier  from  parquet  to  gallery  and  from  gallery 
to  highest  balcony.  Nowhere  was  there  a  vacant 
seat.  Dr.  Nansen,  accompanied  by  his  secretary, 
Lionel  Claphau,  and  by  President  W.  R.  Harper 
of  Chicago  University,  appeared  upon  the  plat- 
form at  8:15  o'clock. 

The  lecturer  proceeded  with  the  telling  of  how 
his  plans  matured,  of  how  the  expedition  started 
on  June  13,  1893,  and  of  how  the  ship  was  finally 
locked  in  the  ice  fields  north  of  Siberia.  The 
labors  of  the  men  on  board  and  their  pleasures 
were  described,  the  former  being  chiefly  scientific. 
Not  a  man  of  the  crew  ever  suffered  a  day's 
sickness  during  the  three  years  of  absence.  Of 
colds  they  knew  nothing,  for  germs  do  not  thrive 
in  arctic  temperatures.  The  poet  and  the  dreamer 


of  the  explorer's  nature  showed  in  his  word  por-  . 
trayal  of  the  atmospheric  scenes  and  colorings  of 
the  long  polar  day  and  the  longer  polar  night. 

What  he  said  was  illustrated  with  stereopticon 

views  that  sent  cold  chills  down  the  backs  of  all 

who  saw  them.    Dreary  expanses  of  white,  rugged 

ice   floes,  moons  that  looked  like  a  hopeless   in- 

.'jebriate's  vision,  variations  of  the  aurora  borealis, 

shaggy  dogs,  ferocious  bears,  unwieldy  walruses, 

and  all  that  goes  to  make  up  the  charm  of  polar 

"exi'jtence,  were  :.vividly  portrayed,  and  the  com- 

"fortably  dressed,   well   fed   people    who    listened 

shuddered   as   they  thought  of  all   the   hardships 

that  the  intrepid  explorer  must  have  experienced. 

The  tale  was  simply  told.     There  was  no  attempt 

to  magnify  the  perils  of  the  hazardous  journey,  ' 

and   there   was   little     need.    The    barest    recital   ! 

would  have  been  considered  harrowing  enough. 

The  various  Norwegian  societies  had  been  mak- 
ing arrangements  for  the  reception  of  their  coun- 
tryman for  weeks.  The  most  prominent  Nor- 
wegians in  the  city  took  the  matter  in  hand. 
The  immense  Battery  D  hall  was  festooned  with 
flags  and  flowers.  Norwegian  flags  were  put  up 
in  a  hundred  places.  An  immense  painting,  rep- 
resenting a  ship  betwe'en  icebergs,  stood  con- 
spicuously on  the  stage. 

It  was  11  o'clock  when  Dr.  Nansen  made  his 
appearance.  He  finished  his  lecture  at  the  Audi- 
torium and  drove  immediately  to  the  hall.  His 
appearance  in  the  doorway  was  the  signal  for 
shouting.  The  band  played  the  Norwegian  na- 
tional air,  cries  of  "Brayo  Nansen!"  came  from 
5,000  throats,  and  then,  after  silence  had  been 
secured,  the  arctic  explorer  was  introduced. 

He  spoke  in  Norwegian  for  ten  minutes  and 
thanked  his  countrymen  for  their  welcome.  It  be- 
ing very  late,  he  complained  of  being  tired,  and 
begged  his  audience  to  be  lenient  with  him  and 
forgive  him  for  not  speaking  at  greater  length. 
More  than  twenty  speakers  followed. 

Nansen  left  the  next  day  for  Milwaukee,  but 
returned  on  the  following  Tuesday  to  attend  a 
banquet  given  at  the  Auditorium  Hotel  in  his 
honor.  On  this  occasion  he  was  the  guest  of 
nearly  200  enthusiastic  fellow-countrymen.  Nor- 
wegian -patriotism  and  sentiment  filled  the  ban- 
quet hall  with  eloquence  and  song.  Mayor  Har- 
rison was  among  the  prominent  citizens  present. 
The  sons  of  the  Norsemen  had  gathered  from 
many  states  to  meet  and  dine  with  their  coun- 
try's hero. 

Dr.  Nansen's  final  lecture  was  given  at  the 
Auditorium  on  Nov.  27. 

As  it  may  be  interesting  for  future  generations 
to  read  about  this  great  reception  for  Dr.  Nan- 


MEMORABLE  EVENTS 


231 


sen,  we  also  give  the  names  of  the  members  on 
the  reception  committee 

The  Reception  Committee. 


Rev.  Mr.  Kildahl 
Rev.  Torgersen 
Rev.  Treider 
Rev.  Torrison 
Rev.  Haakonson 
Rev.  A.  Johnson 
H.   Nordahl 
M.  Losby 
Anton  Krog 
Capt.  Erickson 
O.  A.  Thorp 
C.  R.  Matson 
K.  B.  Olson 

0.  C.   Ericksen 
P.  O.  Stensland 
H.  A.   Haugan 

1.  Andersen 
A.  Bruun 

S.  Thorson 
N.  Arneson 
H.  L.  Dahl 
John  Anderson 
N.  Grevstad 
K.  Edwards 
John   Blegen 
S.  T.  Gunderson 
Fr.  Asche 
O.  Severson 
S.   Asbjornsen 
Emil   Bjorn 
Dr.  A.  Doe 
Dr.  B.  Meyer 
Dr.  Urheim 
Dr.  Sandberg 
Dr.  Quales 
Dr.  Lee 
Dr.  Lawson 
Dr.   Hektoen 


Dr.  Torrison 
Dr.  N.  Nelson 
Dr.  Lindos 
Dr.  Warloe 
Dr.  Oyen 
Dr.  Holmboe 
Olsen   Skaaden 
J.  Gullakson 
Tom  Olson 
M.  Kirkeby 

A.  P.  Johnson 
Nils  Johnson 
C.  Jevne 

Capt.  W.  Johnson 
Atty.   Richolson 
Atty.   Elwig 
Atty.  Torrison 
Atty.  A.  Johnson 
Atty.  F.  H.  Gade 
Chr.  Ilseng 
Capt.  Michelsen 
O.  C.  Hansen 
H.  L.  Andersen 
John  Jersin 
H.   B.   Hanson 
O.  C.  S.  Olson 
Knud  Larsen 
Mr.  Holt 
Mr.  Holmboe 
Mr.  Bodtker 
E.   L.  Heidenr'eich 
Hans  Olson 

B.  O.  Kindley 
E.  A.  Smith 
John  Ovresat 
A.  Petterson 
Torris  Wold. 


THE  VIKING  SHIP  AT  THE  WORLD'S 
FAIR. 

Although  there  is  hardly  to  be  found  in  the 
United  States  or  elsewhere  a  Norwegian  who 
has  the  least  doubt  that  one  of  their  countrymen 
really  had  settled  in  America  about  five  hundred 
years  before  Columbus  ever  saw  these  shores, 
still  the  Yankees  and  others  considered  the  nar- 
rative of  Leif  Erickson's  famous  trip  in  the  light 
of  a  saga  which  had  sprung  up  in  the  fertile 
brain  of  some  ultrapatriotic  skald.  This  fact 


nettled  the  Norwegians  of  this  country,  and, 
through  the  press,  their  countrymen  at  home, 
and  it  appears  that  they  were  only  waiting  for 
a  chance  to  prove  their  assertion  with  deeds, 
which  of  course  would  be  the  best  and  most 
convincing  way  to  treat  the  practical  but  skep- 
tical Americans.  A  great  Viking  ship  had  been 
found  in  a  mound  at  G^kstad  and  preserved  in  the 
Museum  of  Christiania.  Here  was  a  model  as 
good  as  could  be  desired,  and  the  chance  to 
prove  what  could  be  done  with  such  a  vessel 
occurred  when  the  directors  of  the  World's  Fair 
asked  the  Norwegian  Government  to  lend  it  as 
an  exhibit  for  this  grand  occasion. 

The  Norwegian  Government,  however,  did  not 
look  with  favor  upon  parting  with  such  a  na- 
tional treasure,  but  then  the  bold  Captain  Mag- 
nus Andersen  came  forward  with  the  proposition 
that  a  national  subscription  be  taken  up  in  Nor- 
way to  defray  the  expense  of  building  and  fitting 
out  an  exact  counterpart  of  the  Gizfkstad  ship. 
He  offered  to  sail  the  sa^cne  when  ready  across 
the  Atlantic  and  by  the  canals  and  Great  Lakes 
.to  the  World's  Fair  at  Chicago,  thus  demonstrat- 
ing that  the  Norwegians  were  not  preposterous 
nor  exaggerating  in  their  claims  to  have  been  the 
first  Europeans  to  discover  this  continent. 

The  necessary  amount  was  subscribed,  the 
vessel  built,  and  Captain  Andersen  set  sail  for 
Vinland. 

As  the  Viking  ship  was  one  of  the  most  re- 
markable exhibits  at  the  World's  Fair,  far  ex- 
ceeding in  interest  the  three  Spanish  caravels, 
which  were  counterparts  of  the  flotilla  in  which 
Columbus  sailed,  and  as  the  Norwegians  all  over 
the  United  States  took  more  pride  in  their  Vik- 
ing ship  than  in  all  the  other  splendid  exhibits 
of  their  mother  country  combined,  we  feel  just- 
ified in  giving  a  more  explicit  account  of  it  than 
would  else  be  proportionate  in  this  volume. 

Captain  Andersen's  life  from  boyhood  was  a 
romance  of  the  sea.  He  was  born  in  1857  in  the 
little  fishing  village  of  Laurvig.  His  father  was 
a  master  marine  and  he  received  only  a  common 
peasant's  education.  Even  that  was  hard  to  get, 
for  when  Magnus  was  4  years  old  his  father  left 
presumably  for  the  United  States  and  was  never 
heard  of  afterward.  Then  the  care  of  the  family 
fell  upon  the  mother.  Shi  had  an  inherent  hor- 
ror of  the  sea  and  of  America,  as  it  was  sup- 
posed that  the  father  of  Andersen  had  enlisted 
in  the  Federal  Navy  and  had  suffered  death. 
When  young  Andersen  was  15  his  mother  had 
him  apprenticed  as  a  stable  boy  in  the  hope  that 
he  would  follow  the  horses  instead  of  the  sea. 
But  the  boy  was  made  of  sterner  stuff,  and  after 


238 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


four  months'  service  he  shook  off  the-  cares  of 
a  sedentary  life  and  ran  away  to  sea  in  the  ship 
Harald,  a  general  merchantman  bound  for  China 
and  the  East  India  trade.  Andersen  made  the 
voyage,  and  upon  his  return  passed  perfectly  an 
examination  in  seamanship  before  the  Norweg- 
ian Navigation  Board.  Then  he  remained  another 
year  before  the  mast,  after  which  he  received  his 
first  appointment,  as  second  mate.  When  19  he 
was  made  first  officer  of  the  same  vessel,  and 
when  only  22  he  was  placed  in  command. 


hands  to  depend  upon.  He  shipped  as  second 
mate  aboard  the  Mary  Lank,  of  Philadelphia. 
She  was  a  threemasted  schooner  and  little  to  the 
taste  of  the  Norseman,  so  he  soon  resigned  to 
go  on  board  the  Iceberg,  Capt.  Canter,  of  Sears- 
port,  Me.  On  this  vessel  he  made  several  trips 
to  China  and  the  Orient,  and  distinguished  him- 
self for  personal  bravery  as  well  as  seamanship. 
Upon  his  return  to  Boston,  in  1886,  he  decided 
to  give  up  seafaring.  But  he  also  had  a  pet 
theory  that  he  determined  to  demonstrate  prac- 


The  Viking  Ship  at  the  World's  Fair. 


About  this  time  young  Andersen  felt  an  ir- 
resistible longing  to  journey  to  America,  there 
to  search  for  his  long  absent  father.  His  mother 
died  about  the  same  time,  and,  having  no  longer 
any  ties  to  bind  him,  he  left  with  his  brother 
for  New  York.  Together  they  tried  to  find  their 
father.  Failing  in  this,  the  brother  took  passage 
for  the  Bering  Straits  upon  a  whaling  voyage, 
but  never  reached  the  fishing  grounds,  as  he  was 
eaten  by  a  shark  while  bathing  at  Valparaiso. 
This  left  Captain  Andersen  with  nothing  but  his 
forefather's  reputation  for  adventure  and  his  two 


ticaily  before  bidding  a  final  farewell  to  the  briny 
deep.  Capt.  Andersen  had  noted  that  the  average 
sailor  put  little  dependence  in  the  lifeboats  with 
which  their  vessels  were  supplied.  The  men  held 
the  opinion  that  once  the  vessel  sank  it  was 
useless  to  place  any  hopes  of  being  saved  in 
the  ship's  small  boats.  Capt.  Andersen  felt  that 
this  was  an  error.  He  held  that  a  properly  built 
boat  was  as  capable  of  living  in  as  much  sea  as 
even  the  largest  vessels.  With  this  project  in 
his  mind  he  organized  an  expedition  from  Nor- 
way to  America  in  an  open  boat.  It  was  the 


INDUSTRY    AND    FINANCE 


233 


first  trip  of  the  kind  ever  undertaken.  Open 
boats  had  passed  from  America  to  Europe  be- 
fore, but  never  vice  versa,  against  wind  and  cur- 
rent. Taking  with  him  seaman  Christiansen,  who 
later  became  second  mate  of  the  Viking,  he 
started  in  a  thirty-foot  boat  across  the  Atlantic. 
It  took  them  sixty  days  to  reach  the  banks  of 
Newfoundland.  They  were  capsized  three  times 
en  route.  After  this  Captain  Andersen  quit  the 
sea.  He  went  to  New  York  and  founded  the 
Norwegian  Sailors'  Home,  which  has  grown  to 
such  an  extent  that  it  contains  over  150  beds. 

In  1890  he  originated  the  idea  of  the  Viking 
ship  and  went  over  to  Norway  and  started  the 
movement,  at  the  same  time  founding  the  Nor- 
wegian Shipping  Journal.  He  left  Bergen  April 
30,  1893,  on  the  Viking  with  a  picked  crew,  and, 
as  is  well  known,  sailed  that  vessel  safe  to  Chi- 
cago. The  sailors  had  a  great  trip:  no  accidents 
or  mishaps  of  any  kind.  Everywhere  along  tjie 
route  the  Viking  met  with  great  demonstrations. 
The  Americans  were  more  enthusiastic  than  the 
Norwegians  in  their  interest.  That  seems  a  little 
strange,  but  was  nevertheless  true. 

When  the  Viking  was  approaching  Chicago 
she  was  met  by  a  flotilla  of  pleasure  yachts  and 
excursion  steamers  near  Evanston.  On  the 
steamer  City  of  Duluth  were  a  city  council  com- 
mittee headed  by  the  elder  Mayor  Carter  H. 
Harrison,  and  on  the  Ivanhoe  were  members  of 
the  reception  committee  with  Commissioner- 
General  Ravn  and  the  Norwegian  World's  Fair 
commissioners.  Norwegian  societies  were  of 
course  present  in  force.  They  filled  half  a  dozen 
steamers. 

When  the  Chicago  flotilla  reached  the  waiting 
Viking  there  was  a  mighty  roar  of  salutes.  Flags 
were  dipped  and  the  Norsemen  brought  their 
boat  alongside  the  Ivanhoe,  where  they  were 
welcomed  by  Mayor  Harrison  and  Commissioner- 
General  Ravn.  After  an  interchange  of  courte- 
sies the  fleet  started  southward,  the  dragon  ship 
in  the  place  of  honor.  The  columns  were  formed 
as  follows: 


Restless 
Thistle 
Volanta 
Zero 


Adele 
Peerless 
Comanche 
Grace. 


The  Viking 

Michigan 

Argo 

Buena 

Cudahy 

Catherine 

Gryphon 

Hindo 

Glad  Tidings 

Mino 

Ruinart 


Blake 

Tvanhoe 

City  of  Duluth 

Cyclone 

Gordon 

Chief  Justice   Waite 

Music 

International 

Romeo 

Post  Boy 

Josie   Davidson 


When  the  fleet  arrived  off  Van  Buren  street 
Mayor  Harrison  and  the  council  committee 
boarded  the  little  Viking  ship,  and  Mayor  Har- 
rison gave  Captain  Andersen  and  his  gallant 
crew  the  freedom  and  hospitality  of  the  city. 

In  half  an  hour  the  journey  to  the  Fair  was 
resumed,  the  Viking  manned  with  oarsmen  whose 
great  muscles  made  her  skim  through  the  water 
at  a  wonderfully  rapid  rate. 

At  the  World's  Fair  hundreds  of  little  electric 
launches  and  pleasure  boats  came  out  to  wel- 
come the  sturdy  Viking.  Cannon  boomed,  whis- 
tles blew,  and,  the  thousands  of  sightseers  who 
had  gathered  along  the  shore  cheered  vigorously. 

Director-General  Davis  and  a  number  of 
World's  Fair  officials  took  the  Captain  and  the 
crew  off  the  Viking  ship  and  welcomed  them  to 
the  Fair.  This  was  followed  by  a  reception  in 
the  Administration  Building,  to  which  the  chiefs 
of  departments  and  other  officials  were  invited. 

Captain  Andersen  was  in  port. 


During  the  following  days  Capt.  Andersen  and 
his  gallant  crew  were  the  most  celebrated  visit- 
ors at  the  Fair.  It  was  only  natural  that  their 
own  countrymen  were  the  most  generously  en- 
thusiastic. They  demonstrated  their  elated  feel- 
ings in  banquets,  receptions  and  all  kinds  of 
festivities  without  number. 


After  the  Fair  the  question  arose  what  dis- 
position should  be  made  of  the  Viking  ship. 
That  it  ought  to  be  preserved  in  some  manner 
was  the  opinion  of  every  Norwegian-American. 
Consequently  a  subscription  of  $5,000  was  taken 
up,  the  ship  bought  for  the  amount  and  donated 
to  the  Field  Columbian  Museum  in  Jackson 
Park,  where  it  still  can  be  seen. 

NORWAY  AT  THE  CHICAGO  WORLD'S 
FAIR. 

It  may  be  recalled  that  the  various  countries 
and  states  which  were  exhibitors  at  the  World's 
Columbian  Exposition  each  had  a  day  set  aside 
for  celebration  within  the  grounds.  As  Nor- 
way's representatives  could  choose  their  own 
date  for  "Norway's  Day,"  it  was  but  natural  that 


234 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


they  selected  May  17,  which  they  have  every- 
where celebrated  as  their  national  holiday.  "Den 
syttende  Mai"  (May  17)  is  to  the  sons  of  Nor- 
way what  the  Fourth  of  July  is  to  all  true  and 
patriotic  Americans,  both  natives  and  naturalized. 
Thousands  of  the  flaxen-haired,  ruddy-cheeked 
Norsemen  with  their  wives  and  children  were  on 
the  ground.  Before  the  gates  were  opened  on 
the  17th  of  May,  1893,  a  great  crowd  of  impa- 
tient people  were  waiting  to  pass  through  the 
turnstiles,  and  all  day  long  they  were  pouring 
into  the  park  in  streams.  The  dedication  of  the 
Norwegian  building  and  exhibit  was  the  chief 
attraction  of  the  day,  but  the  fact  that  the  17th 
of  May  is  their  national  anniversary  lent  addi- 
tional interest  to  the  occasion.  Many  prominent 
Norwegian-Americans  from  Wisconsin,  Minne- 
sota, the  Dakotas,  Michigan  and"  other  states 
joined  with  their  brethren  in  Illinois  in  making 
the  event  one  long  to  be  remembered  and  talked 
of. 

Under  the  direction  of  Chief  Marshal  E.  C. 
Christensen  a  procession  of  societies  was  formed 
at  the  north  end  of  the  terminal  station  and 
marched  north  past  the  Transportation  Building 
to  Festival  Hall,  where  the  exercises  were  held. 
The  procession  was  made  up  in  the  following 
order: 

Platoon  of  police. 

Bicycle  club.     Fifty  members. 

Band. 

Scandinavian  Workingmen,  No.  1,  700  strong. 

Scandinavian  Workingmen,  No.  10. 

Norwegian   Rifle   Club. 

Band. 

Nora  Lodge,  No.  1,  R.  H.  K. 

Leif  Erikson  Lodge,  No.  15,  R.   H.  K. 

Tordenskjold  Lodge,  No.  15,  R.  H.   K. 

Band. 

Northern  Light  K.  &  L.  of  H. 

Freia  Lodge  K.  &  L.  of  H. 

Nordfaelles  Supreme  Lodge. 

Court  Normania. 

Band. 

Good  Templar  Lodge. 

Scandinavian  Carpenters'  Union. 

Carriages  with  invited  guests. 

At  two  o'clock  Festival  Hall,  which  had  a  seat- 
ing capacity  of  8,000  and  standing  room  for  2,000 
more,  was  literally  packed  to  the  doors,  and 
thousands  of  disappointed  Norwegians  were  left 
outside,  unable  to  hear  or  see  anything  of  the 
interesting  proceedings  in  the  hall.  The  cele- 
bration began  with  the  singing  of  the  Norwegian 
national  hymn,  "Ja,  vi  elsker  dette  landet  (Yes 


We  Love  This  Land).  As  every  Norwegian 
knows  the  song  by  heart,  its  singing  by  the  as- 
sembled thous-ands  made  such  music  as  the  walls 
of  Festival  Hall  had  not  before  echoed.  Prof. 
Julius  Olsen  of  the  University  of  Wisconsin  then 
made  an  address  on  "Our  Day  of  Independence," 
which  was  received  by  the  great  audience  with 
every  evidence  of  enthusiasm.  Americans  all,  they 
were  for  the  time  being  patriotic  Norwegians. 

More  music  was  then  in  order,  and  Mrs.  Anna 
Smith  Behrens  appeared  to  sing  some  of  the 
songs-  of  the  fatherland,  accompanied  by  Mrs.  I 
Dr.  Karl  Sandberg.  Her  selections  included 
"The  Boy  and  the  Fairy"  (by  Otto  Winter- 
Hjelm),  "Wandering  in  the  Forest"  (Edward 
Grieg),  and  "On  the  Mountain"  (Halfdan  Kje- 
rulf).  Then  Hon.  Rasmus  B.  Anderson  appeared 
to  speak  of  "Norway"  from  the  standpoint  of  a 
loyal  and  patriotic  son,  and  when  the  applause 
which  greeted  his  eloquent  periods  had  subsided, 
the  Exposition  orchestra,  under  the  leadership  of 
Theodore  Thomas,  played  several  selections 
from  Grieg's  "Peer  Gynt." 

Hon.  Nils  P.  Haugan  was  the  next  speaker  in- 
troduced, and  his  topic,  "Norwegians  in  the 
United  States,"  was  handled  very  cleverly.  Miss 
Signe  Hille  then  sang,  "To  My  Heart's  Queen" 
(Agathe  Backer-Gr^ndahl),  "My  Treasure"  (Kje- 
rulf),  and  "A  Vision"  (Grieg).  Ingolf  K.  Boyesen 
followed  with  a  talk  on  "America  and  the  Expo- 
sition." The  orchestra  closed  the  program  with 
a  collection  of  Norwegian  folk  songs  and  rhap- 
sodies by  Johann  Svendsen.  The  exercises 
seemed  to  be  thoroughly  enjoyed  by  the  great 
crowd  which  remained  in  attendance  to  the  last 
and  was  unstinted  in  its  applause.  After  the  cere- 
monies the  Norwegians  and  their  friends  scat- 
tered through  the  grounds  and  buildings,  which 
were  kept  open  that  night  until  eleven  o'clock. 
The  Court  of  Honor  was  illuminated,  and  Direc- 
tor Burnham  had  ordered  the  electric  fountain 
to  play. 

NORWAY'S  PAVILION. 

On  account  of  a  midocean  accident  to  the 
steamer  Hekla,  the  formal  opening  of  Norway's 
Pavilion  in  the  Manufactures  Building  was  de- 
layed. Ten  cases  of  goods,  containing  among 
other  things  all  the  flags,  were  known  to  be  on 
the  road,  but  no  trace  could  be  found  of  them 
when  they  were  most  wanted.  The  barriers 
were,  however,  taken  down  for  the  formal  open- 
ing of  the  exhibit,  at  which  among  others  the 
following  were  present: 

Chr.   Ravn,  royal  commissioner-general. 


MEMORABLE  EVENTS 


235 


Anders   C.  Berle,  secretary  royal  commission. 

Torolf  Prytz,  commissioner  of  manufactures 
for  Norway. 

Mrs.   G.   Emerson,  manager. 

James  Allison,  chief  of  Manufactures  Building. 

Frank  P.  Williams,  assistant  chief  of  Manu- 
factures Building. 

Willard  A.  Smith,  chief  of  Transportation 
Building. 

The  9,000  square  feet  occupied  by  Norway 
were  on  the  east  side  of  the  main  aisle  near  the 
south  entrance. 

The  exhibit  was  dual,  for  the  liberal  arts  as 
well  as  manufactures  were  represented.  In  the 
rear  of  the  section  an  elevated  platform  was 
built.  On  it  was  a  full-sized  stabur  or  provision 
house.  On  each  side  were  large  paintings  of 
Norwegian  scenery,  and  hundreds  of  photo- 
graphs formed  a  border  around  the  platforms. 
The  ski  (Norwegian  snow-shoe),  used  for  climb- 
ing mountains  and  shooting  down  the  steep  in- 
cline with  racehorse  speed,  was  shown  in  great 
variety.  Some  were  elaborately  carved;  others, 
used  by  athletes  and  sportsmen,  were  narrow, 
long  and  highly  polished. 

Three  wax  figures  of  skaters,  dressed  in  the 
costumes  used  in  Norway,  added  to  the  attrac- 
tiveness of  this  feature.  Various  forms  of  push- 
sleds,  narrow  sleighs  and  hand  sleds  were  shown, 
as  well  as  the  Norwegian  kariol.  This  is  a  two- 
wheeled  vehicle,  something  like  a  western  road- 
cart,  with  a  long  skeleton  body  and  an  extra  seat 
behind.  A  dozen  wax  figures  of  men  and  women 
were  dressed  in  peasant  costurfies.  Two  repre- 
sented women  from  the  neighborhood  of  Bergen, 
the  headgear  showing  one  to  be  married.  Both 
costums  had  the  accordion  plaits,  which  Amer- 
ican women  used  not  very  long  ago,  but  which 
the  peasant  girls  of  Norway  have  worn  for  sev- 
eral centuries. 

As  interesting  as  the  ski  collection  was  the 
showing  of  ancient  and  modern  Norwegian  skates. 
Paulsen,  the  famous  Norwegian  skater,  aston- 
ished New  Yorkers  by  his  skates  when  he  raced 
on  Hudson  River,  for  they  were  unlike  anything 
seen  or  used  until  then  in  this  country.  Those 
shown  in  the  Manufactures  Building  had  the  look 
of  speed  in  their  low,  straight,  narrow  runners, 
but  according  to  the  American  idea  they  had 
one  objection,  for  they  were  nailed  to  the  shoe 
and  not  clamped  or  strapped.  A  stuffed  reindeer 
attached  to  a  canoe-shaped  sled  (akja),  a  harpoon 
gun  with  the  wicked  looking  triple-pronged 
whale-catcher,  and  a  fine  collection  of  furs,  em- 
phasized the  characteristic  features  of  the  exhibit 
from  the  land  of  the  midnight  sun. 


To  those  who  thought  that  snow,  ice,  bleak 
mountains  and  fish  make  up  all  Norway,  the 
silverwork  exhibit  came  with  a  shock  of  pleasure 
and  surprise.  Nothing  like  it  was  seen  in  any 
other  section  except  the  Mexican.  It  formed  a 
curious  parallel  that  the  tropical  and  polar  coun- 
tries should  find  a  common  art  in  filigree  silver 
work.  The  resemblance,  however,  is  only  in  the 
work,  for  the  designs  of  Norway  and  Mexico  are 
widely  at  variance.  In  delicacy,  grace  and  in- 
genuity the  silversmiths  of  Christiania  and  the 
jewelers  of  Mexico  are  peers.  Many  fine  exam- 
ples of  filigree  silver  were  shown.  The  feature, 
however,  which  made  the  silver  exhibit  unique 
among  similar  displays  was  the  silver  and  enam- 
eled work  done  at  Bergen  and  Christiania.  Two 
magnificent  silver  lamps.,  beautiful  in  model  and 
exquisite  in  design,  were  notable  exponents  of 
this  art.  The  framework  of  the  design  is  first 
made  in  filigree  silver.  Then  the  enamel,  in  vari- 
ous colors,  is  filled  in  and  the  whole  burned.  The 
silver  is  afterward  heavily  gilded  and  polished. 
The  vase-shaped  shade  had  translucent  enamel, 
which  gave  a  soft,  tinted  glow  when  the  light 
was  burning.  Jewel  cases,  trays,  spoons  and 
toilet  articles  were  made  of  the  same  combina- 
tion. Many  spoons  were  decorated  with  Nor- 
wegian scenes  painted  and  burned  in  the  enamel. 
Some  of  the  spoons  were  copies  of  ancient  origi- 
nals kept  in  the  museum  of  Christiania.  Odd 
drinking  cups  in  odder  designs  were  placed  near 
the  originals,  some  of  them  260  years  old.  In 
another  case  was  an  old  drinking  horn  with  the 
royal  lion  in  gold  on  the  lid,  and  ancient  scent 
boxes,  which  prove  that  the  old  Vikings  were 
not  above  tickling  their  olfactory  nerves. 

Norway  ships  to  this  country  a  large  amount 
of  wood  pulp  and  sulphate  for  paper  making,  and 
this  important  industry  had  a  display  to  itself. 
Boats,  tapestries,  books,  school  exhibits,  various 
liquors  (as  Aquavit),  with  some  very  fine  wood 
carvings,  were  otherx  interesting  features,  while 
a  variety  of  marble  and  granite  showed  the  value 
of  Norway's  quarries. 

The  pavilion  was  built  out  of  native  Norwegian 
pine,  which  Has  a  reputation  the  world  over.  It 
admits  of  the  most  delicate  carving,  in  which  the 
Norwegians  are  skilled.  Some  of  their  work  in 
this  line  was  shown  in  the  framework  of  the 
facade,  which  was  without  other  ornamentation 
except  a  few  designs  in  colors.  The  wood  was 
left  purposely  without  oil  or  paint.  The  facade 
did  not  show  to  good  advantage  under  the  high 
roof  of  the  Manufactures  Building,  with  the  lofty 
structures  of  Russia  on  one  side  and  Denmark 
across  the  avenue.  But  this  was  not  the  fault  of 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


the  Norwegian  architect.  Instructions  were  sent 
out  by  the  exposition  authorities  originally  limit- 
ing the  height  of  structures  within  the  Manu- 
factures Building,  and  when  they  were  modified 
there  was  no  time  to  do  the  -elaborate  work  over 
again. 

NORWAY'S  BUILDING  AT  THE  WORLD'S 
FAIR. 

The  Norwegian  building  in  Jackson  Park  was 
not  large,  but  people  looked  at  it  twice  as  they 
passed  by. 


there  was  some  little  friction  over  the  matter. 
But  the  Norwegians  had  been  in  hard  luck.  They 
had  prepared  the  timbers  for  their  building  at 
Christiania  and  the  work  had  been  much  de- 
layed. Then  the  framed  timbers  were  put  aboard 
the  steamer  Hekla,  which  usually  made  the  run 
to  New  York  in  about  twelve  days.  But  on  this 
voyage  the  Hekla  had  an  accident  and  reached 
New  York  first  on  April  9,  nearly  two  weeks  late. 
She  had  been  twenty-eight  days  on  the  passage. 
When  the  consignment  finally  reached  Chicago- 
the  workmen  at  once  began  setting  up  the  house. 


Norway's   Building  at  the  World's   Fair. 


Norway  was  assigned  a  generous  slice  of 
ground  early  in  the  show.  It  was  the  space  at 
first  allotted  to  Russia,  a  nice  site  just  south- 
east of  the  art  annex.  The  Russians  found  it 
impracticable  for  their  use  and  it  was  given  to 
Norway.  But  the  Norwegians  did  not  seem  to 
build  upon  it  very  fast.  Other  buildings  were  go- 
ing up  on  all  sides,  but  Norway's  space  remained 
desolate.  Director  Burnham  fretted  and  found 


The  style  of  the  building's  architecture  was 
what  in  Norway  is  called  "Stave-kirke."  It  is 
distinctly  and  unmistakably  Norwegian.  Indeed, 
the  Norwegians  have  been  erecting  church  edi- 
fices that  look  like  this  ever  since  the  twelfth 
century.  It  had  a  high  lower-story  and  a  low 
upper  story,  and  over  all  a  high-gabled  roof  pic- 
turesquely irregular  in  design.  A  fine  flagstaff 
topped  the  whole.  But  what  most  gave  a  Norse 


MEMORABLE  EVENTS 


237 


aspect  to  the  little  building,  which  was  only  26 
x  40  feet  in  size,  were  the  decorative  figures  pro- 
jecting over  the  gables,. heavy  beams  that  curved 
upward  and  were  graven  in  grotesque  shapes 
like  the  heads  of  dragons  or  serpents.  These 
resembled  more  than  anything  else  the  ancient 
prows  of  Viking  battleships. 


home    in    ships   than   in   houses,   patterned   even 
their  houses  of  worship  after  their  ships. 

The  building  was  constructed  of  the  best  of 
Norwegian  pine.  It  was  chiefly  used  for  the  of- 
fices of  Royal  Commissioner  Christian  Ravn  and 
his  aids  and  as  a  rendezvous  for  Norwegian  vis- 
itors at  the  Fair.  The  Norwegian  exhibits  were 


The  Artist's  Model  of  Leif  Erikson. 


That  is  exactly  what  they  were  intended  to  be 
like.  When  the  "Stave-kirke"  type  of  architect- 
ure was  originated  the  Norse  were  the  boldest 
navigators  in  the  world.  Their  high-penned  gal- 
leys, with  hideous  figureheads,  ventured  where 
none  others  dared  to  go.  Those  were  the  days 
of  the  Vikings.  So  the  Norsemen,  being  more  at 


made  in  other  buildings,  such  as  the  Fisheries 
and  Manufactures.  There  were  some  really  good 
ones,  too.  Norway  had  been  stirred  up  by  all 
that  Columbus  hubbub  to  the  remembrance  that 
it  was  a  Norseman  after  all  who  really  discov- 
ered America  by  a  daring  chance. 


238 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


LEIF  ERIKSON, 
The    Norse    Discoverer   of   America. 

The  Chicago  Norwegians  had  another  great 
occasion  for  celebrating  when  the  statue  of  Leif 
Erikson,  the  Norse-Icelandic  discoverer  of  the 
American  continent,  A.  D.  1000,  was  unveiled  on 
the  12th  of  October,  1901.  The  accompanying 
picture,  which  shows  the  bronze  image  as  it 
stands  in  Humboldt  Park,  Chicago,  represents  a 
man  of  physical  beauty,  strong  and  supple  — 

"Trained  for   either  camp  or  court, 
Skillful  in  each  manly  sport, 
Young  and  beautiful  and  tall" — 

the  head  and  face  noble,  that  of  the  skald  (bard) 
as  well  as  the  daring  explorer.  In  spite  of  the 
drizzling  rain  the  faces  of  many  thousands  of 
sons  and  daughters  of  Norway  and  their  de- 
scendants beamed  with  joy  and  enthusiasm,  and 
while  they  sang  the  national  hymn  of  their  fa- 
therland the  monument  to  Leif  Erikson,  one  of 
Norway's  most  famous  discoverers  and  naviga- 
tors, erected  from  their  own  earnings,  was  for 
the  first  time  presented  to  their  view. 

With  the  words  and  melody  of  "Ja,  vi  elsker 
dette  landet"  echoing  throughout  the  park,  and 
with  flags  and  banners  of  Norway  and  America 
waving  on  all  sides,  O.  A.  Thorp,  one  of  the 
originators  of  the  Leif  Erikson  monument  plan, 
signaled  to  Miss  Inga  Ferdinandsen  and  she 
pulled  the  tri-colored.cord  and  formally  unveiled 
the  monument  to  the  public  view. 

Norwegian-Americans  from  all  parts  of  the 
city  and  from  difierent  states  throughout  the 
Northwest  were  present  to  witness  the  deremony 
for  the  fruction  of  which  they  had  worked  since 
1892.  Preceding  the  unveiling  exercises  at  Hum- 
boldt Park,  Norwegian-American  organizations 
—  including  the  turner,  singers',  educational  and 
trade  societies  —  met  at  Scandia  Hall  and  pro- 
ceeded in  carriages  to  the  scene  of  the  unveiling. 
The  spirit  which  caused  the  mariners  with  Leif 
Erikson  to  brave  the  rough  and  uncertain  seas 
swayed  his  Chicago  descendants  that  day  and 
caused  them  to  disregard  the  dismal  weather 
while  paying  their  tribute  to  the  one  who  first 
found  this  great  country. 

O.  A.  Thorp,  on  behalf  of  the  Leif  Erikson 
Monument  Society,  which  had  charge  of  rais- 
ing the  funds  for  the  erection  of  the  monument, 
and  of  which  he  was  the  founder  and  first  presi- 
dent, made  the  unveiling  oration.  President  L. 
E.  Olson  of  the  Monument  Society  made  the  for- 
mal speech  presenting  the  monument  to  the  west 
park  officials.  The  exercises  were  in  charge  of 


A.  J^rgensen,  vice-president  of  the  society;  C. 
H.  Lee,  treasurer;  A.  C.  Thorsen,  secretary,  and 
the  directors,  L.  Hansen,  Charles  Nergard,  Fred. 
Asche  and  F.  Ferdinandsen.  P.  A.  Sj^lie  was 
grand  marshal  of  the  turnout  of  the  societies  and 
Albert  J.  Elvig  was  in  charge  of  the  arrange- 
ments in  the  park. 

The  day's  celebration  closed  with  a  banquet  at 
the  Sherman  House  in  the  evening,  at  which 
Paul  O.  Stensiand  was  the  toastmaster.  Prof. 
R.  B.  Anderson,  Nicolai  Grevstad,  Oscar  M. 
Torrison,  John  Blegen,  Prof.  Julius  E.  Olson, 
Birger  Osland,  O.  A.  Thorp,  and  Mayor  Carter 
H.  Harrison,  Jr.,  were  among  the  speakers.  Mr. 
Sigvald  Asbj^rnsen,  the  sculptor  of  the  monu- 
ment, was  the  guest  of  honor  at  the  banquet. 

The  monument  consists  of  the  bronze  statue 
representing  Leif  Erikson  standing  upon  a  gran- 
ite bowlder.  The  statue  is  9%  feet  high  and  the 
granite  bowlder  is  12  feet  in  diameter,  half  of 
which  is  -imbedded  in  the  high  grass  mound, 
which  is  6  feet  high  and  30  feet  in  circumference. 
The  monument  is  placed  in  one  of  the  choicest 
.spots  of  Humboldt  Park,  near  the  new  pavilion 
and  lagoon.  It  cost  over  $10,000. 

In  this  connection  it  may  be  mentioned  that 
monuments  to  Leif  Erikson  have  been  erected 
in  Boston  and  Milwaukee. 


THE   NORWEGIAN  STUDENT   SINGERS. 

It  was  in  the  afternoon  on  May  20,  1905,  that 
sixty  members  of  the  Norwegian  Student  Sing- 
ers, the  famous  male  chorus  of  Christiania,  show- 
ered with  flowers  and  greeted  with  welcoming 
song  from  their  countrymen  and  women,  arrived 
in  Chicago.  The  Michigan  Central  train  on 
which  they  came  was  nearly  an  hour  late,  but 
their  tardy  arrival  did  not  dampen  the  enthusi- 
asm of  the  500  persons  who  crowded  the  Park 
Row  Station  to  meet  them.  As  the  members  of 
the  chorus  entered  the  door  into  the  waiting 
room  the  local  Norwegian  Singers'  Union  began 
Grieg's  "Song  of  Welcome,"  which  next  to  the 
national  anthem  is  the  great  song  of  the  Norse- 
men. 

Leaving  the  station,  the  crowd  surged  toward 
the  Auditorium,  where  the  chorus  remained  the 
20th  and  21st.  There  was  a  call  for  a  song,  and 
visitors  and  local  singers  lined  up  on  the  broad 
stairway  leading  from  the  lobby  of  the  hotel  and 
sang,  "Ja,  Vi  Elsker  Dette  Landet."  As  the  clear 
voices  of  the  tenors  lingered  on  the  last  strain 
there  was  tumultuous  applause.  In  response  to 
the  encore  the  visiting  singers  rendered  "The 


MEMORABLE  EVENTS 


239 


The  Leif  Erikson  Monument  in  Humboldt  Park. 


240 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Star-Spangled  Banner."  The  rest  of  the  first  day 
was  spent  in  sightseeing,  and  on  the  following 
day  most  of  the  chorus  were  the  guests  at  the 
homes  of  various  Norwegian  residents. 

Arrangements  had  been  completed  for  the  con- 
cert by  the  chorus,  which  was  given  at  the  Au- 
ditorium on  the  first  evening.  The  committee  of 
arrangements  was  composed  of  H.  A.  Haugan, 
John  Anderson,  Paul  O.  Stensland,  Nicolai  Grev- 
stad,  N.  Arneson,  Dr.  Karl  Sandberg,  Thomas 
Kolderup.  Ben  Blessum  and  Dr.  Th.  Warloe. 

This  musical  organization  was  formed  about 
sixty  years  ago  by  Johan  Behrens,  the  "father 
of  Norwegian  song."  It  is  composed  of  students 
and  alumni  of  the  University  of  Christiania  and 
is  a  semi-national  institution,  the  director,  O.  A. 
Gr^ndahl,  one  of  the  foremost  leaders  and  com- 
posers of  Scandinavia,  being  paid  out  of  the  na- 
tional treasury.  Since  its  inception  the  chorus 
has  been  a  leader  in  Norwegian  choral  music, 
having  had  the  nation  for  its  patron  and  num- 
bering among  its  most  prominent  supporters  the 
foremost  Norwegian  composers,  such  as  Grieg, 
Reissiger,  Selmer  and  Kjerulf.  Many  of  the 
latter  have  written  compositions  expressly  for 
the  chorus. 

The  singers  were  headed  by  Rolf  Hammer, 
tenor,  and  Johannes  Berg-Hansen,  basso,  as  solo- 
ists, both  of  whom  are  members  of  the  National 
Opera.  The  president  of  the  Student  Singing 
Society,  Dr.  Henrich  Thomsen,  was  with  the  or- 
ganization. 

A  large  advance  sale  of  seats  for  the  concert 
insured  an  attendance  of  gratifying  proportions 


and  the  concert  was  a  great  success  from  both 
an  artistic  and  a  material  point  of  view.  A  great 
banquet  was  given  in  honor  of  the  singers  at 
the  Sherman  House,  when  many  persons  of 
prominence  made  speeches. 

After  leaving  Chicago  the  chorus  gave  con- 
certs in  about  twenty  cities  of  the  Northwest  and 
returned  east  via  Chicago  on  June  14,  1906,  at 
which  time  another  concert  was  given.'  On  the 
evening  of  the  13th  five  hundred  representative 
Norwegians  of  Chicago  and  the  Northwest  as-i 
sembled  at  the  home  of  Paul  O.  Stensland  inj 
Irving  Park,  ostensibly  for  the  purpose  of  enter- 
taining the  Norwegian  student  singers,  but  the 
real  purpose  of  the  monster  reunion  was  to  form- 
ulate plans  preliminary  to  presenting  a  signed 
petition  to  President  Roosevelt,  urging  him  toj 
recognize  the  independence  of  Norway.  The  af- 
fair, which  was  in  the  form  of  an  outdoor  dinner 
party,  on  the  spacious  grounds  of  Mr.  Stensland, 
was  one  of  the  most  notable  events  in  the  his- 
tory of  Norwegian  society  in  Chicago.  Hundreds 
of  incandescent  lights  were  strung  throughout 
the  grounds,  dinner  being  served  under  a  canopy 
of  red,  white  and  blue,  from  the  dome  of  which 
hung  the  flag  of  Norway  and  the  Stars  and  • 
Stripes,  made  up  of  a  colored  array  of  electric 
lights. 

The  musical  features  of  the  evening  were  the 
patriotic  solos  rendered  by  Mrs.  Grace  Nelson 
Stensland,  the  daughter-in-law  of  Paul  O.  Stens- 
land. Her  efforts  inspired  the  Norsemen  with 
political  enthusiasm,  one  of  her  songs  being  sug- 
gestive of  a  political  appeal. 


NORWEGIANS  IN  THE  INDUSTRIAL 
I          AND  FINANCIAL  FIELDS 


JOHNSON  CHAIR  COMPANY. 

It  affords  us  great  pleasure  to  present  a  con- 
densed history  of  one  of  Chicago's  greatest  furn- 
iture enterprises  and  to  record  the  fact  that  it  is 
controlled  by  men  of  our  own  nationality.  Were 
we  living  in  the  fabled  days  of  old,  the  sketch, 
even  though  but  the  recounting  of  hard,  dry  facts, 
would  seem  more  like  romance  than  reality. 
Probably  in  no  other  country  in  the  world  would 
so  great  and  rapid  development  be  possible,  and 
certainly  in  no  city  in  the  land  have  so  small  be- 
ginnings grown  to  so  magnificent  proportions  in 
so  brief  a  time.  The  great  factory  and  business 
of  the  Johnson  Chair  Company  stands  as  a  monu- 
ment to  the  wise  and  prudent,  yet  enterprising 
and  energetic  management  of  the  men  who  have 
been  at  its  head.  Commencing  with  very  little 
capital,  and  but  a  limited  experience,  the  manage- 
ment has  grown  and  expanded  from  year  to  year 
with  the  business  it  has  faithfully  and  persistently 
pushed  to  the  front.  Each  year  has  brought  with 
it  new  ideas,  new  methods  and  new  customers, 
until  to-day  their  trade  extends  to  nearly  all 
parts  of  this  country  and  a  number  of  European 
countries,  and  their  name  is  a  synonym  of  integ- 
rity, reliable  goods  and  prompt  attention  to  the 
wants  of  their  thousands  of  customers. 

The  founders  of  this  great  institution  were 
Thompson  &  Crawford,  who  occupied  a  small 
building  (the  corner  building  in  the  first  picture) 
at  the  corner  of  N.  Green  and  Phillips  streets, 
in  1867.  These  gentlemen  manufactured  cane- 
seat  chairs,  and  continued  in  business  until  1868, 
when  they  sold  their  plant  to  F.  Herhold,  A.  P. 
Johnson,  Anton  and  Adolph  Borgmeier,  who 
changed  the  line  to  wood-seat  chairs,  and  con- 
tinued the  business  under  the  name  of  Herhold, 


Johnson  and  Borgmeier  until  1870,  when  Anton 
Borgmeier  sold  out,  and  the  name  was  changed  to 
Herhold,  Johnson  &  Co.,  Mr.  Adolph  Borgmeier 
being  the  "Co."  In  1877  Mr.  Herhold  sold  out.  and 
the  name  of  the  firm  was  changed  to  A.  P.  John- 
son &  Co.,  and  Mr.  Nels  Johnson  was  admitted 
as  active  partner.  Two  years  later  the  factory 
received  a  great  change  by  the  tearing  down 
of  the  corner  frame  building  .and  the  erection  in 
its  place  of  a  large  five-story  brick  building. 
It  seemed  then  as  though  the  limit  of  capacity 
had  been  reached,  and  that  no  further  building 
or  increase  of  facilities  would  be  needed  for  many 
years.  This  building,  which  stands  at  the  corner 
of  N.  Green  and  Phillips  streets,  is  40  x  136  feet, 
and  its  five  floors  gave  them  27,000  feet  of  floor 
space.  This  was  a  very  large  chair  factory  for 
those  days,  although  but  for  a  few  years.  Busi- 
ness continued  to  grow,  and  in  1883  the  firm  was 
incorporated  under  the  name  of  the  Johnson 
Chair  Co.,  the  plant  was  enlarged  by  the  erec- 
tion of  a  five-story  brick  building,  and  the  of- 
fices, salesrooms  and  shipping  room  were  moved 
into  it.  This  building  was  42  x  136  feet,  and  con- 
tained at  the  time  28,560  square  feet.  But  even 
this  addition  soon  became  cramped,  and  five 
years  later,  in  1888,  the  frame  building  between 
the  two  brick  buildings  was  demolished  to  make 
room  for  the  magnificent  six-story  brick,  which 
is  50  x  206  feet  and  fills  all  the  space.  This 
building  contains  61,800  square  feet  of  floor. 
When  this  great  building  was  completed  they 
took  a  long  breath  and  said:  "Surely  we  have 
done  with  building  expenses,  for  it  will  be  a  long 
time  before  we  shall  need  more  room  than  is 
afforded  by  our  present  facilities."  The  show 
room  and  private  offices  were  moved  into  this 
building,  and  everything  ran  along  smoothly  un- 


241 


242 


A  HISTORY   OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


til  1890,  when  the  necessity  for  more  room  again 
became  pressing,  and  the  office  building  received 
another  story  —  the  sixth.  Although  this  gave 
them  5,712  square  feet  more,  increasing  the  space 
in  that  building  to  34,272  square  feet,  it  proved 
to  be  but  a  temporary  relief,  and  in  1891  we  see 
them  with  another  giant  building,  extending 
from  the  office  building  clear  through  to  Halsted 
street,  112  x  60  feet  and  seven  stories  high,  add- 
ing nearly  50,000  more  square  feet.  This  is  the 
most  ornamental  building  in  the  group,  as  shown 
in  the  large  picture.  In  addition  to  the  above- 
mentioned  buildings  there  are  the  dry-kilns, 
25  x  75,  three  stories,  and  the  engine  house,  50  x  50, 
three  stories,  the  two  having  a  total  of  13,125 


For  a  number  of  years  the  company  manufac- 
tured a  line  of  bureaus,  but  the  rapid  increase 
of  the  chair  trade  made  it  necessary  to  discon- 
tinue them.  More  than  500  styles  of  chairs, 
from  the  cheap  wood-seat  kitchen  to  the  large 
solid  mahogany  office  and  clubhouse  chairs,  are 
manufactured  by  this  company.  Their  line  of 
oak  dining  chairs  in  among  the  finest  in  the  land. 
They  give  employment  to  between  500  and  600 
hands  at  the  factory. 

Until  his  health  commenced  failing  him  last 
year,  Mr.  A.  P.  Johnson,  the  president,  used  to 
superintend  the  factory  and  do  the  buying  of 
materials,  having  a  competent  foreman  in  every 
department.  Secretary  Nels  Johnson,  a  brother 


The  Johnson  Chair  Company's  First  Building. 


feet.     Thus  we  see  a  total  of  180,245  square  feet, 
besides  lumber  sheds,  stables,  etc. 

Besides  the  erection  of  the  seven-story  Hal- 
sted-street  building  in  1891  they  have  added  a 
new  150-horse-power  engine  to  one  of  the  same 
size;  and  have  increased  their  electric  lights  from 
150  to  500,  which  practically  affords  them  day- 
light throughout  the  twenty-four  hours,  if  they 
desire  it.  At  the  right-hand  upper  corner  of  the 
picture  may  be  seen  a  view  of  their 'lumber  yards 
on  Ogden  Island,  with  two  vessels  at  the  docks, 
in  the  north  branch  of  the  Chicago  River,  dis- 
charging cargoes  of  lumber.  This  yard  is  not 
more  than  fifteen  minutes'  drive  from  the  factory 
for  the  lumber  wagons,  and  so  isolated  as  to  be 
almost  out  of  danger  from  fires. 


of  A.  P.,  now  has  charge  of  the  office,  salesmen 
and  credits.  Until  his  death,  which  occurred 
Dec.  14,  1905,  Mr.  Borgmeier  attended  to  the 
shipping,  with  over  a  score  of  packers  and  ship- 
pers under  him.  His  place  was  taken  by  Mr. 
Joseph  F.  Johnson,  treasurer  of  the  company. 
The  head  bookkeeper  is  Mr.  Geo.  A.  Boedeker, 
who  started  in  with  them  in  the  shipping  room 
in  1879.  He  has  half  a  dozen  or  more  assistants, 
among  whom  Mr.  A.  M.  Heiberg  and  Mr.  S.  O. 
Severson  are  of  Norwegian  birth.  Among  the 
workingmen  the  following  Norwegians  have  risen 
to  higher  positions:  S.  N.  Hallenger  is  foreman 
in  the  factory,  with  B.  N.  Saue  as  assistant.  A. 
J.  Breda  is  foreman  in  the  finishing  department 
and  Christ  Olson  in  the  lumber  yard.  A  son  of 


INDUSTRY   AND    FINANCE 


243 


o. 
o 


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O 


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f-" 


244 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF   ILLINOIS 


A.  P.  Johnson,  Mr.  Arthur  L.  Johnson,  is  super- 
intendent of  the  factory,  and  Mr.  Walter  J.  John- 
son, a  son  of  Nels  Johnson,  is  .assistant  in  the 
office. 

Their  goods  are  shipped  to  nearly  every  nook 
and  corner  of  the  country  and  also  to  foreign 
countries.  Mansion  and  cottage,  club  house  and 
hotel,  farm  house  and  city  home  alike  are  fur- 
nished from  this,  one  of  Chicago's  greatest  fur- 
niture factories.  They  have  won  success,  and 
they  deserve  it. 

TORRIS  WOLD  &  CO. 

The  founder  of  this  firm  is  Mr.  Torris  Wold, 
whose  biography  can  be  read  in  another  part  of 
this  book. 

After  Mr.  Torris  Wold  left  the  employ  of  the 
Crosby  Co.,  where  he  had  charge  of  the  die  de- 
partment, he  bought  about  twenty  years  ago  a 
half  interest  in  the  firm  of  Sivertsen  &  Jensen, 
located  in  the  Edison  Building  on  Market  street, 
and  changed  the  firm  name  to  Jensen  &  Wold. 

About  six  years  later  Mr.  Wold  bought  out 
Mr.  Jensen  and  operated  under  the  name  of  Tor- 
ris Wold,  which  again  some  ten  years  ago  was 
changed  to  Torris  Wold  &  Co.  After  the  busi- 
ness left  the  Edison  Building  it  was  moved  to  11 
S.  Jefferson  street,  and  thence  to  the  present 
quarters  at  the  corner  of  Fulton  and  Jefferson 
streets. 

Twenty  years  ago  the  canning  industry  in  this 
country  was  just  beginning,  and  naturally  also 
the  can  making.  Thus  Mr.  Wold  prides  himself 
on  having  made  the  first  dies  for  cans  used  in 
Chicago.  Since  then  the  canning  as  well  as  the 
can-making  industry  has  grown  fast,  the  can- 
making  fast  enough  to  offer  inducement,  enough. 
to  form  one  of  the  largest  trusts,  the  American 
Can  Co.  In  spite  of  this  trust  the.  growing  de- 
mand for  cans  has  led  a  number  of  independents 
to  start  can  companies  the  last  three  or  four  years, 
and  as  far  as  the  output  of  cans  is  concerned 
it  is  about  six  to  four,  with  the  odds  still  in 
favor  of  the  trust.  Torris  Wold  &  Co.  have  in 
a  way  grown  up  with  the  industry  in  which  they 
are  engaged,  that  of  can-making  .machinery.  In 
the  beginning,  when  cans  to  a  great  extent  were 
made  by  hand,  they  did  a  large  and  good  busi- 
ness in  dies,  presses,  small  hand  tools,  etc.  Later, 
small  hand  tools  had  to  be  replaced  by  small 
power  machines,  and  these  again  were  replaced 
by  automatic  machinery.  The  last  two  or  three 
years  the  firm  has  made  it  their  aim  to  push  to 
the  front  with  an  absolutely  complete  line  of  au- 


tomatic machinery  for  all  kinds  of  cans,  and  the 
motto  "Everything  for  can  makers"  has  been  fol- 
lowed out  to  the  letter,  until  the  firm  now  stands 
at  the  head  of  the  industry  with  complete  au- 
tomatic machinery  for  anything  in  the  line.  Mr. 
H.  H.  Lyche  is. the  secretary,  treasurer  and  gen- 
eral manager  for  the  company. 

C.  JEVNE  &  CO. 

The  next  cut  shows  the  home  of  C.  Jevne  & 
Co.,  at  110-112  Madison  street,  Chicago,  prob- 
ably the  greatest  retail  distribators  of  good  things 
to  eat  in  the  world's  fourth  city,  and  of  all  such 
concerns  west  of  Boston  and  New  York. 

The  business  was  started  by  Christian  Jevne 
at  41  E.  Kinzie  street,  near  the  North  branch  of 


C.  Jevne  &  Co. 

the  Chicago  River,  in  1865.  His  capital  was  about 
$200.  The  present  president  of  the  company. 
Mr.  Otto  Christian  F.ricson,  was  appointed  cash- 
ier and  bookkeeper  in  1868  and  has  since  been 
actively  and  continuously  connected  with  the 
firm.  In  1870  the  business  was  moved  to  Nos. 
1  and  3  N.  Clark  street,  right  at  the  bridge,  where 


INDUSTRY   AND    FINANCE 


345 


they  met  with  an  unexpectedly  large  increase  in 
their  business.  The  great  fire  in  1871,  however, 
wiped  it  all  out  with  the  exception  of  $5,000  in 
bank  and  about  $4,000  in  outstanding  accounts. 
About  two  weeks  afterward  the  business  was 
started  on  Halsted  street,  where  it  remained 
until  1874,  when  it  was  moved  back  to  N.  Clark 
street. 

It  was  a  busy  place  in  Chicago  at  that  time, 
and  especially  a  gathering  place  for  farmers  and 
lake  shipping  interests.  The  firm  was  then  doing 
a  business  of  $375,000  a  year  and  had  to  seek 
larger  quarters.  They  built  their  present  build- 
ing, at  110-112  Madison  street,  and  moved  in  in 
1878. 


and  manned  by  Norwegians,  with  the  exception 
of  two. 

Four  ships  are  employed  each  year  for  the 
handling  of  coffee,  which  is  bought  direct  from 
the  government  of  Holland,  which  conducts  four 
annual  auctions  for  the  sale  of  coffee.  It  is  these 
large  deals,  increasing  every  year,  that  cause  the 
direct  communications  with  foreign  countries. 
Three  years  ago  the  company  was  incorporated 
and  Otto  Christian  Ericson  was  elected  as  the 
first  president.  The  authorized  capital  is  $200,- 
000,  to  which  can  be  added  a  snug  sum  as  un- 
divided profits.  They  conduct  a  retail  grocery 
store  that  is  the  pride  of  Chicago  and  a  credit 
to  its  managers. 


7*" 


The   Central   Manufacturing   Company. 


Christian  Jevne  died  in  1898.  Mr.  Otto  C. 
Ericson  was  taken  in  as  a  member  of  the  firm 
in  1887  and  has  continuously  increased  the  busi- 
ness. They  employ  from  100  to  125  men,  fourteen 
of  them  being  drivers,  looking  after  forty  horses. 
They  are  large  importers,  getting  their  coffee 
direct  from  Sumatra  and  Arabia;  tea  from  Japan, 
China  and  Ceylon;  wine  from  Europe;  cheese, 
fish,  canned  goods  and  aquavit  from  Norway, 
Sweden  and  Denmark.  The  company  deals  direct 
with  every  country  in  the  world,  and  it  is  inter- 
esting to  note  that  for  the  past  fifteen  years 
every  ship  freighting  coffee  from  Sumatra  in  the 
East  Indies  has  been  a  Norwegian  one,  officered 


THE    CENTRAL    MANUFACTURING    COM- 
PANY. 

The  Central  Manufacturing  Company  are  the 
largest  manufacturers  of  office  desks  in  Chicago 
and  made  up  entirely  of  Scandinavians.  The 
president,  Mr.  Nils  Arneson,  has  been  engaged 
in  the  manufacturing  of  furniture  for  the  past 
forty  years;  in  fact  he  is  one  of  the  pioneer  fur- 
niture manufacturers  of  Chicago.  The  secretary, 
Mr.  Alf.  Normann,  has  been  connected  with  the 
company  since  1899. 

Nowadays  furniture  making  constitutes  so  big 
an  item  in  Chicago's  industrial  output,  and  Chi- 


•246 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


cage's  big  enterprises  in  that  trade  are  so  many 
and  so  strong,  as  to  bar  from  special  notice  ai^y 
concern  not  exceptional  either  in  magnitude  or 
character,  which  is  not  either  very  large  in  its 
output  or  whose  output  is  not  unusual  in  quality 
and  standing.  Exclusion  of  this  sort,  however, 
•does  not  touch  the  Central  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, whose  huge  factory  at  37  to  41  Armour 
street  produces  what  is  popularly  reckoned  the 
most  complete  and  salable  assortment  of  roll-t,op 
and  flat-top  office  desks  and  office  furniture  in 
the  West.  From  this  fine  plant,  with  its  acre 
of  floor  space,  its  $90,000  outfit  of  machinery  and 
its  corps  of  more  than  six  score  expert  artificers 
in  wood,  the  Central  Manufacturing  Cbmpany 


partner  was  taken  in,  a  man  by  the  name  of  John 
H.  Mengis,  and  The  Chicago  Desk  Mnfg.  Co. 
was  organized,  with  L.  L.  Skielvig  as  president; 
John  H.  Mengis,  secretary  and  treasurer;  and  A. 
Petersen  as  superintendent.  The  business  was 
conducted  under  this  firm  until  1884.  A.  Peter- 
sen  then  sold  out  his  interest  and  moved  to  15 
to  21  Armour  street,  and  456-460  Austin  avenue, 
a  property  containing  nearly  17,000  feet  of  ground 
and  39,000  feet  of  floor  space.  From  that  time 
to  the  present  date  he  has  conducted  a  manu- 
facturing business  of  the  same  line  as  originally 
started  under  the  name  of  A.  Petersen  &  Co.  The 
company  is  only  the  style  of  title,  Mr.  Petersen 
being  sole  proprietor  and  manager. 


jfPfllfllll 

iijiiiiiili 


A.  Petersen  and  Company. 


turns  out  a  line  of  business  furniture,  including 
sixty  styles  of  desks,  twenty  of  library  tables, 
and  a  long  list  of  other  specialties.. 

A.  PETERSEN  &   CO. 

Commenced  business  in  1879,  manufacturing  a 
line  of  desks  and  office  furniture  in  rented  quar- 
ters at  the  corner  of  Jackson  and  Clinton  streets, 
under  the  name  of  Skielvig,  Petersen  &  Co.,  of 
which  the  associated  partners  were  L.  L.  Skiel- 
vig and  John  Thompson.  The  business  was  con- 
ducted in  this  style  for  one  year,  when  a  new 


SETHNESS  COMPANY 

Are  manufacturers  of  flavoring  extracts  and  col- 
ors, essential  oils  and  chemical  specialities  as 
used  by  confectioners,  bakers,  ice-cream  makers, 
sodawater  dispensers,  perfumers,  rectifiers,  brew- 
ers, syrup  refiners,  cider  and  vinegar  makers, 
picklers,  preservers,  etc.  They  also  handle  bot- 
tlers' machinery  and  supplies. 

The  accompanying  cut  of  their  office,  laboratory 
and  factory,  located  at  262-268  N.  Curtis  street, 
Chicago,  will  give  an  idea  of  the  room  it  requires 
to  conduct  such  a  business.  They  employ  eight 


INDUSTRY    AND    FINANCE 


247 


Sethness  Company. 


traveling  men,  who  cover  every  state  in  the 
Union  and  Canada;  have  an  office  force  of  ten 
and  a  regular  force  in  the  factory  of  twelve,  not 
counting  teams  and  drivers.  It  is  an  incorpor- 
ated company  with  C.  O.  Sethness  as  president 
and  manager.  It  is  the  largest  concern  of  its 
kind —  extract  and  color  manufacturing —  in 
America. 


THE  INDEPENDENT  CRACKER  MACHINE 
COMPANY 

Was  organized  and  incorporated  by  H.  M.  L. 
Anderson  in  1894  and  was  first  established  at 
58-62  N.  Jefferson  street,  but  is  now  located  at 
137-147  Fulton  street.  They  manufacture  all 
kinds  and  the  latest  improved  machines  for  bak- 


The    Independent   Cracker   Machine    Company. 


248 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


ers  and  confectioners  —  such  as  ovens,  dough 
mixers,  cake  machines,  dough  dividers,  pan  racks, 
flour  sifters,  candy  furnaces;  and  also  deal  in 
electric  motors,  gas  and  gasoline  engines,  etc. 
The  above  cut  shows  a  part,  of  the  shop  and  the 
help  employed.  Mr.  Anderson  himself  sits  on  a 
stool  in  the  foregrounds.  Successful  and  prog- 
ressive enterprices  of  this  kind  are  indeed  a 
credit  to  our  nationality. 

ARCHITECTURAL  SHEET-METAL  ORNA- 
MENTS. 

The  above  cut  shows  the  new  factory  home  of 
William  Thoresen,  the  manufacturer  of  sheet- 
metal  ornaments,  signs,  etc.  It  is  located  at  419- 
421  W.  North  avenue,  near  Robey  street  and 
Milwaukee  avenue,  Chicago.  Those  interested  in 


Architectural  Sheet-Metal  Ornaments. 

such  work  will  find  a  large  and  varied  selection 
of  new  and  attractive  designs  for  all  building 
purposes,  and  signs.  Mr.  Thoresen  was  formerly 
a  cornice-maker,  but  took  up  Lhe  metal  ornament 
work  when  he  engaged  in  business  for  himself 
in  1893. 


STATE  BANK  OF  CHICAGO. 

The  day  has  passed  when  banks  are  looked 
upon  as  unnecessary  luxuries  and  as  oppressors  of 
the  people.  With  a  more  complete  understand- 
ing of  the  functions  of  banks,  it  has  become  ap- 
parent that,  for  the  development  of  a  nation,  they 
are  as  necessary  as  railroads  and  good  govern- 
ment and  that,  far  from  being  enemies  of  the  in- 
dividual, they  are,  when  properly  used,  a  friend 
in  every  time  of  need. 


It  was  inevitable  that  among  the  Scandinavian 
residents  in  the  United  States  there  should  ulti- 
mately arise  a  demand  for  Scandinavian  banks 
and  bankers.  In  response  to  this  demand,  in  all 
parts  of  the  United  States  there  have  sprung  up 
Scandinavian  banking  institutions,  managed  and 
owned  wholly  or  in  part  by  Scandinavians.  At 
the  head  of  these  institutions,  in  the  point  of  age, 
standing  and  size,  we  find  the  State  Bank  of  Chi- 
cago, or,  as  it  is  popularly  known  among  Scandi- 
navians, Haugan  &  Lindgren's  Bank. 

This  institution  was  founded  Dec.  8,  1879,  by 
H.  A.  Haugan,  a  native  of  Norway,  aged  thirty- 
two,  and  John  R.  Lindgren,  aged  twenty-four, 
born  in  Chicago  of  Swedish  parents.  With  a 
modest  capital  they  began  the  business  of  bank- 
ing in  a  very  small  way,  soliciting  at  first  depos- 
itors among  Chicago's  Norwegian,  Swedish  and 
Danish  population.  At  the  end  of  one  year's 
business,  the  deposits  of  the  new  bank  were  $34,- 
000  and  at  the  close  of  the  second  year,  $67,000. 
On  these  small  beginnings,  the  broad  foundations 
for  the  present  large  institution  were  laid. 

On  October  1,  1884,  Haugan  &  Lindgren,  Bank- 
ers, announced  that  the  capital  stock  of  their  in- 
stitution had  been  increased  to  $100,000,  and  that 
Mr.  H.  G.  Haugan  of  Milwaukee,  land  commis- 
sioner of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  &  St.  Paul 
Railway  Co.,  had  been  admitted  into  the  partner- 
ship. Shortly  before  this  date,  the  bank  had 
moved  from  its  original  quarters  at  59  La  Salle 
street,  to  larger  quarters  in  the  Marine  Building, 
at  the  N.  E.  corner  of  Lake  and  La  Salle  streets, 
a  location  which,  with  enlargements,  remained 
the  bank's  home  from  May  1,  1883,  to  May  1, 
1897.  With  this  new  connection  and  its  increased 
capital,  and  with  the  prestige  and  confidence 
earned  by  five  years  of  successful  business,  the 
bank  continued  in  growth  and  influence,  and  its 
total  deposits,  which  in  1883  were  $89,000,  had 
grown  to  $242,500  in  1885,  and  $346,500  in  1887. 
Gradually  it  was  acquiring  additional  business 
among  non-Scandinavians  and  was  extending  its 
clientage  among  the  Swedish,  Norwegian  and 
Danish  population  of  Chicago  and  the  Northwest, 
and  these  nationalities  soon  began  to  look  upon 
Haugan  &  Lindgren's  bank  as  an  institution 
which  they  had  fostered,  one  eminently  worthy 
of  their  confidence  and  representing  in  a  way 
their  own  financial  stability. 

In  1891  the  capital  stock  of  the  bank  had  grown 
to  $200,000  and  its  deposits  to  $1,000,000  and  the 
members  of  the  firm  concluded  that  the  time  had 
arrived  to  place  their  business  on  a  broader  basis 
by  incorporating.  For  this  purpose  a  charter  was 
obtained  for  the  State  Bank  of  Chicago  with  a 


INDUSTRY   AND    FINANCE 


349 


capital  of  $500,000  and  on  Feb.  8,  1891,  the  busi- 
ness of  Haugan  &  Lindgren,  Bankers,  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  State  Bank  of  Chicago,  the  presi- 
dent of  which  was  H.  A.  Haugan  and  the  cashier, 
John  R.  Lindgren.  Associated  with  them  in  the 
management  of  the  bank  was  a  board  of  direc- 
tors, including  among  others,  Theodore  Freeman, 
A.  P.  Johnson,  A.  Jurgens  and  P.  S.  Peterson,  all 
Scandinavians  of  large  means  and  high  standing. 
Many  other  Scandinavians  became,  interested  in 
the  new  institution  as  stockholders  and  as  a  re- 
sult, the  business  of  the  bank  received  a  great 


State  Bank  of  Chicago. 


stimulus,  so  that  at  the  close  of  the  year  1892, 
the  deposists  had  grown  to  $2,100,000. 

During  the  ensuing  three  or  four  years  of  hard 
times,  the  growth  of  the  bank  was  slow  and  de- 
posits had  risen  in  December,  1896,  only  to  $2,- 
200,000. 

Brighter  times  came,  however,  in  1897,  and 
since  then  the  progress  of  the  bank  has  been  un- 
interrunted  and  even  phenomenal.  The  published 
report  of  the  bank's  condition  Dec.  4,  1899, 
showed  a  capital  of  $500,000  and  surplus  and  un- 
divided profits  of  $333,000,  with  total  deposits  of 


$4,700,000.  On  May,  1897,  the  bank  had  grown 
to  a  size  which  demanded  larger  quarters  and 
these  were  found  on  the  S.  E.  Corner  of  La  Salle 
and  Washington  streets,  in  the  thoroughly  mod- 
ern Chamber  of  Commerce  Building,  in  which  the 
bank  is  still  located.  Its  original  offices  have 
been  expanded  from  time  to  time,  until  now  the 
bank  occupies  almost  the  entire  first  floor  of  the 
building. 

On  January  2,  1900,  the  paid  in  capital  of  the 
bank  was  raised  from  $500,000  to  $1,000,000.  The 
growth  in  deposits  has  continued  and  is  best  evi- 
denced by  the  following  table,  showing  total  de- 
posits at  the  dates  indicated: 

Jan'y  1,  1902 $  9,255,546    ' 

July     1,   1902 9,779,967 

jan'y  1,   1903 10,385,799 

July     1,  1903 11,062,552 

Jan'y  1,  1904 11,265,091 

July     1,1904 11,827,800 

Jan'y  1,  1905 12,838,995 

July     1,1905 14,586,853 

Jan'y  1,  1906 15,200,982 

July     1,1906 16,134,338 

Jan'y  28,  1907 16,623,219 

To  handle  this  volume  of  business,  the  State 
Bank  of  Chicago  now  has  a  staff  of  eighty-seven 
officers  and  employes.  Its  work  is  divided  among 
different  departments,  such  as  the  Commercial 
Department,  which  handles  checking  accounts 
and  loans  and  discounts;  the  Savings  Depart- 
ment, which  has  23,500  depositors,  the  Trust  De- 
partment, which  handles  estates,  wills  and  agen- 
cies of  many  kinds;  the  Real  Estate  Loan  De- 
partment, which  makes  loans  on  real  estate  and 
sells  mortgages  to  investors;  the  Bond  Depart- 
ment, which  buys  and  sells  high  grade  investment 
bonds;  and  the  Foreign  Department,  which  is- 
sues letters  of  credit  and  sells  drafts  on  all  parts 
of  the  world.  At  the  present  date,  the  bank  has 
a  capital  of  $1,000,000,  a  surplus  and  undivided 
profits  of  $965,000  and  total  deposits  of  $16,500,- 
000.  It  pays  its  stockholders  dividends  at  the 
rate  of  8  per  cent  and  its  shares,  of  a  par  value 
of  $100  each,  sell  in  the  open  market  for  $275  a 
share.  The  business  of  the  bank  is,  of  course, 
not  exclusively  Scandinavian,  but  it  continues  to 
be  the  leading  depository  of  the  Scandinavian 
people  in  the  United  States.  Its  management  is 
still  in  the  hands  of  the  men  who  founded  the 
bank  twenty-seven  years  ago,  its  active  head  be- 
ing Mr.  Haugan,  the  president,  associated  with 
whom  is  Mr.  Lindtrren,  who  .also  acts  as  vice- 
consul  for  Sweden  at  Chicago. 

Henry  S.  Henschen. 


250 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS. 


OTTAWA   BANKING  &   TRUST  COMPANY, 
OTTAWA,  ILL. 

This  bank  was  chartered  by  the  auditor  of  the 
state  of  Illinois  on  the  29th  day  of  January,  1903, 
and  opened  its  doors  for  business  in  the  city  of 
Ottawa,  La  Salle  county,  on  the  second  day  of 
February,  1903. 

Hon.  .H.  W.  Johnson,  who  is  the  subject  of  a 
sketch  elsewhere  in  this  volume,  was  elected  its 
first  president,  and  has  been  continuously  re- 
elected  since.  He  is  the  chief  executive  officer 
of  the  institution,  having  exclusive  charge  of  the 
trust  and  credit  departments.  Mr.  Johnson  is 
known  as  a  safe  and  conservative  man  in  all  his 


Building  of  Ottawa  Banking  &  Trust  Co. 

business  affairs,  and  as  a  result  of  the  manage- 
ment which  has  prevailed  the  success  of  the  bank 
in  all  its  departments  has  been  almost  phenom 
enal,  so  that  at  this  time  it  is  considered  one 
of  the  most  safe  and  reliable  banks  in  northern 
Illinois. 

During  the  summer  and  fall  of  1906  this  bank 
erected  a  new  building  on  one  of  the  most  prom- 
inent business  locations  in  the  city  of  Ottawa, 
which  it  is  now  occupying  as  its  permanent  home. 
It  is  one  of  the  best  equipped  banking  rooms 
anywhere  to  be  found  in  the  West,  outside  of 
Chicago.  Its  Chrome  steel  safety  vault  is  the 
largest  in  La  Salle  county  and  thoroughly  mod- 
ern in  every  respect. 

LEE  STATE  BANK,  LEE,  ILL. 

The  Village  of  Lee  is  a  busy  town  situated 
on  the  county  line  between  the  counties  of  Lee 
and  De  Kalb  in  northern  Illinois,  almost  in  the 


very  center  of  the  Norwegian  settlement  of  that 
part  of  the  state.  One  of  the  most  substantial 
business  institutions  of  the  place  is  the  local 
bank  known  by  the  above  name,  which  was 
chartered  by  the  state  of  Illinois  and  opened  for 
business  in  the  month  of  November,  1903.  It  is 
capitalized  for  $25,000  and  has  been  a  success 
from  the  very  start.  The  corporation  owns  its 
building,  which  is  a  very  creditable  structure, 
well  equipped  with  modern  fixtures,  including 
safety  vaults  and  one  of  the  best  fire  and  burglar 
proof  safes  of  its  kind  manufactured. 

The  following  well  known  persons  are  the 
principal  stockholders:  H.  A.  Hilleson,  John  Ben- 
son, E.  R  Johnson,  O.  T.  D.  Berg,  R.  Young- 
gren,  T.  O.  Berg,  O.  A.  Johnson,  Henry  Kittle- 
son,  J.  E.  Johnson,  H.  L.  Risetter,  S.  M.  San-' 
derson,  Halvor  Kittleson,  Ole  J.  Prestegaard  and 
H.  W.  Johnson. 

The  present  officers  are  as  follows:  Hon.  H. 
W.  Johnson,  Ottawa,  111.,  president;  H.  A.  Hil- 
leson, vice-president;  S.  M.  Sanderson,  cashier; 
F.  A.  Bach,  assistant  cashier.  The  two  last- 
named  gentlemen  are  the  active  officers  of  the 
bank. 

THE  FIRST  NATIONAL  BANK  OF  LE- 
LAND,  ILL. 

Was  organized  on  August  9,  1905,  with  a  capital 
of  $30,000. 

The  promoters  were  Willis  C.  Farley,  Ole  Ben- 
son, Enoch  C.  Grover,  Charles  Kittleson  and 
Noah  G.  Klove.  The  bank  opened  for  business 
on  Nov.  1,  1905.  Its  directors  are:  Willis  C. 
Farley,  A.  H.  Karn,  Stephen  Hum,  Ole  Benson, 
Charles  Kittleson,  John  A.  Olson  and  Harry  W. 
Watts. 

The  officers  are:  Stephen  Hum,  president;  Wil- 
lis C.  Farley,  vice-president;  George  O.  Grover, 
cashier. 

Although  comparatively  new,  the  bank  seems 
to  prosper  and  gain  confidence. 

FARMERS  &  MERCHANTS  BANK, 
LELAND,  ILLINOIS. 

The  Farmers  and  Merchants  State  Bank  of 
Leland,  Illinois,  was  organized  June  4th,  1902, 
with  a  capital  stock  of  $25,000  by  being  success- 
ors to  the  Leland  Bank,  Thompson  and  Ander- 
son proprietors,  who  opened  same  during  the 
year  1895. 

The  new  bank  has  been  very  successful  and 
every  year  since  the  first  year  has  declared  a 


INDUSTRY   AND    FINANCE 


251 


satisfactory  dividend.  It  has  been  well  patron- 
ized by  the  people,  and  has  taken  its  place  in  the 
financial  world  with  the  confidence  of  the  public 
and  been  conducted  by  sound  and  conservative 
banking  methods. 

Its  officers  are:  T.'F.  Thompson,  president; 
A.  M.  Klove,  vice-president;  A.  N.  Anderson, 
cashier,  and  H.  R.  Thompson,  assistant  cashier. 


LEE  ADVERTISING  COMPANY, 

Chicago,  is  the  only  Norwegian  advertising  con- 
cern in  this  country  doing  a  general  advertising 
business. 

The  business  was  started  by  L.  J.  Lee  and  his 
three  sons  in  1895.  The  first  year  they  occupied 
offices  in  the  Times  Building,  but  since  1896  their 
offices  have  been  in  the  Unity  Building,  79-81 
Dearborn  street.  The.  business  was  first  confined 
to  the  Scandinavian  papers  published  in  this 
country,  but  the  other  foreign  language  papers 
were  soon  added  to  the  list,  and  gradually  the 
newspapers  and  magazines  published  in  the  Eng- 
lish language  in  the  United  States  and  Canada 
were  added. 

The  Lee  Advertising  Company  is  publishing 
annually  one  directory  of  newspapers  and  maga- 
zines in  the  foreign  languages  and  another  direc- 
tory of  newspapers  and  magazines  in  the  English 


language.  A  monthly  list  with  current  rates  and 
circulation  ratings  of  the  leading  newspapers  and 
magazines  of  the  United  States  and  Canada  is 
also  published. 

Their  foreign  language  newspaper  directory  is 
the  only  one  of  its  kind  published  in  this  country 
and  is  recognized  by  advertisers  as  the  standard 
directory  for  this  class  of  papers. 

The  advertising  business  of  this  country  has 
been  growing  very  fast  during  the  last  10  years, 
and  the  Lee  Advertising  Company  has  been 
growing  with  it. 

They  are  now,  placing  advertising  for  a  large 
number  of  advertisers  from  various  parts  of  the 
country.  They  also  frequently  receive  advertis- 
ing orders  from  Europe,  especially  from  the  Scan- 
dinavian countries  and  they  also  place  advertising 
in  papers  in  the  European  countries.  Their  offi- 
ces occupy  the  north  wing  on  the  eight  floor  of 
the  Unity  Building  and  they  employ  a  large  force 
in  their  offices.  The  three  sons  have  each  charge 
of  a  separate  department  in  the  office,  for  which 
their  father  L.  J.  Lee  up  to  the  time  of  his  death 
in  December,  1906,  was  general  manager. 

Amoner  their  staff  are  several  well  known  Nor- 
wegians, O.  M.  Peterson,  Martin  N.  Seehuus  and 
Alfred  A.  Solum.  Mr.  Peterson  is  known  as  an 
accomplished  linguist  and  when  foreign  language 
advertising  is  made  up  and  placed,  his  accom- 
plishment comes  in  good  stead.  Mr.  Seehuus 
and  Mr.  Solum  are  among  their  best  advertising 
solicitors. 


PART  II. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES 
AND  PORTRAITS 


Biography  is  the  only  true  history. 

— Emerson. 

The    history    of    a   country   is  best  told   in   a 
record  of  the  lives  of  its  people. 

— Macauley. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


HAUMAN    G.    HAUGAN. 
His  biographical  sketch  appears  in  its  alphabetical  order. 


258 


A   HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


REV.  TORLEIF  AARRESTAD, 

Of  Morris,  was  born  at  Thime,  Jederen,  Norway, 
April  12,  1860.  His  father  was  Torger  and  his 
mother  Serina  (Undemi  Aarrestad.  He  attended 
the  public  country  schools  from  his  7th  to 
his  14th  year,  when  he  was  confirmed,  in  Octo- 


w\ 


Rev.  Torleif  Aarrestad. 

ber,  1874.  He  attended  a  high  school  at  Sandnes 
during  the  winter  of  1877-78,  and  in  August  of 
that  year  was  admitted  to  a  teachers'  Seminary 
in  Christiansand,  from  which  he  graduated  in 
July,  1880.  He  taught  school  in  Eide  and  Grim- 
stad  from  January,  1881,  to  July,  1884,  when  he. 
came  to  America.  Here  he  entered  Augsburg 
Seminary,  at  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  Oct.  1,  1884  and 
graduated  in  May,  1888,  when  he  took  up  a  the- 
ological course  and  passed  the  final  examination 
in  May,  1891.  He  was  ordained  as  a  minister  of 
the  United  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  at  Ken- 
yon,  Minn.,  in  June  of  the  same  year.  He  took 
up  pastoral  work  in  Chicago  in  July.  1891,  and  re- 
mained for  over  two  years,  when  he  accepted  a 
call  to  Morris,  111.,  where  he  serves  two  congre- 
gations, the  Bethlehem  and  Hauge's.  During  this 
period  he  also  attended  the  Lutheran  Theological 
Seminary  at  Lake  View. 


Rev.   Aarrestad    married    Barbara   Olsen,  June 
24,   1896.     They  have   had  four  children,  namely: 
Thorvald,    Olga,    Karl   Johan   and    William,     the' 
latter  having  passed  away. 


OLAI   MARTIN  AARVIG, 

Of  Pontiac,  111.,  was  born  on  the  Atlantic  Ocean 
on  June  22,  1870.  His  father,  Ole  Aarvig,  of  Stav- 
anger,  Norway,  and  his  mother,  Rachel  New- 
gaard,  from  the  same  place,  came  to  America  irR 
that  year,  and  it  was  on  this  voyage  that  the  sub- 
ject of  our  sketch  was  born.  They  settled  ia' 
Livingston  county,  near  Pontiac,  where  they  lived 
until  1905,  when  they  bought  a  farm  in  North 
Dakota.  Olai  is  the  oldest  child  of  six.  He  was 
educated  in  the  district  schools  and  worked  on- 
the  farm  until  attaining  his  majority. 


Olai  Martin  Aarvig. 


Being  of  a  studious  nature  he  took  a  course  in 
electrical  light  and  power  engineering  from  a 
correspondence  school  and  received  a  diploma  as 
electrical  engineer  in  1905,  having  averaged  97-99 
in  his  studies  all  the  time.  Before  he  entered 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


259 


said  course  of  study  he  had  been  employed  as  a 
superintendent  of  the  Rock  Falls  municipal  light 
and  power  plant  for  six  years.  He  was  offered  in 
1905  a  position  as  electrician  with  the  Pontiac 
Light  and  Water  Company  at  an  increased  sal- 
ary, which  he  accepted  and  is  still  holding.  This 
plant  is  the  largest  one  in  Pontiac,  furnishing 
electric  light  and  water  to  the  city  and  also 
power  to  the  Bloomington,  Pontiac  and  Joliet 
Electric  Railroad. 

Mr.  Aarvig  has  made  several  inventions  and 
improvements  along  his  profession,  on  which  he 
holds  patent  rights  and  for  which  he  draws  roy- 
alties. When  he  took  the  correspondence  course 
he  was  not  hampered  by  any  great  amount  of 
scientific  learning,  but  he  had  the  advantage  of 
practical  experience.  He  is  a  self-made  man  and 
a  splendid  example  of  what  Norse  energy  can  do 
when  transplanted  to  the  fertile  soil  of  America. 
Being  a  single  man,  he  resides  with  his  uncle  at 
Pontiac. 


RASMUS  OLSON  AARVIG, 

The  real  estate  dealer  and  farmer  at  Pontiac,  111., 
was  born  in  Tysvser  parish,  Stavanger  amt,  Nor- 
way, July  21,  1861.  His  parents  were  Ole  Olson 
and  Bertha  Knudsdatter  Aarvig,  farmers  in  Nor- 
way. He  attended  the  common  schools  and  was 
confirmed  in  Tysvser  Lutheran  Church.  At  19 
years  of  age  he  came  to  America,  coming  via  New 
York  and  Chicago,  direct  to  Pontiac,  where  he 
arrived  on  June  2,  1880. 

Mr.  Aarvig  commenced  his  career  in  America 
by  working  for  different  farmers  in  Livingston 
county  until  1883,  when  he  began  farming  for 
himself,  at  first  renting  the  land. 

During  this  time  he'  bought,  as  a  speculation,  a 
farm  in  Swift  county,  Minnesota,  which  he  sold 
at  a  profit  two  years  afterward.  In  1890  he 
bought  a  farm  of  160  acres  in  Livingston  county, 
Illinois,  and  settled  upon  it,  but  was  soon  offered 
a  good  price  and  sold  again,  buying  next  a  farm 
in  Lee  county,  Illinois,  which  he  kept  for  four 
years,  but  never  moved  upon  the  place. 

Selling  his  Lee  county  farm,  he  bought  one  in 
Rock  Creek  township,  Livingston  county,  which 
he  still  owns. 

Mr.  Aarvig  married  Miss  Anna  Ryerson,  of  the 
same  township,  Livingston  county,  Jan  12,  1888. 
They  have  five  children,  all  living,  namely:  Bes- 
sie Lillian,  Truman  Obed,  Anna  Ruth,  Harold 
Enok  and  Bernard  Orvel. 


Mrs.  Aarvig  passed  away  Dec.  14,  1904.  The 
children  are  having  the  advantages  of  the  best 
schools  in  Pontiac,  the  oldest  having  graduated 
from  the  Pontiac  High'  School.  Our  subject  is  a 
faithful  church  worker,  being  a  member  of  Hau- 
ges  Church  and  Synod.  The  loss  ot  his  wife  was 
a  severe  blow  to  Mr.  Aarvig,  but  with  his  chil- 
dren about  him  he  nobly  works  for  their  progress 
in  the  memory  of  his  devoted  helpmate. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Rook  Creek  Lutheran 


Rasmus  Aarvig. 

Church,  of  which  he  has  been  trustee,  secretary 
and  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school.  He 
has  also  been  secretary  for  the  district  board  of 
school  directors  and  a  member  of  the  township 
board  of  trustees.  He  is  a  staunch  republican, 
having  often  been  a  delegate  to  its  conventions. 

He  is  liberal  in  his  contributions  to  church  and 
charitable  causes,  especially  locally.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A. 

The  family  resides1  in  Pontiac. 


ANDREW  ABRAHAMSEN, 

The  hustling  housemover  at  114  N.  Ashland  ave- 
nue, Chicago,  was  born  in  Moland,  South  Undal, 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Norway,  Sept.  5, 1844,  his  parents  being  Abraham 
and  Anne  Tonette  Evenson.  He  attended  the 
public  schools  in  Norway  and  when  17  years  old 
began  in  a  butcher  shop  in  Christiansand,  where 
he  remained  for  ten  years. 

He  came  to  Chicago  on  May  22,  1872,  and 
worked  in  the  C.  &  N.  W.  Ry.  freight  house  for 
one  year.  He  then  learned  the  method  of  house- 


Andrew  Abrahamsen. 

moving,  and  has  been  engaged  in  that  business 
in  his  own  name  for  over  twenty-four  years.  He 
served  in  the  Norwegian  army  for  five  years. 
He  is  a  member  and  trustee  of  the  Chosen 
Friends  Lodge  No.  170,  Knights  of  Pythias. 

He  married  Anna  Gustava  Larson  July  16, 
1874.  They  have  had  four  children,  three  boys 
and  one  girl,  but  all  died  before  reaching  their 
7th  year. 


ANDREW  ADAMS 

Was  born  in  Langeland,  Tysnaes,  Norway,  Aug. 
9,  1859,  his  parents  being  Andrew  Johannesen  and 
^Lyneva  Langeland.  He  worked  on  his  father's 
farm  and  vessels  until  25  years  old,  when  he 


emigrated  to  America,  in  1884.  Upon  arrival  here 
he  worked  on  farms  in  1884-5.  After  that  he 
planted  tobacco  on  shares  for  one  year.  He 
then  went  to  Minnesota  and  Dakota,  where  he 
worked  on  farms,  also  at  painting  and  railroad- 
work,  until  1887.  He  then  returned  to  Chicago, 
where  he  was  employed  in  various  ways  until 
1895,  when  he  started  in  the  hoisting-machine 
business  for  himself. 


Andrew  Adams. 

Mr.  Adams  is  a  32d-degree  Mason;  belongs  to 
the  Oriental  Consistory  and  the  Medinah  Temple 
Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Mac- 
cabees, and  the  North  American  Union. 

He  was  married  to  Emma  Matson  on  Dec.  11, 
1897. 

They  have  three  children,  namely,  Emil  An- 
drew, 7  years;  Gustav  Adolph,  5  years;  Theodor 
Edward,  2  years  old.  The  family  attends  the 
Lutheran  Church. 


JOHN  ANUA 

was  born  at  Engesund,  near  Bergen,  Norway, 
Oct.  30,  1863.  He  came  to  America  in  1880,  in 
advance  of  his  parents  and  brothers.  He  worked 
for  different  parties  and  was  connected  foi  fifteen 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


John  Anda. 

years  with  Earl  Bros.,  the  Commission  Mer- 
chants. He  engaged  in  the  same  business  for 
himself  in  1898  and  is  continuing  it  >n  the  Ogden 
building,  where  he  first  located. 

He  married  on  July  4,  1885,  Miss  Anna  Mon- 
sen,  of  Hardanger,  Norway.  They  have  six  chil- 
dren, all  living.  Mr.  Anda  is  a  member  of  the 
Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  he  and 
his  family  attend  the  Norwegian  Lutheran 
Church. 


AXEL  HAROLD  ANDERSON 

Was  born  at  Helger0n,  near  Laurvig,  Norway, 
March  28,  1856.  His  father,  Frederick  Otto  An- 
derson, was  a  shipbuilder  in  Norway.  His  moth- 
er's maiden  name  was  Judith  Hansen.  He  at- 
tended the  common  schools  in  Norway,  but  came 
to  America  with  his  parents  in  1868,  when  only  12 
years  old.  They  landed  at  Quebec  and  came 
direct  to  Chicago.  Here  Axel  attended  school 
for  a  time  and  was  confirmed  in  Krohn's  Church, 
May  and  Erie  streets.  At  the  age  of  14  he  was 
apprenticed  as  a  moulder  with  David  Humphry, 
in  the  Lind  Building,  at  Randolph  and  Market 
streets.  He  remained  until  1874  and  then  worked 


A.  H.  Anderson. 

in  other  brass  foundries  until  he  was  20  years  old, 
when  he  started  in  business  for  himself,  and  has 
kept  at  it  since.  At  the  present  time  he  occupies 
two  buildings,  one  at  52  No.  Ann  street  and  the 
other  at  339  Fulton  street.  The  Ann  street  place 
is  used  for  assembling  and  machine  work;  the 
other  for  moulding  and  foundry  work. 

Mr.  Anderson  married  (in  Chicago)  Vena  Sto- 
veland,  from  Mandal,  Norway.  She  is  a  daughter 
of  Evan  and  Elizabeth  Stoveland.  They  have 
three  children  —  Maud  Judith,  born  Nov.  16, 
1891;  Irene  Mary,  Nov.  6,  1893;  Frederick  Ray- 
mond, Nov.  26,  1895.  Mr.  Anderson's  father  died 
in  1870,  his  mother  in  1884.  The  family  resides 
at  779  North  Fairfield  Ave. 


AUGUSTUS  GORDON  ANDERSON. 

Born  at  Tvedestrand,  Norway,  <\ug.  27,  1859. 
His  father's  name  was  Andrew  Anderson.  His 
mother's  name,  Anna  Thorine  Anderson.  His 
father  was  a  sailor.  His  parents  came  to  this 
country  in  1862  and  located  at  Milwaukee,  Wis. 
He  attended  public  school  there  about  two  years. 
His  early  education  was  very  limited.  He  started 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


to  learn  the  carpenter  trade  when  15  years  old. 
Worked  at  the  trade  until  20.  Left  Milwaukee 
for  Chicago  when  18,  and  worked  at  his  trade 
in  Chicago  for  two  years.  Having  accumulated 
some  money,  he  concluded  to  obtain  an  educa- 
tion. In  the  fall  of  1879  he  'entered  the  prepar- 
atory department  of  the  University  of  Chicago. 


A.  G.  Anderson. 


He  was  then  20.  Graduated  from  this  department 
in  the  spring  of  1882,  and  in  the  succeeding  fall 
he  entered  the  freshman  class  of  the  university. 
Received  a  degree  of  bachelor  of  science  from 
the  University  in  the  spring  of  1886.  Afterward 
he  read  law  in  the  law  office  of  Alonzo  A.  Ex- 
line,  in  Chicago,  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in 
1888.  He  has  pursued  the  general  practice  of 
law  since  then.  In  1890  he  formed  a  partnership 
with  Frederick  W.  Proudfoot,  under  the  firm 
name  of  Anderson  &  Proudfoot,  with  offices  in 
the  Bryan  Block,  which  partnership  was  dissolved 
in  1896.'  Since  then  he  has  been  practicing  alone. 
His  office  is  at  145  La  Salle  street,  suite  712  and 
713. 

Mr.  Anderson  has  been  actively  engaged  in 
politics  for  the  past  eleven  years,  under  the 
leadership  of  Governor  Charles  S.  Deneen.  Was 
in  1897  appointed  by  Judge  Carter  appraiser  un- 


der the  inheritance-tax  law  of  Illinois,  which  po- 
sition he  has  held  ever  since.  He  has  been  actively 
engaged  in  all  movements  for  political  and  civic 
improvements  in  Chicago.  Was  in  January,  1905, 
appointed  by  the  Englewood  charter  committee, 
with  four  other  attorneys,  to  look  into  the  munic- 
ipal court  bill,  which  had  been  introduced  in  the 
legislature  at  Springfield,  and  suggest  amend- 
ments and  changes  if  necessary.  They  suggested 
and  prepared  several  changes  and  amendments 
which  were  incorporated  in  the  measure,  which 
was  passed  by  the  legislature.  He  has  never  held 
an  elective  public  office.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Masonic,  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows 
and  the  Knights  of  Pythias  fraternities.  He  has 
held  the  office  Of  noble  grand  in  the  Odd  Fellows' 
lodge  and  of  chancellor  commander  in  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  lodge. 

He  was  married  in  August,  1895,  to  Ferdinanda 
Knopp,  daugther  of  William  Knopp,  of  Chicago. 
They  have  one  daughter,  Lorna  Elizabeth  An- 
derson, 9  years  old.  The  family  are  at  present 
living  at  325  W.  Garfield  boulevard. 


ANDREW  N.  ANDERSON. 

Mr.  A.  N.  Anderson  was  born  in  Adams  town- 
ship, La  Salle  county,  March  17,  1855.  His  par- 
ents were  Nelson  and  Ann  (Quam)  Anderson, 
both  natives  of  Norway. 

His  father  came  to  this  country  in  1845  and  his 
mother  in  1842.  They  were  married  in  De  Kalb 
county,  where  they  lived  for  some  time  and  then 
moved  to  Adams  township,  La  Salle  county. 
Nelson  Anderson  was  a  farmer  and  died  in  1864, 
at  the  age  of  44,  leaving  his  wife  with  six  chil- 
dren, namely:  Sophia  B.,  Mattie  S.,  Andrew  N., 
John  N.,  Nelsey  M.,  and  Lorinda  S.  All  are  now 
deceased  except  our  subject  and  John  N.,  who 
farms  the  old  homestead.  His  mother,  at  the 
age  of  75,  is  still  living,  at  Leland,  having  built 
herself  a  home  there  in  1900. 

Mr.  Anderson  of  this  sketch  was  raised  on  the 
farm  and  educated  at  Leland.  He  continued 
farming  until  22  years  of  age.  In  the  fall  of  1883 
he  and  Thomas  F.  Thompson  formed  a  partner- 
ship, he  buying  out  Thompson's  former  partner, 
Mr.  Buland,  in  the  grain  business,  from  which 
time  the  firm  name  was  Thompson  &  Anderson, 
Bankers  and  Grain  Merchants.  In  1896  they 
established  the  Leland  Bank  which  in  1902  was 
incorporated  as  the  Farmers  &  Merchants'  State 
Bank,  of  which  Mr.  Anderson  is  cashier. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


Mr.  Anderson  has  been  a  resident  of  Leland 
since  1883.  He  has  served  as.  supervisor,  first 
appointed  to  fill  the  vacancy  upon  the  resigna- 
tion of  ex-Judge  H.  W.  Johnson  and  afterward 
elected  for  a  full  term.  He  was  a  trustee  of  the 
village  board  for  two  years,  and  its  president. 


A.  N.  Anderson. 

In  1884  he  married  Anna  Vald,  who  died  in 
1897,  leaving  three  children  —  Vira  A.,  Nelson 
C.  and  Nieda  J. 

Mr.  Anderson  is  a  republican  politically,  and 
has  held  many  responsible  offices  aside  from 
those  already  mentioned.  He  and  his  family  are 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


HANS  MARTIN  LOUIS  ANDERSON 

Was  born  in  Christiania,  Norway,  May  20,  1848. 
His  parents  were  Lars  and  Maren  Torina  (nee 
Hakenson)  Anderson.  His  father  was  a  saw- 
mill master  -in  Norway,  and  from  him  our  sub- 
ject inherited  his  love  for  machinery.  He  attended 
the  common  school  and  was  confirmed  in  Nor- 
way, but  at  the  age  of  12  years  he  began  work 


in  a  cotton  mill  in  Wesfossen.  After  the  age  of 
15  he  worked  as  gun-maker  in  Drammen  for  five 
years,  during  which  time  he  also  studied  ma- 
chine designing  at  evening  schools.  He  served 
seven  years  in  the  infantry  with  the  Norwegian 
Army  and  worked  in  different  machine  shops  in 
Norway  until  1880,  when  he  came  to  America, 
reaching  Chicago  on  June  12.  He  was  married 
to  Miss  Jennie  Emelia,  daughter  of  Andres  and 
Bertha  Olina  Munson,  in  Christiania,  Norway, 
May  19,  1874.  They  have  two  children,  Axel 
Olaf,  born  in  Norway,  and  Arthur  Mathews,  born 
in  Chicago  in  1883.  The  elder  son  is  married  to 
Caroline  Heppler,  of  Chicago.  In  September  of 
the  year  in  which  our  subject  came  to  Chicago  he 
was  appointed  superintendent  for  the  Roth  Mc- 
Mahon  Machine  Company  and  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  department  of  bakery  machinery. 
He  remained  with  this  firm  for  fourteen  years, 
or  until  1894,  when  he  engaged  in  the  same  busi- 


H.  M.  L.  Anderson. 

ness  for  himself,  under  the  firm  name  of  the  In- 
dependent Cracker  Machine  Company,  of  which 
Mr.  Anderson  has  been  president  since.  He  has 
patented  a  few  appliances,  such  as  breadmould- 
ing  and  cracker  machinery.  He  is  a  Mason,  a 
member  of  the  Royal  League,  and  a  trustee  of 
Alsian  Lodge,  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Honor. 


264 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


His  father  died  in  Norway  in  1860.  His  mother 
is  still  living  in  Eidegaarden,  Vestre  Aker,  Nor- 
way. 

Mr.  Anderson's  machine  shop,  which  will  be 
referred  to  in  another  part  of  this  history,  is  at 
147  Fulton  street.  The  family  resides  at  470 
Austin  avenue. 


MRS.   ISABELLA   ATLANTA   ANDERSON 

Divides  the   distinction   of  having  been  born   on 
the    Atlantic    Ocean    with    the    renowned    "Sloop 


Mrs.  Isabella  Anderson. 


Girl,"  Mrs.  Atwater,  mentioned  in  the  first  part 
of  this  volume  .  This  fact  also  explains  her  some- 
what unusual  middle  name,  Atlanta. 

Mrs.  Anderson  was  born. on  board  the  Nor- 
wegian steamer  "Norge,"  May  21,  1861,  while  her 
parents  were  on  their  way  to  America.  Her 
father  is  Mr.  K.  B.  Olson,  a  well  known  manu- 
facturing tailor,  of  this  city,  and  her  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Miss  Susan  Stene. 


Mrs.  Anderson  received  her  education  in  the 
Chicago  public  schools  and  was  confirmed  in  the 
first  Norwegian  Lutheran  church  on  the  North- 
side  by  Rev.  Mikkelsen. 

When   twenty  years   of  age  she  was  joined  in-   jj 
holy     wedlock     to    Mr.    Hans    Ludvig    Anderson,. 
May  24,  1881.     Her  husband  hailed  from  Fossen, 
Norway,  and   became   a  very  prominent  business 
man  in  Chicago,  being  engaged  in  the  wholesale    i 
booth  and  shoe  business,  at  his  death,  which  oc- 
curred   Feb.    4,    1903,    leaving    his    family    amply 
provided   for. 

This  marital  union  was  blessed  with  three 
children;  one  son  and  two  daughters:  Cyrus  A.,, 
born  March  4,  1884;  Irene  Harriet,  Febr.  3,  1888, 
and  Grace  Susette,  Febr.  17,  1892. 

Mrs.  Anderson's  mother  departed  this  life  on  * 
July  19,  1906,  but  her  father  is  still  living  and' 
active  in  business. 

Mrs.  Anderson  has  never  cared  much  about 
social  clubs  or  distinctions,  her  inclinations  hav- 
ing been  more  toward  the  duties  of  a  good  house- 
wife and  mother.  When  it  came  to  charitable 
work,  she  has,  however,  been  very  much  inter- 
ested. She  was  one  of  the  first  two  lady  mem- 
bers on  the  board  of  directors  of  the  Norwegian- 
Old  People's  Home  Society,  on  which  she  has 
served  for  a  number  of  years.  She  has  also  been 
interested  in  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Children's 
Home  Society  and  other  charitable  work  among 
her  countrymen. 

With  her  family  Mrs.  Anderson  attends  the 
Wicker  Park  English  Lutheran  Church  and  re- 
sides in  her  own  home  at  98  Fowler  street. 


JONAS  ANTON  ANDERSON, 

The  manufacturer  of  cameras  and  photographic 
specialties  at  65  E.  Indiana  street,  Chicago,  was. 
born  Nov.  28,  1840,  to  Peter  and  Margrette  Ander- 
son, of  Christiania,  Norway.  The  parents  came  to 
America,  with  the  subject  of  our  sketch,  in  1852, 
locating  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  where  they  landed  in 
July.  Jonas  had  attended  school  in  Norway  and 
for  some  time  went  to  school  in  Detroit,  but  at 
the  age  of  14  he  was  apprenticed  to  learn  the 
carpenter  trade.  After  five  years  in  Detroit  he 
came  to  Chicago,  in  1857.  Here  he  continued  ta 
work  at  his'  trade  until  1862,  when  he  engaged  in 
the  building  business  on  his  own  account.  In 
1869  he  started  the  making  of  cameras  and  other 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


265 


photographic  supplies,  which  he  has  followed 
since  with  great  artistic  and  financial  success.  He 
is  credited  with  having  made  the  largest  camera 
in  the  world,  which  at  the  time  attracted  the  at- 
tention of  experts  and  photographers  everywhere. 
He  has  repeatedly  been  favorably  written  up  in 


J.  A.  Anderson. 


trade  papers,  magazines  and  journals  in  all  lan- 
guages of  the  civilized  world.  He  was  awarded 
a  gold  medal  at  the  St.  Louis  Exposition  in  1904 
for  a  camera  which  did  photo-mechanical  work. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  married  to  Sarah  C.  Nichol- 
son, of  Chicago,  May  24,  1864.  They  have  had 
six  children,  namely:  Sadie  M.,  born  March  21, 
1865;  John  A.,  Nov.  8,  1867;  Annie  I.,  Jan.  8,  1869; 
Arthur  P.,  Aug.  8,  1872;  Walter  E.,  Nov.  8,  1875; 
Christine,  May,  1881.  John  A.,  died  in  San  Fran- 
cisco, Cal.,  Nov.  4,  1903,  and  Christine  in  July, 
•1881.  His  youngest  son,  Walter  E.  Anderson, 
has  mastered  his  father's  business  and  is  now  as- 
sociated with  him.  The  family  resides  at  2612 
Lowell  avenue. 

Mr.  Anderson's  mother  died  in  Detroit  in  1853 
and  his  father  in  Chicago  in  1889. 

Mr.  Anderson  is  a  Mason  and  a  Knight  Temp- 
lar. 


CAPTAIN  JOHN  ANDERSON 

Was  born  at  Hafslu'nd,  near  Fredriksstad,  Nor- 
way, April  17,  1837.  His  father,  Christian  An- 
derson, was  a  gardner.  His  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Elizabeth  Mathilda  Widding.  His 
father  died  when  John  was  7  years  old  and  his 
mother  when  he  was  in  his  llth  year.  The  sub- 
ject of  this  sketch  was  the  youngest  of  six  chil- 
dren. After  his  mother's  death  his  oldest  broth- 
er, Carl,  married  and  took  care  of  John,  bringing 
him  to  Fredriksstad,  where  he  attended  the  pub- 
lic schools  and  was  confirmed  at  14  years.  At 
that  age  he  was  sent  to  sea  as  cabin  boy  on  a 
sailing  vessel,  the  Celeritas,  Captain  Stang,  of 
Fredriksstad,  in  charge.  The  first  voyage  lasted 
nine  months,  the  vessel  returning  from  Buenos 
Ayres  at  Christmas  time.  The  next  voyage  was 
to  Paris,  France,  with  a  cargo  of  ice.  He  after- 
ward sailed  with  various  vessels  to  many  ports, 


Capt.  John  Anderson. 


and  once  was'  shipwrecked  in  the  North  Sea. 
The  ship  was  abandoned  and  the  crew  rescued 
by  a  passing  vessel  from  Krageroe.  The  following 
sprint"  he  went  to  England,  and  from  there  sailed 
to  the  Philippines  and  the  East  Indies.  After 
unloading  a  cargo  of  coal  they  took  on  a  cargo 


266 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


of  earth  oil  consigned  for  England,  but  had  to 
abandon  the  ship  on  the  east  coast  of  Africa, 
the  crew  being  picked  up  by  a  Bark  from  Breh- 
men  and  landed  on  St.  Helena,  whence  they 
sailed  for  England  and  finally  got  home  to  Nor- 
way. That  winter  the  Captain  spent  at  a  school 
of  navigation,  and  the  following  year,  1857,  he 
came  to  America,  arriving  in  Chicago  June  7. 

He  sailed  on  the  lakes  until  1860,  when  he  was 
placed  in  command  of  the  steamer  Hercules.  In 
1868  he  bought  the  brig  Montezuma,  and  later  a 
controlling  interest  in  the  schooner  Hanson  and 
the  A.  N.  J.  Stronock,  all  of  which  he  sold  two 
years  later.  He  was  then  appointed  harbor  mas- 
ter by  Mayor  John  A.  Roach.  Later  he  was  con- 
nected with  Peabody,  Houghteling  &  Co.  in  the 
real  estate  business,  and  three  years  later  opened 
an  office  for  himself,  at  Erie  street  and  Center 
Avenue.  In  1897  he  was  elected  Alderman  for 
the  Fifteenth  Ward  and  served  one  term. 

Nov.  1,  1857,  he  married  Miss  Maria  Olson, 
born  at  Skien,  Norway,  April  11,  1838.  They 
have  had  nine  children- — six  sons  and  three 
daughters  —  all,  with  the  exception  of  one 
daughter,  living. 

His  children  are  all  married  and  have  families, 
one  son,  Henry  C.,  being  employed  in  the  county 
clerk's  office.  Martin  J.  has  been  in  Alaska  for 
over  ten  years.  The  other,  four  are  engaged  in 
the  tailoring  business  under  the  firm  name  of  A. 
E.  Anderson  &  Co.,  at  16  Adams  street. 

Capt.  and  Mrs.  Anderson  are  members  of  Our 
Savior's  Church. 


JOHN  ANDERSON, 

The  publisher  of  Skandinaven,  was  born  at  Voss, 
Norway,  March  22,  1836.  His  father  was  An- 
drew and  his  mother  Laura  (Sampson)  Ander- 
son. He  came  to  Chicago  with  his  parents  in 
July,  1845,  and  attended  Wilder!s  school  at  ir- 
regular intervals  during  a  period  'of  about  two 
years.  The  elder  Mr.  Anderson  was  taken  sick 
with  the  cholera  and  died  in  1849,  whereupon 
young  John,  then  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  had  the 
burden  of  supporting  a  mother  and  a  baby  sister 
placed  upon  him.  Nothing  daunted,  however,  he 
went  cheerfully  to  work,  peddling  apples,  work- 
ing in  a  butcher  shop  and  carrying  newspapers. 
The  first  lesson  in  his  long  newspaper  career  he 
received  as  carrier  for  Father  Dutch's  Commer- 
cial Advertiser,  when  the  whole  edition  of  that 


publication  was  handled  by  two  delivery  routes, 
John  Anderson  distributing  on  the  South  and 
West  Sides.  He  recalls  with  considerable  inter- 
est that  he  had  one  subscriber  as  far  west  as 
Halsted  and  Randolph  streets.  After  about  six 
months  of  this  work  he  was  made  "printers' 
devil"  and  thereby  secured  an  opportunity  to 
"learn  the  case"  and  study  the  art  of  distribut- 
ing and  setting  type.  It  was  also  his  task  to 
cart  the  seven-column  forms  from  the  office  at 
77  Lake  street  to  Zebina  Eastman's  press  room, 
near  the  corner  of  Randolph  and  Clark  streets, 
where  he  carried  the  forms  up  the  three  flights 


John  Anderson. 

of  stairs.  He  later  secured  employment  in  Ben 
Seaton's  job  office,  which  was  then  a  part  of  the 
old  Argus  plant. 

A  year  later  the  Argus  and  Seaton's  job  of- 
fice were  sold  to  Scripps  &  Bross,  who  were 
publishers  of  The  Democratic  Press.  Mr.  An- 
derson was  included  in  the  transfer  and  worked 
under  William  H.  Austin  and  later  under  Cyrus 
Bradley  Langley  as  foremen,  when  The  Demo- 
cratic Press  and  The  Tribune  consolidated  under 
the  hyphenated  name  of  The  Press-Tribune,  with 
John  L.  Scripps  as  managing  editor  and  moving 
spirit. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


267 


By  this  time  Mr.  Anderson  had  become  a 
journeyman  printer.  He  continued  in  this  capac- 
ity, holding  the  "ad"  case,  working  early  and 
late,  until  in  1866,  when,  on  May  2,  he  com- 
menced the  publication  of  Skandinaven,  which 
has  grown  under  Mr.  Anderson's  guidance  and 
watchful  care  until  it  today  is  the  most  influential 
Scandinavian  newspaper  in  America,  being  issued 
daily,  Sunday  and  semi-weekly. 

In  the  great  fire  in  1871,  Mr.  Anderson  lost  his 
whole  plant,  but  he  borrowed  money  and  re- 
established the  paper. 

Mr.  Anderson  has  always  been  a  consistent 
republican,  and  has  loyally  supported  the  party 
ticket,  excepting  where  a  candidate  with  an  un- 
clean record  has  been  nominated.  He  has  never 
sought  nor  would  accept  public  office  except  oc- 
casionally going  as  a  delegate  to  conventions. 
He  was  five  successive  terms  treasurer  of  the 
Chicago  Typographical  Union  and  president  of 
the  Old-Time  Printers'  Society  for  three  terms. 

Mr.  Anderson  has  been  married  twice,  first  in 
1859  to  Maria  C.  Frank,  of  Racine,  Wis.,  who 
died  in  1874.  Two  children  were  born  to  them, 
a  son,  Franklin  Seward,  Aug.  18,  1860,  now  man- 
ager of  the  advertising  department  of  Skandina- 
ven, and  one  daughter,  who  died  in  infancy. 

In  1875  Mr.  Anderson  married  Julia  Sampson, 
his  present  wife.  Four  children  were  born  of 
this  union,  three  of  whom  are  living:  Maria 
(Mamie),  born  March  1,  1876,  married  to  Mr. 
Arthur  Eilert,  with  the  American  Trust  and 
Savings  Bank;  O.  Louis  M.,  born  Aug.  14,  1883, 
working  in  the  office  of  Skandinaven,  and  John 
A.,  born  March  8,  1890,  who  is  attending  the 
Thomas  Hoyne  Manual  Training  High  School. 

The  good  and  valuable  services  which  Mr.  An- 
derson has  rendered  his  countrymen,  both  in 
America  and,  when  need  existed,  in  Norway, 
have  been  recognized  on  several  occasions.  One 
was  when  Skandinaven  completed  one-third  of  a 
century,  on  May  2,  1899.  Prominent  Scandinav- 
ians in  Chicago  came  together  and  deemed  it  be- 
fitting that  the  occasion  should  be  celebrated  in 
the  honor  of  the  paper  as  well  as  its  creator. 
A  committee  of  arrangements  was  appointed  to 
invite  prominent  Norwegians  all  over  the  United 
States  to  join  in  a  banquet  at  the  Sherman 
House,  Chicago,  in  honor  of  John  Anderson  and 
Skandinaven. 

The  invitation  was  eagerly  responded  to,  and 
on  May  2,  1899,  representative  Norwegians, 
Swedes,  Danes,  and  Americans  numbering  470 
persons  sat  down  to  a  sumptuous  banquet.  The 
•chief  speaker  of  the  occasion  was  United  States 


senator  Knute  Nelson,  of  Minnesota,  from  whose 
splendid  oration  we  glean  a  couple  of  paragraphs: 

"If  I  were  to  point  out  one  man  of  our  na- 
tionality who  has  done  more  than  any  other  to 
educate  and  enlighten  his  compatriots,  my  first 
choice  would  without  hesitation  be  the  guest  in 
whose  honor  we  have  gathered  this  evening, 
Mr.  John  Anderson." 

"Skandinaven  is  today  one  of  those  broad, 
sober  and  intellectual  papers  to  which  we  look 
for  leaders  of  our  people.  It  is  the  largest 
Scandinavian  paper  both  as  to  size,  contents  and 
circulation,  and  we  certainly  have  every  reason 
for  being  proud  of  the  fact,  that  it  is  the  largest 
Norwegian  paper  in  the  world." 

Another  occasion,  when  John  Anderson's  good 
work  was  recognized,  occurred  in  1903,  when 
King  Oscar  conferred  upon  him  the  order  of 
Sankt  Olaf.  At  that  time  the  Norwegian  Old 
Settlers'  Society  published  the  following  congrat- 
ulation in  the  Chicago  daily  papers,  which  speaks 
for  itself: 

"We,  the  Norwegian  Old  Settlers'  Society  of 
Chicago,  hereby  extend  to  our  beloved  fellow 
member, 

Mr.  John  Anderson, 

our  sincere  congratulations  upon  the  fact  that 
His  Majesty,  King  Oscar  of  Norway  and  Sweden, 
has  recently  conferred  upon  him  the  distinguished 
Order  of  St.  Olaf.  We  recognize  in  the  con- 
ferring of  this  distinction  upon  Mr.  Anderson  a 
fitting  tribute  to  him  for  his  services  during  a 
period  of  many  years  in  the  interests  of  our 
countrymen  in  the  United  States,  and  for  his 
efforts  for  the  alleviation  of  suffering  among  his 
countrymen  in  the  land  of  his  adoption  as  well 
as  in  his  native  land  beyond  the  sea. 

We  also  extend  to  him  our  sympathy  in  his 
present  illness,  and  hope  for  him  a  speedy  re- 
covery and  many  years  of  continued  usefulness 
in  our  midst. 

Peter  M.  Balken,  Pres., 
Capt.  John  Anderson,  Sec." 


NILS  ANTON  ANDERSON 

Was  born  at  Westra  Barum,  near  Christiania, 
Norway,  Jan.  2,  1852.  His  father  was  0sten  and 
his  mother  Christine  Anderson.  After  having 
been  confirmed  he  learned  the  trade  of  a  shoe- 


263 


A  HISTORY   OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF   ILLINOIS 


maker  and  also  served  in  the  army,  where  he  rose 
to  be  a  corporal.  After  some  years  he  opened  a 
shoe-making  establishment  of  his  own.  This 
business  did  not  prove  as  satisfactory  in  a  pecun- 
iary way  as  Mr.  Anderson  had  expected,  so  he 
concluded  to  try  his  fortune  in  America.  In  Nor- 
way he  had  been  married  to  Miss  Dorothea  Ol- 


N.  A.  Anderson. 


sen,  of  Christiania.  Mr.  Anderson  left  Chris- 
tiania  alone  in  May,  1882,  but  in  September  of  the 
same  year  he  had  saved  up  enough  money  to  send 
for  his  wife  and  their  two  children,  who  arrived 
in  October  of  the  same  year.  The  family  settled 
in  the  little  town  of  Millington,  in  Kendall  Coun- 
ty, and  remained  there  for  two  years.  During 
this  time  two  more  children  were  born  to  them. 
They  now  moved  to  Chicago,  where  Mr.  Ander- 
son worked  in  the  Ludlow  shoe  factory,  and  af- 
ter several  years,  when  the  same  was  moved  to 
Elgin,  he  also  went  there  and  was  employed  in 
the  same  factory,  which  now  belongs  to  Selz, 
Schwab  &  Co.,  until  in  1905,  when  in  the  spring 
he  was  appointed  janitor  of  the  City  Hall  of  El- 
gin. 

The  family  has  been  on  the  increase  all  thj 
time  and  the  number  of  children  is  now  ten: 
Inga  A.,  born  1880;  Carl  H.,  1882;  Mathilde  P., 
1883;  0sten  O.,  1885;  Arthur  D.,  1887;  Sophie  G, 


1889;  Hannah  K.,  1891;  Louis  A.,  1893;  Morris  E.r  . 
1894;   Mabel   D.,  born  1895. 

Notwithstanding  the  expense   such  a  family  of 
necessity  must  entail,  Mr.  Anderson  has  been  able 
to  build   his   own  home,  at  678  Congdon  avenue.  : 
The   two   oldest   daughters   are   married,   but   the 
other  eight  children  live  with  their  parents.     Mr.  • 
Anderson  is  a  member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum  and 
Knights   of   Pythias,   and   the   family   attends   the 
Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  at  Elgin. 


OSCAR  CHRISTIAN  ANDERSEN 

Was  born  in  Christiania,  Norway,  March  2,  1847. 
He  mastered  the  trade  of  a  painter  and  decorator 
in  the  old  country  and  came  to  America  with  his 
parents  in  1865.  They  first  settled  in  Vermont, 
but  later  came  on  to  Chicago,  where  Mr.  Ander- 
sen has  resided  since. 


Oscar  Andersen  and  niece,  Stella. 

He  engaged  at  once  in  the  painting  and  decor- 
ating business  and  has  continued  in  it,  but  during 
the  past  five  years  he  has  given  much  time  to 
real  estate  and  similar  transactions.  He  mar- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


tied  Albertina  Jensen,  of  Drammen,  in  1S67.  He 
owns  and  occupies  a  cozy  home  at  957  Carmen 
avenue,  in  Argyle  Park. 

Mrs.  Andersen  died  in  1906. 


OWEN  ANDERSON, 


Of  Ottawa,  111.,  was  born  in  Serena  township,  La 
Salle  County,  111.,  July  30,  1865.  He  is  a  son  of 
Ole  and  Anna  (Helgeland)  Anderson,  farmers. 


Owen  Anderson. 

He  attended  the  public  schools  until  17  years  of 
age,  was  for  one  term  a  student  at  the  normal 
school  at  Morris,  111.,  and  then  took  a  four-year 
course  at  Luther  College,  Decorah,  Iowa.  His 
youth  was  spent  in  farming,  going  to  and  teach- 
ing school. 

He  began  his  active  work  as  a  school  teacher 
in  Nettle  Creek  township,  Grundy  County,  Illi- 
nois, in  September,  1887,  and  has  been  a  practic- 
ing attorney-at-law  in  Ottawa,  Ills.,  since  Sep- 
tember, 1897. 

He  was  married  to  Belle  Nelson,  of  Morris,  111., 
July  5,  1891.  His  wife  is  a  daughter  of  Erick  C. 


and  Ingeborg  Nelson,  of  Morris.  Our  subject 
was  elected  secretary  of  the  Fox  River  Valley 
District  Luther  League  of  Northern  Illinois  in 
May,  1897,  and  has  been  re-elected  each  year 
since.  He  is  president  of  the  board  of  trustees 
of  the  Trinity  Lutheran  Church  of  Ottawa.  His 
father  died  in  Ford  County,  111.,  Sept.  13,  1872, 
and  his  mother  in  Serena  township,  Sept.  17, 1897. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Anderson  have  been  blessed  with 
three  children,  all  living,  namely:  Oscar  Elmer, 
born  Sept.  7,  1892;  Ella  Anna,  Nov.  14,  1896; 
Olive  Irene,  Oct.  2,  1903.  The  family  resides  at 
621  Marcy  street,  Ottawa,  111. 


NILS  ARNESON 

Was  born  on  a  farm  (Steensmyhren),  near  Dram- 
men,  Norway,  in  1840.  His  parents  were  Arne 
and  Anna  Nilson.  He  went  to  school  until  he 


Nils  Arneson. 

was  confirmed.  He  learned  his  trade  as  a  wagon- 
maker  in  Christiania.  Came  to  America  on  a  sail- 
ship  in  1861.  Worked  in  Chicago  to  the  fall  of 
the  same  year.  Enlisted  in  Co.  A.,  Fifteenth  Regi- 


270 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


ment,  Wisconsin  Volunteers.  Served  three  years 
and  two  months  in  the  Civil  War.  Came  back  to 
Chicago  in  1865.  Worked  at  his  trade  to  1868, 
when  ne  began  the  manufacture  of  furniture  on 
Canal  street,  but  was  burrted  out  in  the  Great 
Chicago  Fire.  From  that  time  the  firm  was  Ar- 
neson  &  Co.  In  1880  it  was  changed  to  Johnson 
&  Arneson.  In  1884  he  with  others  started  the 
Central  Manufacturing  Company,  a  corporation 
chartered  under  the  laws  of  Illinois  to  manu- 
facture office  desks.  He  is  president  and  treas- 
urer. He  is  also  director  of  the  Union  Bank  of 
Chicago.  In  1870  he  was  married  to  Hilda  Toft- 
ner,  from  Christiania.  They  have  had  one  son 
and  one  daughter;  only  the  daughter  is  living; 
she  is  married  to  Alf.  Normann,  secretary  of  the 
Central  Manufacturing  Company. 

Mr.  Arneson  is  a  director  of  the  Chicago  Man- 
ufacturers' Association  and  a  member  of  Lyons 
Post  No.  9,  G.  A.  R.  Office:  37-41  Armour 
street.  Residence:  672  N.  Hoyne  avenue. 


Tobias   Tobiason   and   his   wife   Mary,   nee   Hen- 
drickson,  of  Decorah,  Iowa.    Their  marital  union 
has  been  blessed  by  nine  children,  eight  sons  and 
one   daughter,    all    living.     The   children's    names 
and  dates  of  birth  are  as  follows:  Theodore  Nor-' 
man,   born    May   17,   1879;    Olaf   Henry    Morton,,* 
March    8,    1882;    Clarence    Bernhardt,    Febr.    17, 
1884;  Frederic  William,  Nov.  21,  1886;  Robert  In-j 
geman,  May  24,  1888;  Arthur  Herman,  and  Alice! 
Margerite,  twins,  Jan.  12,  1893;  Joseph  Bertram, 
Aug.  24,  18'95,  and  Edward  Eugene,  April  27,  1897.] 
The  oldest  son,  Theodore  N.,  is  married  to  Miss 
Clara  Beers,  of  Decorah,  Iowa. 

With  his  family  Mr.  Arneson  attends  St.  John's  jj 
Norwegian   Lutheran   church,   Chicago,  being  its 
secretary  and  Sunday  school  teacher,  and  resides' 
at. 720  Haddon  avenue. 


OLE  T.  ARNESON 

Was  born  in  Highland  township,  Winnesheik 
county,  Iowa,  May  4,  1853,  to  Tollef  Arneson 
and  Margrete  Olson  (Rudringen)  Sanden,  farm- 
ers. 

Mr.  Arneson  attended  the  common  school  un- 
til he  was  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran  church.  He 
then  took  the  elementary  course  at  the  state  nor- 
mal school,  Winona,  Minn.,  from  where  he  grad- 
uated Dec.  31,  1871. 

He  now  commenced  teaching  school  in  his 
home  district  and  later  continued  teaching  in 
various  places.  For  three  years  he  was  principal 
of  the  graded  school  at  Spring  Grove,  Minn.  In 
the  spring  of  1879  he  moved  to  North  Dakota 
and  took  up  a  homestead  near  Hatton,  Traill 
county.  Here  he  taught  school  part  of  the  time 
while  holding  the  claim,  which  he  proved  up  in 
1884  and  sold  in  1886,  when  he  moved  to  De- 
corah, la.  He  was  then  employed  in  the  mailing 
department  of  "Decorahposten"  until  Sept.  1887, 
when  he  accepted  a  position  as  shipping  and 
mailing  clerk  with  the  Lutheran  Publishing 
House.  .  With  this  institution  he  remained  17 
years.  In  October  1904  he  accepted  a  position 
as  manager  of  "Skandinaven's"  Book  Depart- 
ment, of  which  he  is  still  in  charge. 

July  7,  1877,  Mr.  Arneson  was  joined  in  holy 
wedlock  to  Miss  Inger  Tobiason,  a  daughter  of 


SIGVALD  ASBJ0RNSEN, 

The  sculptor,  was  born  in  Christiania,  Norway, 
Oct.  19,  1867.  He  is  a  graduate  of  the  Royal  Art 
school  of  Christiania  and  a  pupil  of  the  great 
sculptors,  Middelthun,  Bergslien  and  Skeibrok. 
At  the  age  of  16  he  was  granted  a  royal  stipend 
to  help  him  along  in  his  studies.  This  he  re- 
ceived for  five  years. 

When  Mr.  Asbjjzfrnsen  was  a  lad  of  16,  it  en- 
tered into  his  head  to  model  a  bust  of  King  Os- 
car II.  Unfortunately  he  had  only  a  poor  wood 
cut  picture  of  the  king  and  no  ready  money 
wherewith  to  buy  the  necessary  photograph.  But'] 
he  knew  a  way  out  of  his  trouble.  He  went  and 
looked  at  the  desired  picture  in,  a  photographer's 
case,  carried  the  impression  home  with  him,  and 
started  on  his  self-imposed  task. 

From  an  artistic  point  this  bust  did  not  amount 
to  much.  Nevertheless  it  was  a  very  eloquent 
bust.  Not  necessarily  by  its  persuading  the  king 
to  contribute  a  few  hundred  kroner  toward  As- 
bjfirnsen's  artistic  education,  but  chiefly  by  its  il- 
lustrating the  two  main  traits  in  the  artist's 
makeup:  his  passionate  love  of  his  art  that  makes 
him  conquer  all  difficulties  and  his  acute  power 
of  observation. 

Those  first  artist  days  in,  Christiania,  where  he 
was  born,  were  not  exactly  cloudless.  But  his 
art  and  his  undaunted  courage  carried  him 
through  everything.  No  doubt  Browning's  fam- 
ous lines,  changed  a  little,  would  describe  the 
kind  of  life  he  and  his  companions  led  in  those 
days: 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


271 


"They  sighed  deep,  laughed  free, 
Starved,  feasted,  despaired  —  were  happy." 

Before  Mr.  Asbj0rnsen's  departure  for  this 
country  in  1892,  he  had  modeled  a  bust  of  his 
friend.  Bertram,  the  talented  painter,  who  died  at 
a  young  age;  a  statuette  of  the  actor  Clausen,  and 
two  deservedly  popular  busts  of  Fru  Agathe 
Grp'ndahl  and  Fru  Erika  Nissen  —  besides  many 
Other  things  of  less  value. 

Arrived  in  this  country,  he  went  to  Michigan, 
where  he  made  several  busts  for  members  of  the 
moneyed  classes.  He  came  to  Chicago  during 
the  World's  Fair,  making  this  city  his  permanent 
home. 


Sigvald  Asbj0rnsen. 

During  his  stay  in  Michigan  he  made  a  bust 
of  Grover  Cleveland  and  one  of  Blaine,  the  latter 
eminently  striking.  Mr.  Asbj0rnsen's  public 
works  embrace:  Leif  Erikson,  statue,  Humboldt 
Park;  Louis  Joliet,  statue,  in  front  of  the  public 
library,  Joliet,  III.;  Hon.  Robert  William  Moore, 
statue,  Memphis,  Tenn.;  "Defiance  of  the  Flag — 
a  group  of  three  soldiers,"  Decatur,  Ills.;  Penn- 
sylvania State  Monument,  Andersonville,  Ga. ; 
Illinois  State  Monument,  Chattanooga,  Tenn.; 
John  Monaghan  Monument,  Spokane,  Wash.;  and 
finished  the  Group  of  War  and  Soldiers'  Statue 


for  the  Sherman  Monument,  Washington,  D.  C. 
He  has  also  made  the  following  busts  in  bronze: 
John  Anderson,  Prof.  H.  H.  Boyesen,  Walter 
Gresham,  Benjamin  Franklin,  Edwin  Westgaard, 
and  a  marble  bust  of  Paul  O.  Stensland.  He  has 
also  made  some  striking  medallions,  particularly 
one  in  bronze  of  Bjdrnstjerne  Bj^rnson,  on  the 
Bjfirnson  Bauta,  Fargo,  N.  D.  Also  medallions 
of  Ibsen,  Grieg,  Robert  Ingersoll  and  others. 

Mr.  Asbj0rnsen  married  Margaretha  Stuhr,  of 
Christiansund,  Norway.  They  have  three  chil- 
dren, Leif,  Borghild  and  Helen.  The  family  re- 
sides at  1075  Wabansia  avenue. 


CHRISTOPHER  L.  AYGARN, 

Of  Pontiac,  111.,  was  born  in  Avaldsnes,  Hauge- 
sund,  Norway,  on  Sept.  4,  1850.  His  parents  were 
Lars  and  Martha  (Heliekson)  Aygarn.  He  at- 


C.  L.  Aygarn. 

tended  school  in  Norway  until  15  years  old,  when 
he  was  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran  Church.  He 
came  to  America,  with  an  older  brother,  when  16 
years,  going  to  Ottawa,  111.,  where  he  arrived 


272 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Nov.  23,  1866.  Here  he  worked  on  a  farm  for 
three  years  and  then  went  to  Minnesota,  where 
he  spent  one  year  —  1870. 

He  now  came  to  Livingston  county,  111.,  where 
he  married  Miss  Isabelle  -C.  Mitchell,  daughter 
of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  and  Bertha  (Oakland) 
Mitchell,  on  Feb.  11,  1872.  He  then  rented  some 
land  in  Livingston  county  and  cultivated  it  for 
three  years.  Having  saved  some  money,  he  pur- 
chased a  ]60-acre  farm  in  1874.  The  three  fol- 
lowing years  were  almost  complete  crop  failures, 
compelling  him  to  let  the  title  revert  to  the 
original  owner,  with  the  loss  of  the  amount  he 
had  paid  upon  it.  Still  believing  in  the  "hold- 
fast" doctrine,  he  continued  to  farm  the  same 
land  until  1886,  when  he  re-purchased  the  farm, 
and  after  two  years_sold  it  at  the  handsome  pro- 
fit of  $19  per  acre. 

In  1S88  he  went  to  Rowe,  a  small  station  near 
Pontiac,  and  established  a  general  merchandise 
and  grain  business,  and  with  it  he  built  and  oper- 
ated a  large  drain-tile  and  brick  factory,  employ- 
ing a  big  force  of  workmen;  his  annual  output 
running  as  high  as  250,000  drain  tiles  and  a  mil- 
lion of  brick.  He  is  practically  the  founder  of  the 
town,  having  built  two  elevators  there,  besides 
his  business  blocks  and  residences.  In  1900  Mr. 
Aygarn  sold  out  his  tile  and  brick  interest  intend- 
ing to  devote  his  attention  to  the  grain  business 
exclusively.  He  had  much  opposition,  the  grain 
buyers  of  that  section,  in  connection  with  the 
railroads  and  Chicago  commission  men,  having 
combined  to  limit  Mr.  Aygarn's  field  of  opera- 
tion. He  was  then  doing  business  both  at  Rows, 
and  Pontiac.  This  injustice  was  fought,  out  in 
court,  however,  and  ou'r  subject  won  in  a  fight 
which  was  begun  in  the  interest  of  the  farming 
and  business  community  rather  than  in  his  per- 
sonal interest.  He  now  operates  two  grain 
elevators  with  a  capacity  of  20,000  bushels  each, 
the  railroads  giving  him  the  same  facilities  ac- 
corded larger  corporations  in  vthe  same  line  of 
business. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Aygarn  have  three  children  — 
Lewis  Oliver,  born  July  18,  1873,  and  married  to 
Anna  Nelson;  Martin  Gustav  Melanchton,  born 
Dec.  3,  1879,  and  married  to  Mabel  Lillian  Mitch- 
ell; Christian  Thomas  Millard,  born  Aug.  4,  1886. 

The  family  are  members  of  the  English  Luth- 
eran Church  on  Rook  Creek,  of  which  Mr.  Ay- 
garn was  the  organizer  and  has  served  alternately 
as  chairman  and  secretary  for  the  last  fifteen 
years.  Mr.  Aygarn  is  a  highly  respected  man 
and  enjoys  a  well  earned  reputation  for  industry 
and  integrity. 


EINAR  BAGGE, 

The  son  of  Ole  and  Ovidia  Bagge,  of  Christiania, 
Norway,  was  born  in  Fredrikshald,  Oct.  30, 
1871.  His  youth  was  spent  in  Christiania,  where 
he  graduated  from  the  cathedral  school  in  1887, 
That  same  year  he  commenced  learning  the  in- 
tricacies of  watch-making,  as  an  apprentice,  with 
T.  I.  Thorstad,  Christiania,  where  he  remained 
for  three  years. 

He  left  Norway  in  August,  1890,  and  came  to 
Chicago,  where  he  obtained  a  position  with  C. 
D.  Peacock,  the  jeweler,  first  as  watch-maker  for 


Einar  Bagge. 


five  years.  He  was  then  given  charge  of  the 
clock  department,  in  which  he  remained  for 
eight  years,  or  until  June,  1903,  when  he  resigned 
to  take  a  position  as  material  clerk  and  watch 
missionary  with  Robbins  &  Appleton,  General 
Agents  for  the  Waltham  Watch  Company.  Here 
Mr.  Bagge  entered  a  new  field,  going  into  the 
commercial  line  and  at  the  same  time  having  a 
chance  to  develop  his  knowledge  in  the  horolog- 
ical  art,  as  he  will  be  in  close  touch  with  the 
largest  and  most  modern  watch  factory  in  the 
world,  and  when  traveling  will  get  the  different 
watch-makers'  views  and  ideas.  He  was  awarded 
the  bronze  medal  of  the  Swedish  Watch-makers' 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


273 


Society,  April  28,  1901;  the  silver  medal  March 
19,  1904,  and  the  gold  medal  March  18,  1905.  His 
gold  medal  was  the  first  gold  medal  ever  awarded 
by  the  Society.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Swed- 
ish Watchmakers'  Society  of  Chicago,  and  is  its 
treasurer. 

Mr.  Bagge  married  Miss  Christine  Prytz,  Oct. 
2,  1901.  They  reside  at  1190  West  Division 
street. 


PETER  MAGNUS  BALKEN, 

The  son  of  Johan  Andreas  and  Isakine  Botella 
Balken,  of  Stavanger,  Norway,  was  born  there 
April  24,  1837,  and  came  to  America  with  his 


Peter  M.  Balken. 


parents  in  1849.  They  came  over  on  the  brig 
Favoriten,  Captain  Westergaard  in  command, 
and  landed  in  New  York.  Thence  to  Chicago 
the  route  was  via  the  Erie  Canal  to  Buffalo  and 
steamers  over  the  lakes  the  rest  of  the  way.  Our 
subject  was  baptized  in  the  Cathedral  at  Stav- 
anger and  confirmed  by  Rev.  Ole  Andrewson  in 


the  Lutheran  Church  in  Muskego,  Racine  Coun- 
ty, Wis.,  in  1853. 

When  12  years  old  he  went  to  work  at  the 
home  of  John  H.  Kinzie;  afterward  he  worked  in 
Lars  Harrisville's  shingle  shop,  in  Mears'  lumber 
yard,  then  located  at  Kinzie  street  and  the  river. 
In  1855  he  went  to  work  as  an  apprentice  in  the 
pressroom  of  the  Chicago  Journal,  where  he 
worked  for  forty  years,  having  been  made  fore- 
man of  the  pressroom  in  1865.  When  the  own- 
ership of  the  Journal  changed  hands  in  1895  Mr. 
Balken  concluded  to  retire  too,  not  that  the  sale 
of  the  paper  had  anything  to  do  with  it,  but 
that  he  had  decided  to  retire  for  some  time,  at 
least,  for  rest  and  recuperation. 

Mr.  Balken  has  been  married  twice.  His  first 
wife  was  Maren  Johanna  Jensen,  born  in  this 
city;  his  second  wife,  Carrie  Regina  Reimers, 
was  born  in  Stavanger.  They  have  one  daughter,. 
Harriet  Regina,  now  Mrs.  Serwich,  with  whom 
our  subject  makes  his  home  in  River  Forrest,  a 
suburb  of  Chicago. 

Like  most  Norwegians,  he  was  born  a  repub- 
lican. He  was  a  doortender  in  the  wigwam  when 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  nominated  in  1860,  and 
has  voted  for  every  republican  candidate  for  the 
presidency  since.  He  says  he  would  like  to  have 
another  opportunity  to  vote  for  President  Roose- 
velt. 

Mr.  Balken  is  the  organizer  of  the  Norwegian 
Old  Settlers'  Society,  which  was  founded  in  1878, 
and  was  its  second  president.  Our  subject  is 
now  employed  in  the  county  clerk's  office,  hav- 
ing been  appointed  by  Mr.  Peter  B.  Olsen,  then 
county  clerk,  and  reappointed  by  the  present 
county  clerk,  Mr.  Haas. 


OLE  W.  BENDIXON, 

Of  Morris,  111.,  was  born  in  Christiania,  Norway, 
Nov.  16,  1838.  His  parents  were  Bendix  and 
Elizabeth  (born  Torgerson)  Ol^en.  Our  sub- 
ject's early  life  was  passed  in  Christiania,  where, 
while  attending  school,  he  also  worked  in  a  to- 
bacco factory  until  he  was  confirmed.  At  this 
age  he  entered  the  navy  as  an  apprentice,  but  on 
account  of  weak  eyes  remained  only  one  year. 
He  sailed  on  the  seas  and  ocean  from  1853-56. 
In  1856,  he  entered  the  regular  Norwegian  ar- 
my, serving  in  the  cavalry  for  five  years,  during 
vvliich  time  he  also  studied  theology.  He  then 
sailed  again  from  1862-66,  when  he  located  in 
New  York  as  a  seaman  missionary,  where  he 


274 


'A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


remained  for  two  years,  again  pursuing  at  the 
same  time  his  theological  studies,  now  under 
Rev.  Dr.  Murphy,  and  was  ordained  to  the  min- 
istry March  28,  1868.  He  worked  in  the  post- 
office  department  from  1873  to  1883,  was  United 
States  storekeeper  in  1884-85,  and  did  minister- 
ial and  missionary  work  at  different  times. 

His  military  career  was  prolonged  one  year  in 
the  naval  school  and  five  years  in  the  regular 
army  in  Norway;  one  year  in  the  First  Regi- 
ment Infantry,  I.  N.  G.,  and  six  months  in  the 
cavalry  for  the  same  regiment,  here  in  Chicago. 
He  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the  Scandinav- 


interest  in  all  worthy  charities,  and  belongs  to 
the  Umversalist  Church.  He  moved  to  Morris 
a  few  years  ago,  and  makes  his  home  with  his 
daughter,  Mrs.  Hattie  N.  Callan. 


O!e  W.  Bendixon. 

ian  regiment,  organized  before  the  great  fire,  and 
was  its  adjutant.  It  did  good  work  in  preserv- 
ing peace  and  order  after  the  fire.  He  organized 
the  Scandinavian  Working  Mens'  Association 
and  was  its  president;  belonged  to  the  Norweg- 
ian Singing  Society,  and  was  an  honorary  mem- 
ber of  many  societies.  He  took  an  active  inter- 
est in  politics,  and  was  in  great  demand  on  the 
stump  in  presidential  campaigns  in  many  states. 

He  was  a  forceful  speaker  and  was  always 
called  upon  at  public  meetings  or  celebrations. 

Mr.  Bendixon  was  married  to  Christine  Knud- 
son  on  Nov.  8,  1858.  They  have  had  nine  chil- 
dren, four  now  living.  Mr.  Bendixon  takes  an 


VICTOR  FLEMMING  BENDIXEN, 

Of  the  Standard  Architectural  Iron  Works,  at 
627-643  Bloomingdale  avenue,  is  the  son  of  John 
Bendixen,  a  manufacturer  in  Christiania,  Nor- 
way, his  mother's  maiden  name  being  Catharine 
E.  Flemming.  Victor  was  born  in  Christiania, 
Dec.  1,  1865.  He  had  a  college  education  idP- 
Norway,  graduated  from  the  Christiania  Art 
School,  and  worked  as  an  apprentice  for  Henrik 
Nissen,  architect,  in  Christiania.  After  his  ar- 
rival in  Chicago  he  took  a  course  at  a  business 
law  school,  from  which  he  graduated.  His  youth 
was  spent  in  school,  excepting  one  year  in  which 
he  sailed.  He  came  to  America  in  1888,  coming 
direct  to  Chicago.  He  began  work  here  as  a 
draftsman  at  the  stock  yards.  After  six  months 
there  he  was  employed  by  Winslow  Bros.  &  Co. 
as  designer  and  draftsman,  where  he  remained 
for  three  years,  the  last  year  as  general  superin- 
tendent. He  took  a  trip  to  Norway  in  1902,  -ajnd 
upon  his  return  accepted  the  position  as  chief 
engineer  for  Beers,  Clay  &  Dutton,  architects,  in 
Chicago. 

In  1903  he  started  the  present  firm,  the  Stand- 
ard Architectural  Works,  first  locating  at  No.; 30 
Clinton  street;  then  moved  to  181  Newberry 
avenue,  and  from  there  to  his  present  location 
on  Bloomingdale  avenue,  corner  of  Winnebago. 
Here  he  has  erected  a  substantial  two-story 
brick  building  especially  adapted  for  the  busi- 
ness. The  company,  of  which  our  subject  is 
president  and  treasurer,  manufacture  iron  work 
for  building  and  also  do  general  foundry  work. 

Mr.  Bendixen  was  married  to  Lilian  Olesen, 
of  Chicago,  on  July  9,  1902.  They  have  one  child, 
Kathryn  Josephine,  born  April  11,  1903.  Mr. 
Bendixen's  parents  died  in  Norway  and  Ing- 
wald  Olesen  died  here  in  Chicago,  the  widow 
still  living  here.  Mr.  Bendixen  is  a  Mason.  The] 
family  resides  at  20  Evergreen  Avenue. 


THOR  J.  BENSON, 

Was  born  on  his  father's  estate,  known  as  Ege- 
land,   in   0vre   Bygden,   Birkrem   Sogn,    Norway, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


275 


Sept.  22,  1857,  his  parents  being  J0rgen  Bj0rnson 
Egeland  and  Berthe  Thorsdatter  (nee  Holmen). 
Thor  attended  the  public  school  in  Norway  be- 
fore he  came  to  America  with  his  parents  in  1871. 
An  older  sister  had  preceded  the  family  to 
America,  and  as  she  had  had  difficulty  in  get- 
ting English-speaking  people  to  pronounce  her 
name,  Bj0rnson  became  Benson;  and  as  she  se- 
cured a  place  for  her  brother  on  his  arrival  here 
with  one  of  her  acquaintances,  Thor's  name  be- 
came Benson  also,  although  against  his  protest. 
Egeland  of  course  was  the  name  of  the  farm 
or  homeplace  in  Norway,  and  many  of  his  near- 
est relatives  go  by  that  name. 


T.  J.  Benson. 

Mr.  Benson  has  b'een  married  twice,  his  first 
wife,  whom  he  married  Jan.  20,  1880,  was  Mary 
Jane  Ross.  Second  time  married  to  Clara  So- 
phie, youngest  daughter  of  his  father's  brother, 
Kydle  Byrnson,  of  Jefferson  township,  Vernon 
county,  Wisconsin,  where  he  settled  in  the  early 
'50's,  having  arrived  in  America  in  1850.  There 
are  five  children — George  W.,  born  Dec.  12,  1880; 
William  T.,  Aug.  6,  1885;  Kittel  Bj0rnson-Ege- 
land  (stepson),  born  Jan.  22,  1897;  Bertha  Ra- 
chel, March  27,  1900;  Guri  Theodora,  April  5, 
1902  (died  Feb.  13,  1903).  A  nephew,  Theodore 


Olaf  Hall,  son  of  a  favorite  sister  (who  died 
April  12,  1883,  a  week  after  the  boy's  birth), 
lives  in  his  family  and  attends  the  Wendell  Phil- 
lips High  School. 

Mr.  Benson,  after  his  arrival  in  this  country, 
first  worked  for  different  farmers  in  Minnesota. 
He  then  studied  telegraphy  at  Janesville,  Wis., 
in  1876,  and  on  Sept.  4  of  that  year  came  to 
Chicago.  Here  he  studied  law  in  the  law  de- 
partment of  Lake  Forest  University  in  1893-95, 
receiving  his  diploma.  He  also  studied  at  the 
Chicago  Theological  Seminary  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  in  1896-97.  He  has  held  different  offices 
in  the  county  and  city.  Was  assistant  county 
collector  in  1891,  assistant  city  prosecuting  at- 
torney in  1891-92,  and  has  served  as  clerk,  super- 
visor and  judge  of  elections  continuously  for 
years. 

Mr.  Ben.son  is  a  member  of  the  Old-Time 
Telegraphers,  the  Historical  Association,  the 
Walhalla  Society  and  the  Jefferson  Club.  He 
was  the  regular  democratic  nominee  for  alder- 
man of  the  Third  Ward  in  1905,  receiving  2,dll 
votes,  a'  very  creditable  showing  considering  that 
his  opponent,  Milton  J.  Foreman,  had  had  six 
years'  experience  in' which  he  had  made  a  good 
record.  The  family  attend  St.  Stephen's  Dan- 
ish Lutheran  Church  arid  reside  in  their  own 
home  at  3228  Forest  ayenue,  which  Mr.  Benson 
purchased  in  1882. 


OLE  E.  BENSON, 

The  popular  sheriff  of  La  Salle  county,  was  born 
at  Fogen,  Norway,  Jan.  23,  1866,  to  Ole  R.  Ben- 
son and  his  wife  Bertha  Runestad.  He  received 
his  education  in  the  common  schools  and  was 
confirmed  in  the  Lutheran  church.  In  1871  he 
came  to  America  remaining  in  Minnesota  until 
1876,  when  he  vmoved  to  Ford  county,  111.,  finally 
settling  down  in  La  Salle  county,  where  he  has 
remained  since  1878. 

Mr.  Benson  was  married  to  Miss  Louise  John- 
son, of  Mission  township,  Dec.  24,  1890.  She 
was  a  daughter  of  Solomon  and  Martha  John- 
son. After  having  given  birth  to  four  children 
Mrs.  Benson  died  May  16,  1899.  The  names  of 
the  children,  who  are  all  living,  are  as  follows: 
Floyd  Leroy,  born  Oct.  14,  1891;  Bessie  Gertie, 
Dec.  25,  1892;  Erma  Myrtle,  Oct.  16,  1894,  and 
Pearl  Naomi,  July  12,  1897. 


276 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS   OF   ILLINOIS 


In  November,  1906,  Mr.  Benson  was  elected 
sheriff  of  La  Salle  county  with  a  majority  of  988 
votes.  By  one  of  the  daily  papers  of  Ottawa  he 
was  recommended  for  the  office  in  the  following 
manner: 

"One  of  the  strongest  candidates  in  every 
respect  on  the  republican  ticket  is  the  nominee 
for  sheriff,  Mr.  Ole  Benson.  It  will  be  recalled 
that  at  the  primary  election  he  received  a  majori- 
ty of  votes  over  all  competitors,  a  fact  which 
conclusively  shows  his  popularity  among  the 
republican  voters  of  the  county.  The  reasons 
for  this  popularity  are  many.  First,  his  wide  ac- 


O.  E.  Benson. 

quaint'ance,  fbrme'd  when  serving  as  deputy  sher- 
iff; second,  his  competency,  shown  throughout 
that  term  of  service;  third,  his  sterling  manhood 
and  affability.  Few  candidates  combine  so  many 
excellent  qualifications  and  popular  traits  —  quali- 
fications and  traits  which  attract  and  win  the 
confidence  of  men.  Mr.  Benson  is  a  Norwegian 
by  birth  and  an  American  by  natural  selection 
bhd  "education.  His  boyhood  and  manhood  were 
spent  in  La  Salle  county  and  he  is  familiar  with 
its  history,  its  industries,  the  workings  of  its 
courts  and  the  haunts  of  its  criminals.  He  un- 
derstands how  to  care  for  men  and  boys  con- 


victed of  crimes  and  committed  to  the  custody 
of  the  sheriff.  He  is  a  good  judge  of  men  and 
their  motives  and  cannot  be  swayed  from  the 
path  of  duty  by  influences  brought  to  bear  upon 
officers  of  the  law.  He  has  made  an  excellent 
campaign  and  won  hosts  of  friends.  No  charge 
affecting  his  integrity  or  fitness  has  been  made 
against  him  by  the  friends  of  his  democratic  op- 
ponent." 

Mr.  Benson  is  a  member  of  the  Benson  Bros.' 
Sand  Co.,  which  operates  at  Twin  Bluffs  west  of  , 
Ottawa. 


MARTIN  BERG, 

Of  Gunderson  &  Berg,  the  grocers,  at  1647  Ar-  . 
milage  avenue,  was  born  in  Leir,  Norway,  Aug. ; 
16,  1874.  His  father,  Bernt  Larson,  was  a  shoe- 


Martin  Berg. 

maker  in  Leir,  where  our  subject  learned  the 
trade,  but  shoemaking  did  not  appeal  to  him, 
and  after  coming  to  Chicago  he  did  not  follow 
it.  He  attended  school  in  Leir  and  was  con- 
firmed in  Sylling  Church.  In  the  spring  of  1893 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


he  came  to  Chicago  via  New  York,  and  has  lived 
here  since.  His  first  work  was  in  an  organ  fac- 
tory, for  two  years,  and  then  for  three  years 
as  a  bakery  driver.  In  1898  he  formed  a  part- 
nership with  Mr.  G.  A.  Gunderson  and  the  two 
opened  a  modern  grocery  and  meat  market  at 
the  corner  of  Armitage  and  Forty-third  avenues, 
under  the  name  of  Gunderson  &  Berg.  They 
have  continued  at  the  same  location  and  are  do- 
ing a  large  business. 

Mr.  Berg  was  married  on  Nov.  15,  1905,  to 
Miss  Karen  Grenlie,  who  was  born  in  Hedemar- 
ken,  Norway.  Mr.  Berg's  father  died  several 
years  ago,  but  his  mother  is  still  living  on  the 
farm  in  Norway. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  White  City  Lodge, 
I.  O.  O.  F. 


OLE  HANSEN   BERG,   M.D., 

Was  born  in  Tromsjzf,  Norway,  Dec.  5,  1867.  He 
is  the  son  of  Revenue  Collector  Jacob  H.  K.  and 
Marcelie  Marie  (born  Buck)  Berg.  In  Norway 
he  attended  "Middelskolen"  and  was  confirmed 
in  Stavanger.  He  came  to  Chicago  in  1883,  when 
16  years  old,  and  was  apprenticed  in  a  drug  store. 
He  also  studied  pharmacy  in  the  Northwestern 
University,  and  in  1886  passed  his  examination 
as  a  registered  pharmacist.  He  worked  in  the 
capacity  of  a  druggist  until  1896,  in  the  mean- 
time having  taken  a  medical  course  at  the  Illi- 
nois University,  from  which  he  graduated  in 
that  year.  He  then  began  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine, which  he  has  followed  since,  with  an  in- 
creasing and  extensive  general  practice. 

Dr.  Berg  was  attending  physician  to  the  Nor- 
wegian Tabitha  Hospital  from  1896  to  1904. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Scandinavien  Medi- 
cal Society  and  of  Lincoln  Lodge  108,  Knights 
of  Pythias.  His  father  died  in  Vadso",  Norway, 
in  1878. 

He  was  married  on  June  29,  1900,  to  Aslaug, 
the  daughter  of  Eilert  and  Hariette  (nee  Bruun) 
Tigenschou.  The  family  resides  at  565  No.  Cali- 
fornia avenue,  where  the  doctor  also  has  his 
office. 


Bertha  Torstensdattef  Berg.  He  came  to  Amer- 
ica on  the  sailing  vessel  Christina  in  1854,  ar- 
riving in  Quebec,  Canada,  July  16,  without  a 
dollar.  He  worked  his  way  as  far  as  Chicago 
and  got  here  during  the  cholera  epidemic.  He 
worked  for  six  weeks  with  the  sick  as  nurse,  but 
escaped  the  disease. 

He  left  for  Leland  a  little  later,  and  secured 
work  as  a  farm-hand.  In  a  short  time  he 
secured  two  yoke  of  oxen,  with  which  he  broke 
prairie  for  two  years,  and  then  purchased  a  pair 
of  horses  and  followed  teaming  for  some  time. 
He  then  rented  a  farm  and  worked  on  shares 
for  six  years,  when,  in  1864,  he  bought  eighty 


THEODORE  OLSON  BERG, 

Of  Malta,  DeKalb  county,  111.,  was  born  on 
Gaarden  Berg,  in  Urskog's  Prestegjeld,  on 
Nov.  23,  1833,  his  parents  being  Ole  Olson  and 


T.  O.  Berg. 

acres  at  his  present  location,  paying  $15  per  acre. 
He  has  kept  adding  to  his  holdings,  paying  as 
high  as  $75  an  acre  for  part  of  it,  until  he  now 
owns  560  acres  in  one  body. 

He  married  Maria  Danielson,  May  26,  1858. 
Mrs.  Berg  was  the  daughter  of  Daniel  and  An- 
drina  Magnussen,  and  was  born  near  Christiania, 
Norway,  in  1829.  She  came  to  America  the  same 
year  as  her  husband,  going  direct  to  Leland, 
where  she  met  and  married  Mr.  Berg  four  years 
later.  They  have  had  five  children  —  Carolina, 
Oscar,  Carolina  Bertina,  Amelia  Augusta,  and 
Oscar  Theodore  Didric.  The  two  first  named 


278 


A  HISTORY   OF  THE  NORWEGIANS   OF  ILLINOIS 


died  in  infancy;  Carolina  Bertina  attained  the 
age  of  36  years.  There  are  sixteen  living  grand- 
children and  one  great-grandchild,  all  living  on 
the  old  homestead,  it  having  been  divided  into 
four  farms.  Mr.  Berg's  first  vote  was  for  Pres- 
ident Lincoln,  and  he  supports  the  same  party 
today.  The  family  attends  the  Lutheran  Church. 


BERNHARD  OLAUS  BERGE 

Is  a  son  of  Reier  and  Theodora  O.  Berge,  of 
Finn0,  near  Stavanger,  Norway.  He  received  a 
good  common  school  education  in  Norway,  and 
in  1890  left  the  home  of  his  parents  and  came  to 
La  Salle  county,  Illinois.  Here  he  obtained  em- 


B.  O.  Berge. 

ployment  as  a  farm  laborer.  During  the  winter 
seasons  of  the  years  1894-1896  he  frequented 
Brown's  Business  College  in  Ottawa,  111.,  gradu- 
ating at  that  institution  in  May,  1896.  In  the 
fall  of  the  same  year  he  was  employed  as  teacher 
of  stenography  at  Pleasant  View  Luther  College, 
Ottawa,  111.,  it  being  the  first  year  of  that  insti- 
tution. But  the  practical  use  of  a  knowledge^  of 


stenography  was  far  more  remunerative  than 
teaching,  and  a  young  man  must  be  pardoned  if  i 
he  chooses  among  honorable  occupations  that 
which  will  afford  the  best  pay,  especially  if  he 
has  nowhere  but  to  his  own  hands  to  look  for 
the  necessaries  of  life.  In  connection  with  the 
work  of  stenography  in  a  law  office,  the  study  of 
law  suggested  itself  as  a  useful  and  proper  thing. 
However,  when  the  Spanish-American  War  broke 
out  in  the  spring  of  1898  Mr.  Berge  could  not! 
resist  the  temptation  to  be  a  soldier,  and  he  en-j 
listed  in  Company  C.  (Captain  Blanchard's  com-  1 
pany  of  Ottawa,  111.),  Third  Illinois  Infantry, 
and  served  through  the  campaign  until  mustered 
out  with  said  company  in  January,  1899.  There- 
upon he  entered  the  office  of  the  county  judge 
of  La  Salle  county,  as  stenographer,  where  he 
remained  employed  as  such  until  the  autumn  of 
1903.  In  the  spring  of  that  year  he  completed 
the  academic  course  at  Pleasant  View  Luther 
College,  and  graduated  from  that  school.  -  For 
the  purpose  of  receiving  a  more  thorough  gen- 
eral education,  and  to  complete  his  law  studies, 
he  entered  the  University  of  Michigan,  law  de- 
partment, in  September,  1903,  and  in  June,  1905, 
completed  the  law  course  and  obtained  a  degree 
of  bachelor  of  laws.  During  the  months  of  July, 
August  and  September,  1905,  he  worked  with  the 
board  of  review  of  assessments  of  La  Salle 
county,  as  clerk,  which  position  he  also  held  dur- 
ing the  years  1902,  1903  and  1904.  At  the  present 
time  Mr.  Berge  is  practicing  law  in  the  city  of 
Ottawa,  111. 


REV.  HANS  PETER  BERGH.  . 

Rev.  Hans  Peter  Bergh  was  born  in  Eidsberg, 
Norway,  on  the  19th  of  January,  1846.  His 
birthplace  was  called  Berg,  and  from  that  the 
whole  family  took  their  name.  His  father,  Pe- 
der  Andersen  Berg,  a  thrifty  farmer,  born  in 
1808,  was  prevented  from  continuing  a  well 
started  military  career  in  Christiania  by  his 
young  wife,  who  preferred  to  live  in  the  country. 
With  her  he  had  seven  children:  Sedsel  Andrea, 
Andreas,  Johan,  Anthon,  Johanne  Marie,  Hans 
Peter  and  Ole.  The  three  first-named  sons 
graduated  from  the  normal  school  (Seminariet) 
in  Asker  and  became  teachers;  the  oldest,  An- 
dreas, later  studied  for  the  ministry,  graduated 
from  the  University  of  Christiania,  and  became  a 
minister  in  the  State  Church  of  Norway. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


279 


P.  A.  Berg's  first  wife  died  and  he  married 
again,  and  with  his  wife  and  their  little  son, 
Alexander,  he  emigrated  to  America  in  1866,  liv- 
ing first  on  North  Manitou  Island,  Michigan,  and 
then  for  some  years  at  New  Centerville,  Wis., 
where  another  son,  Anton,  was  born  to  them, 
the  first  Anton  having  died  in  1862. 

After  that  he  lived  for  many  years  at  Deer 
Park,  Wis.,  in  both  places  farming,  and  in  1894 
lie  died  at  his  youngest  son's  home  in  Duluth, 
Minn.,  85  years  old.  His  wife  died  in  the  same 
son's  home,  then  in  Superior,  Wis.,  in  1899.  Both 
in  Norway  and  in  America  P.  A.  Berg  was  active 
in  the  political  as  well  as  in  the  religious  life,  and 
wrote  occasionally  for  the  papers,  both  in  pros? 
and  verse;  he  was  an  ardent  advocate  of  tem- 
perance. All  the  Berg  family,  parents  and  chil- 
dren, have  been  religious,  and  nearly  all  of  them 
have  been  religious  workers. 

Hans  Peter  gave  his  heart  to  God  in  his  early 
years.  With  his  father,  stepmother  and  young- 
est sister  he  left  the  Lutheran  State  Church  and 
joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  when  he 
was  14  years  old.  Beginning  at  18  years  of  age, 
he  was  an  exhorter  and  a  school  teacher  in  the 
Methodist  Church  for  four  years,  and  while 
teaching  school  in  Sarpsborg  he  began  to  study 
German,  French,  Latin  and  Greek  and  other 
branches,  partly  private  and  .partly  at  the  high 
school  (Realskolen).  At  Sarpsborg,  in  1867, 
he  also  received  license  as  a  local  preacher  from 
the  mission  superintendent,  Rev.  C.  Willerup, 
who  also  had  given  him  license  as  an  exhorter. 
Afterward  he  studied  for  three  years  at  Gjert- 
•sen's  College  (Latin  school)  in  Christiania,  only 
his  impaired  health  preventing  him  from  gradu- 
ating at  the  University.  While  studying  in  Chris- 
tiania he  became  a  helper  to  the  pastor,  Rev.  M. 
Hansen,'  of  the  First  Church;  editor  of  Den  lille 
B0rneven  (now  B0rnevennen),  the  first  Method- 
ist paper  in  Norway,  at  its  start  in  October,  1871; 
editorial  assistant  of  Evangelisk  Kirketidende 
(now  Kristelig  Tidende),  the  official  organ  of  the 
Methodist  Church  in  Norway,  at  its  beginning,  in 
January,  1872;  from  1872  to  1875  also  a  sailor  mis- 
sionary, appointed  by  the  American  Seamen's 
Friend  Society  of  New  York;  pastor  in  Brevik 
and  Drammen,  and  from  1879  to  1885  editor  of 
Kristelig  Tidende  at  Christiania.  After  complet- 
ing his>  conference  study  he  was  ordained  deacon 
by  Bishop  Matthew  Simpson  in  1875,  and  elder  by 
Bishop  Thomas  Bowman  in  1878. 

In    1885    he   married    Miss    Kristiane    Georgine 
Johnsen,   of   Brevik,   and  with   her   emigrated   to 
America  in  the  same  year. 
His  appointments  in  America  have  been  Wash- 


ington Prairie  Circuit,  Iowa;  Deer  Park,  Wis., 
where  his  wife  died,  leaving  him  with  a  little 
son,  Samuel  (Paul  having  died  in  infancy); 
Grand  Forks,  N.  D.;  Evanston,  111.,  where,  be- 
sides his  pastoral  work,  he  also  was  assistant 
teacher  at  the  Norwegian-Danish  Theological 
School;  New  Centerville,  Wis.,  and  '  Superior, 
Wis.  For  five  years  he  was  also  editor  of  Hyr- 
destemmen,  the  Sunday-school  paper  of  the  Nor- 
wegian and  Danish  Conference.  In  1900  he  was, 
by  the  conference,  elected  manager  of  the  con- 
ference book  concern  on  Grand  avenue.,  Chi- 
cago, and  also  editor  of  Hyrdestemmen,  in  which 
position  he  remained  for  five  years,  until  in  1905 


Rev.  H.  P.  Bergh. 


he  was  elected  editor  of  the  official  organ  of  the 
conference,  Den  kristelige  Talsmand,  and '  also 
re-elected  editor  of  Hyrdestemmen,  which  posi- 
tion he  is  still  holding,  and  is  thus  in  his  22nd 
year  as  editor  in  Norway  and  America. 

In  1891  he  was  married  to  Mrs.  Ella  Cornelia 
Thoen  (nee  Knudsen),  of  New  Centerville,  Wis., 
with  whom  he  has  a  daughter',  Ella  Christiane, 
now  14  years.  The  son,  Samuel,  is  19  years  old. 

Mr.  Bergh  also  has  been  active  in  other  liter- 
ary pursuits.  In  1876  he  made  the  first  Norwe- 
gian translation  of  the  Discipline  of  his  church, 


280 


A   HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


and  he  has  translated  other  books.  In  1900  he 
was  one  of  a  committee  to  translate  the  then 
latest  edition  of  the  Discipline,  and  in  1901  he 
was  selected  to  write  and  publish  a  historical 
sketch  on  the  occasion  of  the  fiftieth  annivers- 
ary of  Norwegian  and  Danish  Methodism.  He 
also  was  one  of  a  committee  to  prepare  and 
publish  a  spelling  book,  and  from  his  youth  he 
has  been  writing  hymns.  In  1882  he  was  a 
member  of  a  committee  of  three  in  Norway  to 
meet,  at  Gothenburg,  Sweden,  similar  commit- 
tees from  Sweden  and  Denmark  to  consider  the 
advisability  and  possibility  of  establishing  a  joint 
theological  Methodist  school  for  those  three 
countries.  He  was  for  many  years  secretary  of 
the  conference  in  Norway,  and  in  America  he 
has  been  assistant  secretary  of  his  conference 
for  fourteen  years.  He  also  served  for  four  years 
as  chairman  of  the  conference  board  of  examin- 
ers. In  1904  he  was  a  conference  delegate  at 
the  international  Sunday  Rest  Congress  at  the 
World's  Fair  in  St.  Louis,  where  he  read  a  paper 
that  was  well  received. 


JOHN    CARL   BJERKE, 


The  druggist  at  821  W.  Wrightwood  avenue,  was 
born  in  Christiania,  Norway,  Oct.  23,  1868.  He 
is  the  son  of  Hans  Hansen  Bjerke,  a  tailor  in 
Christiania.  His  mother  was  Karen  Olea  Borge. 
He  attended  middelskolen  in  Norway  and 
was  confirmed  in  Aker's  Church.  He  came  to 
America  in  1886,  reaching  Chicago  on  May  6.3 

The    following    year    he    was    apprenticed    to  * 
Dr.    Dahlberg's    Pharmacy   in    Chicago,   to   learn'' 
the    profession    from    a    practical    standpoint,    at  • 
the    same   time    taking    a    course    in    the    North- 
western University  School  of  Pharmacy.     After  j 
his  graduation  he  traveled  extensively  and  filled  1 
important  positions  with  the  leading  drug  stores] 
in  Willmar  and  Minneapolis,  Minn.;  Des  Moines, 
la.;  Hillsboro,  N.  D.;  and  Great  Falls,  Mont.    He 
then    returned    to    Chicago,   where    he   continued 
to  -work  for  others   until   he   opened   a   store   of 
his   own   at  821   W.   Wrightwood   avenue,   where] 
he   is   now   located   and   doing   a   good   business.. 
His   store   is   modern   in   every  way  and   he   car-j 
ries  a  well   supplied  stock. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Alma  Olson,  of  Chi-  ] 
cago,  June  12,  1895,  her  parents  being  John  and 
Anna   Olson,   of   Chicago.    They    have    had   onej 
child,   Karen;   it  died  in  infancy. 


J.  C  Bjerke. 


EMIL  BI0RN, 

The  musician  and  artist,  was  born  in  Christi-  j 
ania,  Norway,  June  7,  1864.  His  parents  were  j 
Christian  Ludvig  Bi0rn  and  Karoline  Agnete  I 
(born  Heyerdahl). 

His    youth    was    passed    in    Christiania,    where 
he  received   his  education.     He  intended  at  first  j 
to  take  an  academic  course,  but  abandoned  that,  I 
as  his  interest  in  fine  arts  appealed  to  him.    Con-  .^ 
ditions    being   unfavorable    in    the    Old    Country,  I 
with   a   youth's   desire  to   see   the   world,   he   left 
Norway   after    having   finished    his    first   year    of 
military   service   and   came   to  America,   arriving 
in   Chicago  in  1887,  where  he  soon  attracted  at- 
tention in   the  Norwegian  colony,  as   he  was   an 
able    arrangeur    and    musician.     Mr.    BijzSrn    has 
written  several  local  compositions  and  his  music 
has   been  published  and  played  both  in   Norway 
and  the  United  States.     In  later  years  Mr.  Bi0rn 
has  given  up  music  as  a  means  of  a  living,  em- 
ploying himself  most  of  the  time  as  an  illustrator 
and   artist.     For   many   years   he    has   been   con- 
nected with  the  Barnes-Crosby  Company,  one  of 
the    largest    engraving    houses    in    the    country. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


281 


He  studied  art  in  Christiania  Royal  Tegneskole, 
Chicago  Art  Institute,  and  in  Paris.  He  has  had 
paintings  in  public  exhibitions  both  in  Norway 
and  the  United  States.  Music,  however,  is  near- 
est his  heart,  and  as  a  musical  director  he  still 
works  among  our  singers,  who  all  consider  him 
an  interested  and  popular  leader.  At  the  con- 
vention of  the  Northwestern  Scandinavian  Sing- 
ers' Association,  in  La  Crosse,  Wis.,  in  1906,  he 
was  chosen  chief  for  their  next  singing  festival. 
He  has  acted  as  musical  director  for  both  or- 
chestras and  singers  at  several  important  Nor- 
wegian affairs  — •  at  the  reception  to  Frithjof 


cozy  home  with  an  interesting  little  collection  of 
Norwegian  curiosities  at  815  North  Oakley 
avenue,  Chicago. 


Emil  Bi0rn. 


Nansen,  the  arrival  of  the  Viking  Ship  for  the 
World's  Fajr,  the  tour  of  the  Norwegian.  Student 
Singers,  who  later  conferred  upon  him  their  dec- 
oration as  knight  of  their  order.  He  has  as- 
sifted  many  times  at  church  festivals,  concerts 
and  entertainments  for  the  benefit  of  different 
charitable  institutions.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Chicago  Palette  and  Chisel  Club,'  the  Norwegian 
Quartette  Club,  Bj0rgvin's  Singing  Society  and 
the  Norwegian  ski  club  "Nor." 

Mr.    Bi0>n    was    married    in    Chicago    on    Dec. 
23,   1891,  to   Miss   Sigrid   Lowum.     They   have   a 


KRISTIAN  KNUDSEN  BJ0RSETH 

Was  born  at  Bj0rseth,  near  Molde,  Romsdalen, 
Norway,  Jan.  30,  1852.  His  father  (Knute  Lar- 
sen)  and  his  mother  (Gjertrude  Olsen  Storvig) 
were  also  born  on  Bj^rseth.  His  father  was  a 
carpenter  by  trade,  but  times  were  hard,  so  that 
when  our  subject  was  11  years  old  he  went  to 
live  with  an  uncle  at  Otter^en,  where  he  was 
confirmed  in  Aker0  Church.  Until  he  was  20 
years  old  he  alternated  his  work  between  the 


K.  K.  Bj0rseth. 


farm  and  fishing  on  Har0en.  In  1872  he  re- 
turned home,  and  the  same  year  came  his  first 
real  grief,  the  death  of  his  father.  The  next 
year  he  went  to  Trondhjem,  where  he  worked 
for  Trolla  Brug  as  a  founder,  but  after  five  years 


232 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


he    changed    to    the    department     of    machinery, 
which  he  took  up  as  his  life  work. 

Here   he  also  met  and  married  Miss  Gusta  Ja- 
cobine  Railing,  on  April  15,  1877. 

In  1880  he  took  his  first  trip  on  a  steamship, 
the  Agn,  as  i  machinist,  the  boat  having  been 
bought  from  the  celebrated  whalefisher,  Sven 
Fyen,  as  an  express  boat  in  Varanger  fjord. 
The  fjord  was  navigable  in  the  summer  months 
only,  and  during  the  winter  he  returned  to 
his  work  in  the  machine  shop.  In  1882  he 
was  again  employed  on  a  steamship,  the  Caro- 
line, of  Christiansund,  as  first  machinist,  un- 
der Captain  S.  Bottner,  going  to  Portugal  and 
Spain,  cod  fishing  and  trading,  having  been 
hired  by  the  ship's  owner,  Nicolay  Knudson. 
Here  he  had  an  opportunity  to  see  many  fine 
cities  and  traversed  the  Mediterranean  Sea  from 
Gibraltar  to  Barcelona,  but  his  interest  was 
centered  at  home,  and  after  two  years  he  re- 
turned to  Trondhjem  and  his  old  place  in  the 
machine  shop.  In  the  meantime  his  brother 
Peter  had  migrated  to  America.  He  wrote  back, 
calling  attention  to  the  favorable  opportunities 
offered  in  this  country  for  practical  machinists. 
In  consequence  of  this  letter  Kristian  came  to 
Aurora  with  his  family  in  April,  1887. 

He  immediately  secured  a  position  in  the  C. 
B.  &  Q.  Ry.  shops  and  remained  with  them  un- 
til 1895,  when  he  was  offered  and  accepted  the 
position  of  chief  engineer  for  the  Chicago  and 
Aurora  Smelting  and  Refining  Company.  He  re- 
mained with  this  firm  until  they  went  out  o! 
business  in  1899,  when  he  went  to  the  Aurora 
Automatic  Machine  Company  with  whom  he  is 
still  engaged. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bj0rseth  have  seven  children, 
namely:  Anna  Davida,  Conrad  Marius,  Gustav 
Christian,  Oscar  Ludvig,  Edda  Johanne,  Alfred 
Otto  and  Signe  Gunnelie  Bjjzirseth.  Our  subject 
is  a  member  of  the  North  Star  Club,  a  Norweg- 
ian political  society,  and  Ben  Hur. 

He  and  his  family  attend  the  Norwegian  Luth- 
eran Church  of  Aurora,  and  resides  at  399  So. 
Broadway. 


CONRAD   MARIUS   BJ0RSETH, 

Of  Aurora,  111.,  was  born  in  Throndhjem,  Nor- 
way, April  23,  1879,  his  parents  being  Kristian 
and  Augusta  (born  Hoene),  Bj0rseth.  He  came 
to  America  with  his  parents  in  the  fall  of  1887 
and  settled  in  Aurora,  where  he  attended  the 
public  schools  until  15  years  old.  His  first  work 
was  as  clerk  in  a  grocery  store  in  Aurora  for 


two  years,  when  he  entered  the  services  of  S.  S. 
Sencenbaugh  &  Co.'s  department  store,  where 
he  worked  from  1898  to  1902.  At  this  time  he 
engaged  in  business  for  himself,  opening  a  first- 
class  grocery  store  at  68  S.  Broadway,  one  of 
the  principal  business  streets  in  the  city.  He  en- 
joys an  extensive  trade  and  employs  five  clerks 
besides  himself  to  look  after  his  customers' 
wants. 

He  has  twice  been  elected  president  of  The 
North  Star  Club,  a  local  Norwegian  organiza- 
tion with  a  membership  of  ninety  in  good  stand- 


C.  M.  Bj0rseth.. 

ing.  The  purpose  of  the  Club  is  two-fold  —  po- 
litical and  social — -to  urge  the  Norwegians  to 
study  political  questions,  to  become  citizens,  and 
to  take  active  interest  in  political  affairs  in  their 
adopted  country;  and  socially  to  promote  har- 
mony and  good  fellowship  among  their  nation- 
ality. He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Yeomen  of 
America,  the  American  Star  of  Equity,  and  the 
young  peoples  society  of  the  Norwegian-Danish 
church  of  Aurora. 

On  Oct.  10,  1900,  he  was  married  to  Alma  So- 
phie Anderson.  They  attend  the  Norwegian- 
Danish  Church,  of  which  Mr.  BjeYseth  was 
treasurer  in  1901.  The  family  resides  at  483  S. 
Lincoln  avenue,  Aurora. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


283 


PETER  BJ0RSETH 

Was  born  in  Bols0  prestegjeld,  Romsdal's  amt, 
Norway,  Nov.  12,  1856.  His  parents  were  Knut 
Larsen  and  Gertrud  Olsdatter  Storvig.  Mr. 
Bjfirseth  received  his  education  in  the  public 
school  and  at  17  he  went  to  work  in  Trondhjem's 
Mek.  Vaerksted  (machine  shop).  He  emigrated 
to  America  in  1882  and  arrived  April  12  of  the 
same  year  in  Aurora,  where  he  has  remained 
ever  since.  Most  of  the  time  he  has  been  work- 
ing in  the  C.  B.  &  Q.  shops,  but  he  has  also 
cultivated  a  farm  in  the  neighborhood  of  Aurora. 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Peter  Bj0rseth. 


Mr.  Bj^rseth  was  married  June  16,  1883,  to 
Miss  Guri  Malene  Udstad,  a  daughter  of  the  well 
known  blacksmith  A.  Udstad  in  Trondhjem. 
This  union  has  been  blessed  with  eight  children, 
of  whom  the  following  are  living:  Gertrud  Sophie, 
born  May  11,  1884,  is  a  trained  nurse;  Conrad 
Sverre,  born  Feb.  9,  1886,  is  a  farmer;  Sara  Lou- 
ise, born  March  1,  1888,  is  a  music  teacher;  Lil- 
lie  Annette,  born  June  8,  1891;  Sigrid  Mathilde, 
born  Sept.  3,  1893;  Arnt  P.  G.,  born  Nov.  12, 
1895,  and  Raymond  Gerhard,  born  June  11,  1900, 
are  at  home  or  attending  school. 


JOHN  BLEGEN 

Was  born  in  T0nsberg,  Norway,  May  -23,  1842. 
He  received  a  good  public  school  education  and 
immediately  entered  mercantile  pursuits.  In  1863 
he  entered  Griiners  Commercial  College,  in  Co- 
penhagen, Denmark,  for  two  years  tuition.  He 
came  to  -Chicago  in  the  summer  of  1869  and  se- 
cured employment  as  traveling  agent  for  the 
Anchor  Line  of  steamers.  He  afterward  went 
with  the  State  Line,  for  which  company  he  sub- 
sequently became  the  general  Western  agent. 
He  remained  with  them  for  twelve  years,  when 
the  company  went  into  liquidation  and  sold  out 
to  the  Allan  Line,  paying  all  creditors  dollar  for 
dollar.  Mr.  Blegen  has  since  been  engaged  in 
a  general  brokerage  business  and  acted  as  sec- 
retary for  commercial  and  fraternal  organiza- 
tions. About  fifteen  years  ago  he  was  unsolic- 
itedly  nominated  for  member  of  the  board  of 
county  commissioners  by  the  republicans,  but 
met  defeat  at  the  polls  with  the  party,  running, 
however,  away  ahead  of  his  ticket. 


John  Blegen. 

Mr.  Blegen  has  never  aspired  to  political  pre- 
ferment or  office  of  any  kind.  He  has  held  vari- 
ous positions  of  social  and  fraternal  trust.  He 


284 


A   HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF   ILLINOIS 


was  for  two  years  president  of  the  Scandinavian 
Workingmen's  Association,  has  held  almost  all 
the  official  functions  in  the  local  branch  of  the 
A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  is  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Norwegian  Old  People's  Home  Society.  Owing 
to  his  position  for  many  years  as  a  general  agent 
for  the  State  Line  of  steamers  and  as  a  publisher 
of  several  mercantile  books,  his  name  is  widely 
known  throughout  the  United  States.  He  has 
been  singularly  exempt  from  criticism  in  his  of- 
ficial positions  and  has  never  been  connected  with 
any  kind  of  litigation. 

Mr.  Blegen  was  married  when  he  arrived  in 
America  and  has  a  large  family  of  children  who 
are  all  grown  and  well  connected.  Four  of  them 
are  married. 


ALFRED   NILS   BOB,   M.   D., 

The  physician  and  druggist  at  845  Sheffield  ave- 
nue, Chicago,  was  born  in  Vossevangen,  Norway, 
July  2,  1860.  He  came  to  America  with  his  par- 


Alfred  N.  Boe. 

ents  in  1869,  going  first  to  Norway  and  then  to 
Sheridan,  111.,  where  they  settled.  He  attended 
the  public  school  at  Sheridan.  While  a  young 


man  he  came  to  Chicago  and  clerked  for  six 
years  for  the  John  Anderson  Publishing  Com- 
pany, and  afterward  worked  for  six  years  in  the 
Chicago  postoffice.  During  this  time  he  had  de- 
voted his  evenings  and  spare  moments  to  study, 
and  in  1887  he  graduated  from  the  Chicago  Col- 
lege of  Pharmacy  as  a  registered  pharmacist  and 
opened  his  drug  store  at  Sheffield  avenue  and 
Wellington  street,  where  he  is  now  located.  He 
then  took  a  three  years'  medical  course  at  the 
Harvey  Medical  College  and  one  year's  course  at 
the  National  Medical  University,  graduating  in 
1896  with  the  degree  of  M.D. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Minnie  O.  Larson,  a 
daughter  of  Martin  Larson,  of  Chicago,  Oct.  15, 
1894.  They  have  three  children,  namely:  Ethel, 
Russell  and  Chester. 

His  parents  both  died  a  few  years  ago  at  their 
home  in  Sheridan.  His  home  and  office  is  at 
1412  Wellington  street,  half  a  block  from  his 
drug  store. 


O.  M.  BORCHSENIUS, 

The  grocer,  1949  Thirty-sixth  street,  was  borr* 
to  Chas.  J.  and  Martha  M.  (nee  Schlanbusch) 
Borchsenius,  in  Chicago,  April  14,  1861. 


O.  M.  Borchsenius. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


285 


Our  subject  graduated  from  the  public  schools 
and  then  from  a  normal  school  in  Wenton,  N.  J. 
He  spent  some  time  in  his  father's  grocery  store 
in  Norway,  111.,  and  afterward  engaged  in  the 
same  business  for  himself  at  Thirty-sixth  and 
South  Rockwell  streets,  in  Chicago. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Carrie  B.  Cousin  on 
July  11,  1883.  They  have  three  children — 
Alice,  born  Jan.  23,  1885;  Charles  J.,  March  14, 
1887;  Otto  Floyd,  Dec.  10,  1890.  His  father  died 
in  1889,  but  his  mother  is  still  living,  hale  and 
hearty,  visiting  around  with  her  children. 


NICOLAI  BRUUN, 

Druggist,  was  born  in  Kongsberg,  Norway,  Feb. 
7,  1837.  His  pharmaceutical  education  was  com- 
menced in  1851  as  disciple  under  Prof.  I.  F.  Pe- 
tersen,  of  Sarpsborg.  He  graduated  as  assistant 
pharmacist  in  1855,  and  became  examinatus  phar- 


Nicolai  Bruun. 

macist  at  the  University  of  Christinnia  in  1860. 
He  was  steadily  employed  as  pharmacist  in 
Fredriksstad  and  Kongsberg,  and  three  years  be- 


fore emigrating  to  America  he  was  private  pro- 
fessor at  B.  A.  Maschmand's  drug  store  in  Chris- 
tiania.  He  was  also  for  some  time  president  of 
the  pharmaceutical  association  there. 

On  April  12,  1868,  Mr.  Bruun  left  Norway  on 
the  sailing  ship  Hannah  Parr,  which  was  ship- 
wrecked off  the  coast  of  Ireland.  The  pas- 
sengers and  crew  drifted  to  Limerick,  where 
they  remained  for  two  months  pending  repairs 
to  the  ship.  He  finally  arrived  in  Chicago  with 
300  other  emigrants  on  Aug.  19,  having  been 
four  months  on  the  way.  After  a  fortnight  in 
Chicago  he  secured  employment  as  clerk  in  Dr. 
Tone's  drug  store,  corner  State  and  Eighteenth 
streets.  In  February,  1869,  he  started  the  drug 
store  on  the  present  site,  282  Grand  avenue,  un- 
der the  firm  name  of  Bruun  &  Burt.  In  1872  the 
partnership  was  dissolved,  another  drug  store 
having  in  the  meantime  been  established  by  the 
firm  at  Grand  avenue  and  Paulina  street,  Mr. 
Burt  taking  charge  of  the  latter  and  leaving  Mr. 
Bruun  at  the  old  stand. 

Now,  at  the  age  of  70,  after  fifty-four  years  of 
conscientious  attention  to  his  profession,  Mr. 
Bruun  has  partially  retired  from  active  service, 
having  turned  the  management  of  the  store  over 
to  his  son,  Harald  N.  Bruun,  a  registered  phar- 
macist,  who  for  the  last  sixteen  years  has  been 
engaged  in  the  drug  business. 


MRS.  ULRIKKA  FELDTMAN  BRUUN, 

The  organizer  for  the  National  W.  C.  T.  U.  among 
the  Scandinavians  in  America,  was  born  on  an 
island  on  the  west  coast  of  Norway,  two  miles 
from  Christiansund,  Feb.  1,  1854.  Her  parents 
were  Knudt  and  Petrene  Hassel0,  who  owned  the 
island.  They  had  four  sons  and  five  daughters, 
of  whom  our  subject  was  the  youngest  daughter. 
She  was  baptized  Ulrikka  Randine  Felcltman,  the 
last  name  being  that  of  her  great  grandfather, 
Major  U.  F.  Feldtman  of  Opdal,  Norway.  Our 
subject  was  a  most  studious  child  and  every 
spare  moment  was  given  to  her  books.  She  be- 
gan to  write  verses  and  rhymes  when  only  eight 
years  old.  She  was  confirmed  when  15  years  old 
and  stood  at  the  head  of  her  class.  She  was  thert 
appointed  as  assistant  teacher  in  three  districts 
and  longed  for  a  better  education,  but  this  was 
denied  her  in  Norway.  When  21  years  old  she 
came  to  America,  landing  in  Chicago,  June  30, 
1874.  The  struggle  that  followed  prepared  her 


286 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


for  the  great  work  she  has  since  accomplished. 
She  managed  to  enter  Kalamazoo  College  in  Mich- 
igan for  one  year.  The  turning  point  in  her 
life  came  in  Evanston  in  1876  when  she  became  a 
cross-bearer  for  Christ  and  jwent  to  work  to  win 
souls  for  his  Kingdom. 

Ever  since  her  life  has  been  devoted  to  this 
work. 

In  1881,  she  married  Mr.  J.  N.  Bruun.  Mrs. 
Brutin  has  been  a  widow  for  many  years.  Mrs. 
Bruun  is  the  author  of  three  books,  all  religious 
temperance  stories  printed  in  the  Scandinavian 
language,  as  well  as  three  sacred  song  books, 
together  with  articles  and  stories  for  the  press. 


Mrs.  U.  F.  Bruun. 

In  February,  1899,  she  began  the  publication  in 
Chicago  of  Det  Hvide  Baand,  the  only  Norwe- 
gian-Danish Christian  temperance  paper  published 
in  this  country  by  a  woman.  It  is  a  bright  il- 
lustrated monthly  at  50  cents  per  annum.  Her 
greatest  work  has  been  the  founding  of  the  Hope 
Mission,  now  on  West  Ohio  and  Noble  streets, 
Chicago.  With  the  assistance  of  Mathilda  B. 
Carse,  president  of  the  Central  W.  C.  T.  U.,  she 
was  first  able  to  open  a  small  Scandinavian  read- 
ing room  in  October,  1888.  For  eleven  years  the 
W.  C.  T.  U.  paid  the  rent  for  this  room  and  Mrs. 


Brutin  gave  her  services  entirely  free.  From  this 
Mission  sprang  the  Scandinavian  W.  C.  T.  U.,  of 
which  Mrs.  Bruun  is  president,  the  Men's  Scan- 
dinavian Prohibition  Club,  a  local  of  the  Loyal 
Temperance  Legion,  and  a  Sunday  school.  For 
seven  years  a  free  dispensary  was  maintained. 
Thousands  have  frequented  the  reading  room* 
during  each  year. 

Mrs.  Bruun's  sympathies  have  also  gone  out 
to  the  young  and  friendless  girls,  who  have  come 
from  her  own  land  to  Chicago  to  better  their 
condition.  In  1900  she  opened  a  Scandinavian 
working  girls'  home  and  employment  bureau  in 
connection  with  the  Mission.  In  1895  Miss  Fran- 
ces E.  Willard  secured  Mrs.  Bruun's  appointment 
as  National  organizer  among  the  Scandinavians 
for  the  W.  C.  T.  U.  She  has  traveled  and  lec- 
tured in  Illinois,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  Nebraska, 
and  the  Dakotas,  everywhere  lifting  up  the  banner 
of  Christ  and  temperance.  She  is  a  most  forceful, 
eloquent  speaker  and  spends .  about  five  or  six 
months  each  year  in  the  lecture  field.  All  money 
saved  goes  to  her  Chicago  work. 


DANIEL   DANIELSON   BUE, 

The  well  known  member  of  the  merchant  tailor- 
ing firm  Kindley  &  Bue,  suite  825  in  the  Unity 
Building  on  Dearborn  street,  was  born  at  Bue, 
Ulviks  prestegjeld,  S0ndre  Bergenshus  amt,  Nor- 
way, June  25,  1868,  to  Daniel  Haldorsen  Espe- 
land  and  his  wife  Torbj0r  Odmundsdatter  Hildal 
from  Ullensvangs  prestegjeld.  Young  Daniel 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  and  con- 
firmed in  the  Lutheran  Church  at  Eidfjord.  At 
the  age  of  17  he  was  apprenticed  to  learn  the 
trade  of  a  tailor  in  his  native  country  with  the 
tailor  Ole  Engebrigtson  Bakke  in  Jondals  Sogn. 
After  one  year  he  went  to  the  city  of  Bergen  in 
order  to  acquire  a  more  thorough  training  for  his 
selected  calling,  securing  employment  with  the 
well  known  merchant  tailor  of  that  place,  Mr.  C. 
J.  Nelson. 

Having  finished  his  apprenticeship  and  being 
a  full  fledged  master  tailor  he  returned  to  his 
native  parish  and  established  himself  in  the  tailor- 
ing business  continuing  with  same  for  some  time. 

In  1888  he  decided  to  seek  a  wider  field  for  his 
activities  and  came  to  America  making  his  first 
stop  at  Stoughton,  Wis.,  where  he  secured  em- 
ployment with  the  tailoring  firm  of  Johnson  & 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


287 


Melaas  working  for  them  about  one  year  and  a 
half. 

On  Aug.  3,  1889,  he  came  to  Chicago,  where 
he  has  resided  since  plying  his  trade  with  almost 
all  of  the  prominent  merchant  tailors  of.  this  city, 
until  Sept.  1,  1900,  when  he  accepted  a  partner- 
ship with  Mr.  B.  O.  Kindley,  and  the  merchant 
tailoring  firm  of  Kindley  &  Bue  was  established. 


D.  D.  Bue. 

Mr.  Bue  was  married  in  Chicago  by  Rev.  A. 
O.  Johnson  of  Our  Savior's  Church  Dec.  30,  1899, 
to  Miss  Anna  So"rum,  a  daughter  of  Amund  and 
Anna  Sjzirum  of  Christiania.  Their  happy  union 
has  been  blessed  with  two  children,  both  boys 
of  whom  one,  Harald  Daniel,  is  living.  The  fam- 
ily resides  at  1197  W.  Division  street. 

Mr.  Bue  is  a  member  of  the  Columbia  Yacht 
Club. 


LARS  CALLECOD 

Was  born  in  Tysvaer  prestegjeld,  near  Stavan- 
ger,  Norway,  July  14,  1833.  His  father  (Nils 
Sampson)  and  his  mother  (Kari  Nelsdatter)  were 


both  born  in  the  mentioned  neighborhood.  Lars 
stayed  at  home  until  14  years  old,  when  he  was 
confirmed.  He  then  went  tp  sea  and  between 
voyages  worked  on  his  father's  farm. 

In  June,  1863,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Carina 
Olsdatter,  with  whom  and  their  first  child  he 
emigrated  to  America  in  1865,  landing  in  Que- 
bec. From  Quebec  he  went  through  Chicago  to 
Leland,  111.  Here  he  worked  on  a  farm  for  a 
short  time  and  then  by  the  day  at  odd  jobs  in 
Leland  for  seven  years.  He  then  moved  to  Cham- 
paign county,  where  he  rented  a  farm  and  re- 
mained five  years.  In  1876  he  went  to  the  vicin- 
ity of  Paxton  and  bought  a  farm  eight  miles 
south  of  the  town.  There  his  first  wife  died. 
The  union  had  been  blessed  by  six  children,  of 
whom  two  died  in  infancy. 


L.  Callecod  with  wife  and  child. 


Four  years  later  Mr.  Callecod  married  Mrs. 
Carina  Thompson,  a  widow  with  three  children, 
only  one  of  whom  is  now  living.  In  the  second 
marriage  there  have  been  four  children,  all  liv- 
ing. '  The  family  attends  the  Lutheran  Church 
in  Dix  township,  three  and  a  half  miles  from  El- 
liott. Of  his  children  one  son  and  one  daughter 
are  married,  the  son,  Rev.  Mathew  Callecod, 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


having  joined    the    Congregational    Church,    is    a 
minister  of  that  faith  in  Williston,  N.  D. 

Mr.  Callecod  sold  his  farm  several  years  ago 
and  lives  with  his  wife,  youngest  daughter  and 
youngest  son  in  Paxton,  111.  One  daughter  re- 
sides in  Chicago. 


EDWARD    CHRISTIAN    CHRISTENSEN 

Was  born  in  Skien,  Norway,  on  March  30,  1845, 
his  father,  Christopher  Christensen,  being  a  police- 
man. Our  subject  attended  the  common  schools 
and  in  1859  entered  as  an  apprentice  to  learn  the 
trade  of  a  baker.  After  mastering  the  trade  he 
went  to  several  towns  in  Norway,  working  at 
his  profession,  and  two  years  later  returned  to 
Skien,  where  he  had  charge  of  a  large  bakery 
until  1868,  when  he  emigrated  to  America. 


E.  C.  Christensen. 


After  two  years'  residence  in  this  country  he 
engaged  in  the  bakery  business  for  himself, 
which  he  conducted  for  eight  years,  when  he 
sold  out  and  engaged  in  the  flour  business  here 


in  Chicago  with  John  W.  Eckhart  &  Co.,  with 
whom  he  has  been  for  twenty-five  years,  and  is 
yet  filling  the  position  of  creditman  and  sales- 
man. 

On  July  14,  3872,  he  was  married  to  Inger  Ma- 
rie Hansen.  They  had  three  children  born  to 
them,  but  all  have  passed  away. 

Mr.  Christensen  while  very  young  was  a  drum- 
mer in  the  Norwegian  Army.  He  is  a  member 
of  Nora  Lodge  No.  1,  in  which  he_has  held  many 
offices;  belongs  to  the  republican  club,  of  which 
he  has  often  been  president.  He  resides  at  186 
West  Erie  street. 


WILHELM  FREDRIK  CHRISTIANSEN, 

Of  the  Tobey  Furniture  Company  and  manager 
of  their  factory,  was  born  in  Trondhjem,  Nor- 
way, May  1,  1847,  his  parents  being  Nils  Lauritz 
and  Marie  Lorin  (Kraft)  Christiansen.  He  at- 
tended public  school  in  Trondhjem.  After  his 
confirmation  he  became  an  apprentice  in  the 
cabinet  shop  of  his  uncle,  Mr.  Kraft.  During  the 
four  years  as  an  apprentice  he  attended  the  even- 
ing public  technical  school,  from  which  he  re- 
ceived a  diploma  and,  in  1866,  a  certificate  as  a 
full-fledged  cabinetmaker. 

In  1868,  when  21  years  or  age,  he  left  Norway 
for  America.  From  Trondhjem  to  Hull,  Eng- 
land, the  trip  was  made  by  one  of  the  old  steam- 
ers carrying  copper  ore  from  Ytter^en  to  Eng- 
land. The  sleeping  compartment  was  arranged 
on  top  of  the  ore  in  the  hull.  From  there  the 
trip  was  continued  by  rail  to  Liverpool.  From 
there  he  sailed  across  the  Atlantic  by  an  old 
steamer  t'o  Quebec,  where  he  arrived  18  days 
later.  From  Quebec  to  Chicago  it  took  6  more 
days.  Arriving  on  a  hot  July  day,  all  of  the  party 
who  were  not  met  by  friends  or  relatives  were 
stored  in  a  big  warehouse  belonging  to  the  111. 
Central  railroad  at  the  corner  of  Randolph  street, 
near  Michigan  avenue,  and  the  subject  of  our 
sketch  says,  his  first  sleeping  place  in  Chicago 
was  on  the  top  of  a  lot  of  oil  barrels  in  this 
warehouse.  The  next  day  he  with  other  home- 
less newcomers  was  invited  to  come  to  a  Swed- 
ish Mission  immigrant  house  on  the  North  Side. 
He  spent  a  couple  of  weeks  here,  when  an  old 
school  mate  from  Trondhjem  found  him  and 
helped  him  to  secure  quarters  at  a  boardinghousc. 
Counting  his  cash  aft'er  his  arrival  in  Chicago,  he 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


289 


found  it  to  be  50  cents  in  U.  S.  currency,  not 
much  to  buy  luxuries  with.  He  soon  found  work 
at  Irs  trade  as  cabinetmaker,  but  unfortunately 
took  sick  and  was  sent  to  the  Cook  County  Hos- 
pital at  Eighteenth  and  Clark  streets,  where  he 
remained  for  seven  weeks,  before  being  able  to 
return  to  his  work. 

November  4,  1869,  his  future  wife,  Miss  Emer- 
entia  Ohlin,  came  to  the  United  States  from  0re- 
bro,  Sweden,  and  Mr.  Christiansen  went  with  his 
father  to  the  railroad  station  to  meet  her.  The 
next  day  Mr.  Christiansen  and  Miss  Ohlin  had 
made  up  their  minds  to  "sail  their  ship  together" 


W.  F.  Christiansen. 


and  six  months  later,  on  May  1,  1870,  they  were 
married.  They  have  been  blessed  with  nine  chil- 
dren: five  daughters  and  four  sons.  One  of  the 
girls  died  when  six  months  old  and  another  when 
eight  years  old.  Two  are  married:  Gurley  to 
state's  attorney  E.  R.  Singler  of  Grafton,  N.  D., 
and  Leontine  to  Rev.  T.  S.  Kolste,  Howard,  S.  D. 
The  youngest,  Ida,  is  still  at  home.  Three  of  the 
boys  are  confirmed  and  ready  to  leave  the  nest 
to  take  up  the  battle  of  life.  The  youngest,  14 
years  old,  is  still  attending  school. 


The  family  attends  the  Norwegian  Bethlehem 
Lutheran  Church  of  Chicago.  Mr.  Christiansen 
has  taken  an  active  part  in  organizing  the  Nor- 
wegian Old  People's  Home  and  served  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  directors  for  a  number  of 
years.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Deaconess 
Home  and  Hospital  Society  in  which  he  also  has 
served  on  the  board  of  directors  for  a  number  of 
years.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Children's 
Home  Society.  He  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  Scandinavian  Work- 
ing Men's  Society. 

With  their  daughter,  Ida,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Chris- 
tiansen made  a  trip  to  Europe  three  years  ago, 
visiting  many  of  the  different  countries.  Last 
year  Mr.  Christiansen  visited  Old  Mexico  accom- 
panied by  his  daughter  Ida.  She  was  seriously 
ill,  when  she  left  Chicago,  but  her  seven  months 
stay  in  Cuarnaraca  in  the  beautiful  semi-tropical 
climate  did  her  so  much  good  that  she  came  back 
perfectly  restored  to  health.  The  family  resides 
at  1630  West  Byron  street,  Chicago. 


H.    S.    Christiansen. 


290 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


HALFDAN   SCHUEBELER   CHRISTIANSEN 

Was  born  at  Fredrikstad,  Norway,  June  2,  1883, 
his  parents  being  Bernhard  and  Louise  Schiibeler 
Christianson.  He  attended  the  public  schools 
at  Fredriksta3  and  afterward  graduated  from  the 
technical  college  at  Porsgrund  as  mechanical  and 
electrical  engineer.  Was  engaged  as  assistant  to 
the  chief  engineer  of  Fredrikstad  for  a  year  and 
a  half.  He  then  came  to  America  where  he  se- 
cured employment  with  the  Western  Electric 
Company  of  Chicago  as  draftsman,  and  he  is 
still  employed  there. 


ELIAS  S.  CHRISTOPHERSEN, 

Of  Rockford,  111.,  was  born  at  Furrevik,  in  the 
parish  of  Sulen,  Nordre  Bergenhus  amt,  Nor- 
way. His  parents  were  Christopher  R.  and  An- 
na Furrevik,  farmers. 


E.  S.  Christophersen. 


At  the   age   of  17   our  subject  went   to   Bergen 
and    learned   the   trade   of   a   tailor.      In     1880   he 


went   to   Throndhjem   and   worked   at    his    trade 
there  for  a  year  and  a  half. 

In  September,  1881,  he  came  to  America  and' 
stopped  in  Chicago.  In  March,  1882,  he  went 
to  Whitewater,  Wis.,  where  he  worked  at  his 
trade  for  over  four  years.  In  1886  he  moved 
to  Rockford,  where  he  has  resided  since.  In 
March,  1896,  he  was  appointed  general  organizer 
for  the  Journeymen  Tailors'  Union  of  America, 
and  has  served  in  that  capacity  for  four  years 
and  three  months.  He  was  the  first  general  or- 
ganizer appointed  by  that  organization,  has 
served  long  and  traveled  extensively.  He  has 
been  in  every  state,  province  and  city  on  the 
North  American  continent.  In  September,  1900, 
he  engaged  in  fire  insurance,  and  has  established 
a  very  profitable  business.  He  owns  his  own 
home,  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  Masonic  lodge,  and  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America. 

He  keeps  in  touch  with  current  events  among 
the  Norwegians  in  this  country  and  his  native 
land,  being  a  regular  reader  of  several  Scandi- 
navian publications.  His  hospitable  home  is  al- 
ways open  to  his  countrymen.  Our  subject  is  a 
typical  Norwegian,  broad  shouldered,  weighs 
230  pounds,  and  feels  best  at  home  when  sur- 
rounded by  the  sons  and  daughters  from  the 
Land  of  the  Midnight  Sun.  Mr.  Christophersen 
is  also  a  good  singer,  having  sung  on  several  oc- 
casions in  public. 

On  Feb.  23,  1882,  he  was  married  to  Anna  R. 
Anderson,  born  at  Ibestad,  Tromsjzi  stift,  Nor- 
way. They  have  no  children  but  an  adopted  son 
Fred. 


MARTIN  H.  CHRISTOPHERSON, 

The  general  superintendent  in  Chicago  of  the 
Otis  Elevator  Company  of  New  York,  was  born 
in  Horten,  Norway,  June  6,  1866.  He  came  to 
Chicago  with  his  parents  June  6,  1870.  His  par- 
ents, Johan  and  Martha  Christopherson,  are  at 
rest  in  the  family  lot  in  Mount  Olive  Cemetery. 
Martin  was  apprenticed  with  Crane  Bros.  Manu- 
facturing Company  for  four  years  to  learn  the 
trade  of  a  machinist.  After  having  learned  his 
trade  he  remained  with  the  Crane  Elevator  Com- 
pany as  foreman  of  construction  from  1885  un- 
til 1890.  He  was  with  the  Standard  Elevator  Co. 
in  the  same  capacity  from  1891  to  1896,  and  again 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


291 


with  Crane  &  Co.  as  superintendent  of  construc- 
tion from  1896  to  1898,  and  held  the  same  posi- 
tion with  the  Otis  Elevator  Company  from  1898 
to  1902,  when  he  was  made  general  superintendent 
of  manufacturing  and  construction. 

In    1889    lie   married    Miss    Ida    Hanson.      They 
have   four  children  —  Grace,   Marvin,   Robert  and 


M.  H.  Christopherson. 


Harald.  Mr.  Christopherson  is  a  member  of  the 
Oriental  Consistory,  a  Shriner,  a  director  of 
the  Norwegian  Old  People's  Home  Society  and 
a  member  of  the  Irving  Park  Country  Club. 
The  family  resides  at  1101  Warwick  avenue. 


of  janitshar  and  musical  sergeant.  In  this  cap- 
acity he  served  during  many  years,  until  the  2nd 
Brigade  in  the  sixties  was  separated  from  the 
"Jaegerkorps."  He  remained  with  the  latter  as 
"Korpshornblseser"  and  instructor  of  music  and 
singing  from  1867  to  1870.  That  Mr..  Colberg  filled 
his  position  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  superior  regi- 
mental officers  can  be  ascertained  from  a  testi- 
monial issued  in  his  favor  by  General  N.  Hoff, 
whose  command  included  the  "Jxgerkorps." 
Among  other  things  the  general  writes,  that  Mr. 
Colberg  had  proved  himself  a  reliable,  punctual 
and  energetic  officer  who  had  spared  no  effort  in 

order  to  drill  his  band.     "In  appointing  Mr.  Col- 

l 


J.  W.  Colberg. 


JOHAN    WILHELM    COLBERG, 

The  oldest  and  best  known  musical  director  of 
Norwegian  birth  in  the  United  States,  was  born 
at  Christiania,  Norway,  Sept.  27,  1837.  At  the 
age  of  15  he  joined  the  band  of  the  2nd  Akers- 
hus  Brigade  as  apprentice.  Here  he  progressed 
rapidly  and  was  soon  promoted  to  the  position 


berg  we  certainly  harbored  great  expectations 
and  it  is  with  the  greatest  pleasure  I  attest  that 
we  were  not  disappointed.  Without  compensa- 
tion and  with  very  limited  resources  he  has 
drilled  the  music  band  of  the  "Jsegerkorps"  to  a 
high  degree  of  proficiency." 

Mr.  Colberg  did  not  limit  his  activities  to  mili- 
tary music  alone.  He  was  also  the  originator  and 
organizer  of  the  Sagenes  Singing  and  Music  So- 
ciety and  at  times  he  was  a  member  of  the  or- 
chestra of  the  Norwegian  National  Theater.  This 
theater  having  been  consolidated  with  the  Chris- 


292 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS   OF   ILLINOIS 


tiania  Theater  Mr.  Colberg  became  a  member  of 
the  Christiania  Brass-Sextette. 

In  1870  Mr.  Colberg  came  to  America.  He 
settled  in  Illinois,  where  he  was  appointed  leader 
of  the  Champaign  and  Urbarra  bands.  His  abil- 
ity soon  became  known  and  recognized  and  he 
was  appointed  instructor  and  teacher  of  music  at 
the  Illinois  Industrial  University,  choirleader  at 
the  Universalist  Church  in  Urbana,  and  he  or- 
ganized and  instructed  music  bands  at  Toledo, 
To'ciio,  Philo,  Mansfield  and  Yankee  Reeds. 

On  account  of  unfavorable  climatic  conditions 
Mr.  Colberg  came  to  Chicago  in  1872  wh§re  he 
immediately*  was  chosen  leader  for  the  Norweg- 
ian Music  Corps.  Two  years  later  he  received 
and  accepted  a  call  as  instructor  for  "Nordmaen- 
denes  Sangforening",  which  position  he  filled  with 
great  proficiency  during  25  years,  or  from  1874 
to  1899.  This  fact  tells  better  than  words  of 
Prof.  Colberg's  rare  ability,  popularity  and  devo- 
tion to  duty.  With  "Nordmaindenes  Sangforening" 
he  participated  in  the  first  Scandinavian  singing 
festival  at  Philadelphia,  in  1887.  Here  he  was 
elected  Director  in  chief  and  President  for  the 
"United  Scandinavian  Singers  of  America,"  and 
he  acted  in  this  double  capacity  at  the  singing 
festival  of  that  society  in  Chicago  in  1889.  He 
also  participated  with  his  Chicago  singers  in  the 
3rd  singing  festival  of  the  U.  Sc.  S.  of  A.  at  Min- 
neapolis in  the  summer  of  1891.  At  that  occasion 
Prof.  Colberg  was  again  honored  by  being 
elected  director-in-chief.  There  were  many  com- 
petitors for  the  honor,  but  Colberg  was  the  can- 
didate of  the  instructors  present  and  was  elected 
by  a  considerable  majority.  He  was  also  direct- 
or-in-chief at  the  great  Scandinavian  singing 
festival  which  was  held  in  Chicago  during  the 
World's  Fair,  1893.  At  that  occasion  he  con- 
ducted a  combined  chorus  of  1,000  singers,  who 
in  connection  with  the  Thomas  orchestra  among 
other  works  executed  "Landkjending"  and."Vol- 
rnerslaget."  At  the  close  of  the  festival  Prof. 
Colberg  was  unanimously  elected  sole  honorary 
member  of  the  United  Scandinavian  Singers  of 
America. 

His  great  success  as  instructor  and  leader  has 
to  a  certain  extent  been  due  to  the  unruffled  state 
of  mind  and  cock-sureness  which  are  character- 
istic for  his  leadership.  Among  his  singers  and 
musicians  he  has  always  been  a  good,  jovial 
friend  and  comrade. 

When  the  Norwegian  student  singers  visited 
America  in  1905  and  were  given  a  banquet  at  the 
Sherman  House,  Chicago,  two  great  veteran  sing- 
ing leaders  were  simultaneously  honored.  One 


of  them  was  Prof.  O.  A.  Gr0ndahl,  leader  of  the 
student  chorus;  the  other  was  the  subject  of  this 
sketch,  Prof.  J.  W.  Colberg. 


HANS  LAURITZ  DAHL 

Was  born  at  Enga,  in  the  parish  of  Mel0,  Nor- 
.way,  Aug.  7,  1841,  his  parents  being  George 
Fredrik  and  Ingeborg  Maria  (born  Klabo)  Dahl. 
His  boyhood  was  passed  in  the  country,  but  in 
the  fall  of  1858  he  went  to  Tromsjzi  to  learn  the 
trade  of  a  tailor.  Mr.  Dahl  came  to  Chicago  in 


H.  L.  Dahl. 


1864  and  immediately  found  work  at  his  trade, 
continuing  until  August,  1870,  when  he  engaged 
in  the  business  for  himself,  at  202  S.  Clark  street. 
Here  he  was  burned  out  in  the  great  fire  of  1871. 
He  has  had  several  locations  since  and  is  now  at 
140  Dearborn  street.  He  was  president  for  two 
terms  of  the  Chicago  Drapers'  and  Tailors'  Ex- 
change, now  extinct. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


293 


He  married  Louisa  Anderson  Kierland,  Nov.  6, 
1873.  They  have  four  children  —  Ella,  Ida  Ma- 
rie, Florence  Adele  and  Harold  Louis.  Ella 
Dahl  Rich,  accomplished  pianist,  having  studied 
with  the  best  masters  in  this  city  and  abroad, 
has  attained  a  high  reputation  as  an  artist.  She 
married,  in  1899,  Herbert  G.  Rich,  publisher  of 
the  Western  Brewer.  Florence  Adele  married, 
in  1897.  William  Bradly  Walrath,  an  attorney  in 
this  city.  Harold  Louis,  the  youngest,  is  at  pres- 
ent a  student  at  .Cornell  University.  Mr.  Dahl 
and  his  family  reside  at  634  La  Salle  avenue. 
They  attend  an  independent  religious  society. 


9JJJ9 


not  at  school  up  to  this  time.  After  leaving 
school  he  taught  for  two  years  in  Norway  be- 
fore .coming  to  America  in  1882.  Upon  his  ar- 
rival in  this  country  he  went  direct  to  Paxton, 
Ford  county,  111.,  but  located  later  at  Elliott,  in 
the  same  county.  He  taught  the  Norwegian 
Lutheran  Church  school  for  the  Pontoppidan 
congregation  at  Elliott  from  his  arrival  in  this 
country  until  1903,  since  which  time  he  has  been 
in  the  general  merchandise  business  at  Elliott. 

On  Jan.  26,  1903,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
A.  Bergeson,d  aughter  of  Ole  and  Rachel  (born 
Uhr)  Bergcson.  He  has  been  secretary  of  the 
Pontoppidan  Lutheran  Church  for  many  years. 
He  is  also  a  life-member  of  the  Deaconess  Hos- 
pital of  Chicago. 


PETER  K.  DAHL, 

Of  Elliott,  111.,  was  born  in   Fister  sogn,  Hjelme- 
land  prestegjeld,  Norway,  Jan.  6,  1861.     His  par- 


P.    K.    Dahl. 


ents  were  Kleng  Peterson  ?.nd  Anna  G.  (born 
Knudsvig)  Dale,  farmers  in  Norway.  Our  subject 
graduated  from  Koppervig  teachers'  school  in 
1880,  having  worked  upon  his  father's  farm  when 


OSCAR  DANIELS, 

President   and   treasurer    of    the    Oscar     Daniels 
Company,  of  New  York,  was  born  in  Christiania, 


Oscar  Daniels. 

Norway,   Sept.  5,  1869.     His  parents  died  before 
Oscar  was  14  years  old,  and  at  this  age   he  left 


294 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Norway  as  a  sailor  before  the  mast.  In  this  way 
he  visited  nearly  every  country  in  the  world,  and 
from  his  observation  he  decided  to  locate  perm- 
anently in  the  United  States.  He  came  to  Chi- 
cago in  1890  and  has  since  made  this  his  home. 
He  organized  and  incorporated  the  Oscar  Dan- 
iels Company  tinder  the  laws  of  New  York,  for 
the  purpose  of  erecting  steel  buildings  and 
bridges,  retaining  a  majority  of  the  stock  in  his 
own  name.  Associated  with  him  in  this  com- 
pany are  Albert  E.  Dennis,  vice-president  and 
secretary,  and  Charles  L.  Ostenfeldt,  C.  E.,  chief 
y  engineer.  Chicago,  with  offices  at  531-35  Unity 
Building,  is  their  headquarters,  with  branch  of- 
fices at  38  Park  row,  New  York,  and  1102  James 
Flood  Building,  San  Francisco,  Cal.  The  Com- 
pany has  had  great  success  and  is  now  doing  a 
business  second  to  none  in  this  country.  They 
have  erected  a  great  many  of  the  finest  and  most 
substantial  steel  buildings  in  every  large  city  in 
the  United  States,  and  these  now  stand  as  endur- 
ing monuments  to  the  skill  and  ability  of  the 
management. 

Mr.  Daniels  is  a  32-degree  Mason,  a  Mystic 
Shriner,  and  a  life-member  of  the  Columbia 
Yacht  Club  of  Chicago,  of  which  he  served  one 
year  as  commodore.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Chicago  Athletic  Association  and  the  Royal 
League.  He  travels  a  great  deal,  and  gives  per- 
sonal attention  to  the  business  of  his  three  widely 
separated  offices. 


In  1885  he  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Olsen, 
of  Odalen,  near  Christiania,  Norway,  with  whom 
he  has  had  six  children:  Carl,  Christian,  Albert, 


CHRISTIAN  DANIELSEN 

Was  born  in  Bergen,  Norway,  Nov.  27,  1862. 
His  father  is  Carl  Danielsen,  a  merchant  at  Ber- 
gen, and  his  mother  Sibertine  Methlie.  Both  are 
still  living.  Mr.  Danielsen  learned  his  trade 
with  Iver  Iversen,  of  Bergen,  receiving  his  di- 
ploma as  a  master  watchmaker  at  the  age  of  19, 
in  1881.  After  that  he  worked  for  the  same  firm 
about  one  and  a  half  years,  whereupon  he  con- 
cluded to  migrate  to  America,  where  he  arrived 
in  1883,  in  Chicago.  There  he  worked  for  John 
Levin,  Chicago  avenue,  two  years.  Then  he  went 
to  Elgin,  111.,  and  worked  for  Rovelstad  Bros, 
about  five  years.  Later  worked  at  the  Elgin 
watch  factory  a  short  time. 

Having  been  offered  a  position  with  the  Illi- 
nois Watch  Company,  at  Springfield,  he  went 
there  in  1887.  He  worked  at  the  factory  about 
two  years  and  then  obtained  a  position  as  chief 
watchmaker  with  John  C.  Pierik  &  Co.,  and 
which  he  is  still  holding. 


" 


Christian   Danielsen. 

George,    Mabel    and    Clara.      The    family    attends 
the  English  Lutheran  church  of  Springfield. 


CHRISTOPHER  DANIELSON, 

The  well  known  retired  farmer  of  Sheridan,  111., 
was  born  at  Ordal  near  Stavanger,  Norway,  Jan. 
4,  1835.  His  parents  were  Christen  and  Martha 
Danielson,  farmers  at  Ordal.  With  them  he  came 
to  America  when  only  one  year  of  age,  and  they 
settled  in  Mission  township.  Both  died  on  the 
same  day  from  the  cholera,  in  1849,  and  their 
young  son  was  thrown  on  his  own  resources. 

Our  subject  worked  with  his  parents  on  the 
farm  until  he  was  14  years  old  and  after  their 
demise  worked  by  the  month  at  a  small  pay,  re- 
ceiving only  about  eight  dollars  a  month  during 
the  three  first  years.  When  22  he  acquired  80 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


2»5 


acres  of  land  in  the  neighborhood  of  Leland  and 
later  added  more,  until  he  was  quite  a  large 
landholder. 

Mr.  Danielson  is  married  to  Anna  Thomason,  a 
daughter  of  Osmun  and  Bertha  (S0rvaak)  Tho- 
the  Lutheran  church  by  Rev.  Ole  Andrewson. 
He  is  a  well  versed  and  read  man,  and  that 
fact  must  be  ascribed  to  his  inclination  for  self- 
education. 

Mr.  Danielson  is  married  to  Anna  Thomason,  a 
daughter  of  Osmun  and  Bertha  (SjzSrvaak)  Tho- 
mason of  Meling,  near  Stavanger.  They  have 
been  blessed  with  nine  children,  all  of  whom  are 
living:  Martin  J.  was  born  in  1857;  Daniel  C.  in 
1859;  Bertha  A.  in  1861;  Osmond  M.  in  1863;  Ed- 
die A.  in  1868;  David  N.  in  1871;  Ida  M.  in  1866; 
Mary  Emma  J.  in  1874  and  Joseph  C.  in  1877. 
They  are  married:  Martin  J.  to  Julia  Hayr;  Da- 
niel C.  to  Ellen  Halvorsen  (since  deceased); 
Bertha  A.  to  L.  Hayr;  Osman  M.  to  Carrie  Lar- 
son; Eddie  A.  to  Anna  Anderson;  David  N.  to 
Carrie  Wells;  Ida  M.  to  Charles  Hayr;  Mary 
Emma  J.  to  Andrew  Gaard,  and  Joseph  C.  to 
Hattie  Rush. 

Mr.  Danielson  has  held  several  positions  of 
trust  such  as  school  director,  highway  commis- 
sioner and  supervisor  (when  he  lived  three  years 
in  Iowa). 

He  still  owns  a  farm  in  Iowa  which  is  worked 
by  his  youngest  son.  All  his  other  land  holdings 
he  has  sold.  With  his  wife  he  now  lives  a  retired 
life  at  Sheridan,  where  he  owns  a  fine,  new  house 
and  several  lots. 

He  has  been  an  ardent  church  worker  and  con- 
tributed to  charitable  institutions  when  called 
upon. 


Christopher  Danielson  was  married  on  July  4, 
1855,  to  Anna  Thomason,  who  also  came  over 
from  Norway,  in  1835,  when  but  2  years  old. 
To  this  union  nine  children  were  born,  six  sons 
and  three  daughters,  all  living. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch,  O.  M.  Danielson, 
after  completing  his  public  school  education, 
attended  the  Northwestern  University  at  Evan- 
ston  and  then  returned  to  the  farm  and  re- 
mained there  until  1891,  when  he  went  into 
the  grocery  business  for  himself  at  Leland. 
He  continued  in  the  grocery  business  for  one 
year  and  then  sold  out.  He  then  established 


O.  M.  Danielson. 


OSMAN  MATHIAS  DANIELSON. 


Of  Leland,  111.,  was  born  at  Earlville,  La  Salle 
county,  Nov.  15,  1863.  The  Danielson  family 
has  been  prominent  in  the  settlement  and  devel- 
opment of  La  Salle  county,  having  located  there 
in  pioneer  days.  Osman's  father,  Christopher 
Danielson,  who  was  born  at  Ordal,  Norway,  in 
1834,  came  to  this  country  with  his  parents  when 
only  1  year  old.  They  located  on  a  farm  near 
Norway,  in  La  Salle  county,  and  remained  on 
this  farm  until  1849,  when  all  the  family  except 
Christopher  fell  victims  to  the  cholera. 


and  installed  an  electric-light  plant  for  Leland, 
which  he  operated  until  1897.  He  was  justice  of 
the  peace;  served  one  term  as  trustee  and  two 
terms  as  president  of  the  village  board.  He  had 
served  previously  as  road  commissioner  for  three 
years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  G.  T.,  serv- 
ing at  one  time  as  chief  templar.  He  belongs  to 
the  Reorganized  Church  of  Latter-Day  Saints. 
Mr.  Danielson  follows  two  great  cardinal  prin- 
ciples and  credits  them  for  his  success — honesty 
and  sobriety. 


A  HISTORY   OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


DR.  ANDERS  DOE 

Was  born  on  Fjelds  parsonage,  Bergens  stiff, 
Norway,  Nov.  27,  1852.  His  father,  Jens  Kobro 
Daae,  was  the  pastor  for  Fjelds  parish  and  his 
mother,  Nicoline  Friis,  alsoAorn  Daae.  The  sub- 
ject of  our  sketch  first  attended  Bergen's  schools 
and  then  went  to  Skien's  Latin  school.  In  1869 
he  passed  the  student's  examination  for  entrance 
to  the  university  at  Christiania,  from  which  he 
graduated  nine  years  later  as  a  physician.  He- 
was  then  assigned  as  interne  at  the  State  Hospi- 


Dr.  Anders  Doe. 

tal,  in  Christiania,  served  as  assistant  physician 
at  Gaustad  Insane  Asylum,  and  later  as  physician 
at  the  Eidsvold  Baths. 

He  emigrated  to  America  in  1880,  coming 
direct  to  Chicago,  where  he  has  remained  since 
as  a  practicing  physician.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Scandinavian  Medical  Society,  American  Medical 
Society,  a  member  of  the  Tabitha  Hospital  staff, 
honorary  member  of  the  Norwegian  Singing 
Society,  Bj0rgvin's  Singing  Society,  the  Norweg- 
ian Quartette  Club  and  the  Norwegian  Turn- 
ers. He  was  also  secretary  of  the  Leif  Erikson 
Memorial  Association,  and  was  a  member  of  the 
committee  for  soliciting  funds  for  the  sufferers 
by  the  great  fire  at  Aalesund.  He  also  repre- 
sented Christiania  University  at  the  inaugura- 


tion of  President  James  of  the  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity. 

Dr.    Doe   was   married   to   Miss    Ragnhild    Ble-: 
gen,   of    Chicago,   on    May   17,   1890.      They    have 
two  children. 

The  Doctor  has  not  taken  an  active  part  in 
politics,  although  he  has  always  been  ready  toj 
discuss,  from  the  platform  or  through  the  press, 
current  and  living  questions  of  public  interest. 
He  is  a  ready  and  fluent  writer  and  often  con- 
tributes short  and  entertaining  articles  and  poems- 
referring  to  current  subjects.  He  is  a  regular 
correspondent  for  several  Norwegian  newspapers. 
He  finds  time,  too,  to  visit  Norway  and  Germany 
often.  Dr.  Doe's  office  is  at  282  Grand  avenue, 
where  he  enjoys  a  large  practice. 

Dr.   Doe  was  president  of  the   delegation  from- 
the  National  League  to  the  coronation  of  the  new] 
king  and   queen   of   Norway  in   1906.     In   1907  he 
was  made  a  knight  of  the  order  of  Sankt  Olaf  by 
king  Haakon  VII. 


OTTO  THORSEN  DOVER, 

Vice-president   of   Albaugh    Bros.,    Dover   &   Co., 
Chicago,     was    born     May    19,    1874,    at    Valders, 


O.  T.  Dover. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


Manitowoc  county,  Wis.,  his  parents  being  Ole 
T.  and  Barbara  (Rebne)  Dover.  His  early  life 
was  passed  in  the  country,  but  after  finishing  a 
course  at  the  Oshkosh  Normal  School  he  became 
a  salesman,  and  later  state  (Wisconsin)  manager" 
for  a  publishing  house,  until  entering  business 
for  himself  in  1900.  Mr.'  Dover  is  connected  with 
a  large  mail  order  house,  which  has  recently 
erected  a  large  nine-story  building  (with  a  two 
story  addition  for  boiler  and  engine  room)  at 
Marshall  Boulevard  and  Twenty-first  street,  Chi- 
cago. It  is  on  the  co-operative  order  and  is  do- 
ing an  immense  business  all  over  the  country. 
Mr.  Dover  is  also  manager  of  the  Sterling  Sup- 
ply Company  and  a  director  in  the  .  Western 
Thread  and  Dye  Works,  both  of  Chicago. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Ashland  Club,  the 
Neighborly  Club,  treasurer  of  the  Oshkosh  Nor- 
mal, Chicago  alumni,  and  belongs  to  St.  Paul's 
Norwegian  Lutheran  Church. 


Woodmen,     Knights     of     Pythias,     and     Liberty 
Lodge  1534. 

Mr.   Dyrhus'  father  was  born  on  Fxreiarni.  on 
which    islands    his    grandfather    was    a    preacher. 


WILHELM  F.  DYRHUS, 

The  expert  watchmaker  and  jeweler  at  Spring- 
field, 111.,  was  born  at  Namsos,  Norway,  May  29, 
1859.  After  having  been  confirmed  in  the  Luth- 
eran Church  he  went  to  Trondhjem  at  the  age 
of  17  years  and  learned  the  trade  of  a  watch- 
maker at  the  store  of  S.  Hoff.  After  five  years 
of  apprenticeship  he  received  the  diploma  of  a 
master  watchmaker  and  afterward  served  Mr. 
Hoff  as  foreman  for  seven  years. 

Having  been  offered  a  place  with  the  Illinois 
Watch  Company,  he  left  Norway  and  arrived  in 
Springfield  in  1888.  He  remained  with  the  Illi- 
nois Watch  Company  for  two  years,  when  he 
was  offered  and  accepted  the  place  of  chief 
watchmaker  for  the  well  known  watchmaker  and 
jeweler,  J.  C.  Klaholt,  with  whom  he  remained 
for  nine  years. 

September  1,  1899,  he  engaged  in  business  for 
himself  in  the  Franklin  Building,  306  So.  Fifth 
street.  Here  he  was  appointed  chief  watch  in- 
spector for  the  Chicago  &  Alton  Railroad  Com- 
pany. He  is  now  temporarily  located  at  412 
E.  Washington  street.  He  has  the  reputation  of 
being  the  most  skillful  watchmaker  in  this  part 
of  the  state. 

Mr.  Dyrhus  was  married  in  1896  to  Miss  Mar- 
tha Stappelworth,  daughter  of  German  parents,  in 
Springfield.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Modern 


W.  F.  Dyrhus. 


Those  islands  belong  to  Denmark,  and  for  cen- 
turies there  has  been  preserved  by  the  state  an 
old  house  near  Tender,  S^nderjylland,  Denmark, 
called  Dyrhus,  which  has  a  very  tragic  history, 
too  long  to  repeat  here. 


OLE  T.  EASTEGORD, 

Of  Ottawa,  111.,  was  born  in  Aardal,  Ryfylke, 
near  Stavanger,  Norway,  Feb.  10,  1844.  His 
father,  Thomas,  and  mother,  Kari  (Johnsdatter) 
Eastegaard,  both  now  deceased,  were  farmers  in 
Norway.  The  subject  of  our  sketch  grew  up 
there  and  was  educated  in  the  country  school  un- 
til he  was  confirmed  in  1858.  Then  he  worked 
on  his  father's  farm  until  about  18  years  old, 


A  HISTORY   OF  THE  NORWEGIANS   OF  ILLINOIS 


when  he  commenced  to  teach  school.  He  taught 
for  some  six  years,  according  to  the  custom  then 
prevailing,  going  from  one  house  to  another, 
staying  from  three  days  to  two  weeks  with  each 
family.  This  was  in  Ombo,  in  Hjelmeland.  He 
then  concluded  to  seek  a  wider  field,  and  when 
his  uncle,  Peter  Jacobs,  came  from  America,  on 
a  visit  to  his  old  home,  Eastegord  arranged  to 
return  with  him  to  America.  Mr.  Jacobs  had 
settled  in  the  township  of  Serena,  and  there  is 
where  Mr.  Eastegord  started  his  career  in  this 


In  February,  1906,  Mr.  Eastegord  retired  from 
farming  and  bought  a  house  and  lot  in  Ottawa, 
corner  First  avenue  and  Center  street,  where  he 
and  his  wife  intend  to  spend  their  declining  years. 

Mr.  Eastegord  has  taken  great  interest  in  the 
affairs  of  his  community,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  has  been  a  director  of  the  district  school, 
trustee  of  the  congregation  of  Freedom,  a  trustee 
of  the  Pleasant  View  Luther  College,  vice-presi- 
dent of  its  board,  and  also  trustee  of  the  town- 
ship of  Freedom.  He  is  a  frequent  contributor 
to  charitable  institutions  and  schools. 


O.  T.  Eastegord. 


country.       He    remained   with   his    uncle   for   six 
years,  working  on  the  farm. 

A  year  after  Eastegord  reached  America  a 
young  woman,  Miss  Sera  Larsdatter,  an  acquaint- 
ance, arrived  from  Norway  and  came  to  Serena. 
The  old  acquaintance  was  renewed,  love  suc- 
ceeded friendship,  and  marriage  resulted,  in  1874. 
Mr.  Eastegord  now  rented  a  farm  on  shares  and 
worked  for  four  years.  Then  he  bought  a  farm 
of  eighty  acres  in  the  township  of  Freedom,  to 
which  he  later  added  another  eighty  acres.  The 
happy  union  of  Mr.  Eastegord  and  his  wife  was 
blessed  by  one  son,  Harvey  Eastegord,  who  has 
now  taken  over  the  farm.  He  is  not  married. 


JOHN  E.  EDMUNDS, 

Of  Ottawa,  111.,  was  born  in  Hauge,  Norway, 
March  8,  1877.  His  parents  were  Edmund  and 
Signe  (Monson)  Edmunds  Hauge.  He  came  to 


J.  E.  Edmunds. 

America  with  his  parents  in  1883,  going  first  to 
Morris  and  then  to  Braceville,  where  they  re- 
mained for  about  one  year.  They  then  moved 
on  a  farm  about  seven  miles  south  of  Gardner, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


299 


111.,  where  the  family  has  remained  since.  Being 
the  oldest  of  the  children,  our  subject  had  to 
help  on  the  farm,  but  attended  the  public  school 
as  regularly  as  possible.  When  19  years  old  he 
'entered  Pleasant  View  Luther  College  and  at- 
tended for  three  years,  having  previously  attend- 
ied  the  Norwegian  parochial  school  and  been  con- 
firmed. He  and  his  brother  took  turns  in  work- 
ing on  their  father's  farm,  one  staying  at  home 
'and  the  other  working  for  others  alternate  years. 
Mr.  Edmunds  was  married  to  Christine  Moe, 
of  Sheridan,  111.,  June  20,  1900.  They  have  one 
daughter,  Fern  Lucille,  born  Aug.  28,  1902. 

After  leaving  college  he  went  to  work  for  the 
!  Western     Cottage     Piano     Company   in    Ottawa. 
|  He   then     worked   for     Lucey*  Bros.,   of    Ottawa. 
j  On  Sept.  1,  1903,  he  opened  a  small  store  of  his 
I  own  in  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  dealing  in  dry 
1  goods  and  ladies'  garments.     The  business  pros- 
pered  and  after   having  associated    himself   with 
Mr.  M.  Engel  in  1905,  they  opened  a  large  store 
i  on  the  best  business  street  in  Ottawa,  under  the 
I  firm  name  of  Engel  &  Edmunds.    This  establish- 
1  ment  is  the  largest  of  its  kind  in  La  Safle  county. 
They  also  have  a  store  in  Streator. 

Our   subject    is    president    of   the    Retail    Mer- 
chants'  Association   of   Ottawa.     He   served  one 
term,  three  years,  in  the  I.  N.  G.,  joining  in  1899. 
;  Mr.    Edmunds    is    a    member    of    the    Lutheran 
Church  —  served  one  year  as   deacon,  and  is  a 
'  hard   worker   in   the   Sunday   school   and   Luther 
league. 

His  mother  is  living,  but  his  father  died  July 
1,  1904.  His  father  was  a  prominent  man  in  Nor- 
way; was  a  fisherman  in  his  early  life  and  later 
had  charge  of  a  fleet.  He  was  elected  to  the 
Storthing  in  1870,  but  was  shortly  afterward 
taken  down  with  rheumatism,  laid  up  for  two 
years,  and  crippled  for  life. 


Chicago  police  force,  where  he  continued  until 
1897.  He  then  engaged  in  the  real  estate,  loan 
and  insurance  business  at  712  Milwaukee,  avenue, 
where  he  still  does  business. 

He   was  married  in   Manitowoc,  Wis.,  to   Miss 
Galena  Maria  Helle,  on  Sept.  4,  1892.     They  have 


Olaf  Egeland. 

had  five  children,  namely:  Leslie  and  Roy,  twins, 
of  which  Roy  died  when  6  years  old;  Leslie  is 
now  11;  Orrin  8  years;  Helene,  7;  Dorothy,  3 
years  old.  The  family  resides  at  207  Evergreen 
avenue. 


OLAF  EGELAND, 

The  real  estate  and  insurance  man  at  712  Mil- 
waukee avenue,  was  born  at  Skien,  Norway,  Oct. 
10,  1867.  After  attending  the  common  school  and 
being  confirmed  he  was  apprenticed  to  learn  the 
trade  of  a  machinist  in  Christiania. 

He  came  to  America  and  Chicago  in  1884  and 
soon  found  work  as  a  machinist.  He  worked  at 
this  until  1890,  when  he  was  appointed  on  the 


ASLAG  EIELSON, 

The  veteran  lumberman  of  Springfield,  111.,  was 
born  near  Arendal,  Norway,  Aug.  27,  1829,  the 
son  of  Eiel  and  Anna  Tharaldson.  He  attended 
•  the  common  schools  and  also  night  scho9l  for  a 
time,  and  then  clerked  in  a  department  store, 
owned  by  Christopher  Dedekam,  in  Arendal. 

At   the   age   of   17   years   he  went   to  sea  as  a 
cabin   boy,  but  was   advanced    rapidly    to    more 


81)0 


A  HISTORY   OF  THE  NORWEGIANS   OF   ILLINOIS 


responsible  duties.  He  sailed  from  Arendal, 
Norway,  to  the  Isle  of  Man  f6r  about  three 
seasons,  and  in  1849  came  to  America,  landing  at 
New  York.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  he  went  to 
Milwaukee,  Wis.,  and  sailed  on  the  lakes  for  a 


Aslag  Eielson. 


time,  later  locating  in  Michigan.  In  the  summer 
he  was  a  fisherman  and  in  the  winter  he  worked 
in  the  pineries.  From  Michigan  he  went  to  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  and  for  a  short  time  clerked  in  a 
store  in  that  city. 

In  1852  he  located  in  Springfield,  111.,  and  soon 
secured  employment  in  the  lumber  yard  of  Aa- 
ron Beidler,  and  later  with  George  Huntington. 
Mr.  E.  R.  Ulrich  soon  after  opened  a  lumber 
yard  and  Mr.  Eielson  entered  his  employ. 

After  the  close  of  the  Civil  War  a  yard  was 
started  by  Mr.  Eielson  and  others.  This  con- 
tinued until  1878,  when  Mr.  Eielson  bought  out 
his  partners'  interests,  becoming  the  sole  owner 
of  the  business.  He  continued  doing  a  general 
lumber  business  and  purchased  additional  ground 
as  his  business  increased.  He  has  now  eight 
lots  40x157  feet,  centrally  located,  on  which  his 
lumber  yard  stands,  on  Tenth  street  from  Mon- 
roe to  Adams  streets.  Of  recent  years  he  has 
given  the  management  of  his  business  over  to 


his  sons  —  Joseph,  John  and  Oscar  —  while  he 
is  practically  living  a  retired  life.  Many  changes 
have  taken  place  during  his  fifty -five  years  of 
residence  in  Springfield,  and  Mr.  Eielson  take! 
pleasure  in  recounting  incidents  of  the  earljf 
days  when  the  present  capital  o;  the  state  was 
only  a  village. 

In  1854,  in  Springfield.  Mr.  Eielson  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Martha  J.  Olson,  who  was  also  bora, 
in  Arendal,  Norway,  Dec.  17,  1831.  She  died 
Sept.  5,  1891.  Eight  children  were  born  to  them, 
namely:  Eilert,  born  May  1,  1857,  who  was  book- 
keeper for  his  father,  married  Martha  Ric-rson. 
Eilert  (lied  May  28,  1881,  leaving  a  widow  and  one 
son  (Eilert),  who  is  connected  with  his  grand- 
father's business.  Mary  is  the  wife  of  Louis  R. 
Nelson,  foreman  at  the  Eielson  lumber  yards. 
Joseph  married  his  brother  Eilert's  widow  and 
is  connected  with  his  father  in  business.  Ida  M., 
born  April  5,  1866,  died  Aug.  30,  1900.  John  and 
Oscar  A.  are  both  connected  with  their  father 


Oscar  Eielson. 


in  business.  Oscar  A.  married  Miss  Lilian  L. 
Smith,  Feb.  4,  1896.  They  have  one  son,  Harry 
A.  Two  daughters  (Annie  T.  and  Martha  J.) 
remain  at  home  with  their  father.  All  of  Mr. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


801 


Joseph  Eielson. 

Eiclson's    children    were    born,    reared    and    edti- 
:atcd   in    Springfield.     We   present   some    striking 


John  Eielson. 


Eilert  Eielson,  Grand-son. 

photographs  of  the  father  and  his  sons.  The 
boys,  like  their  father,  are  splendid  business  men 
of  the  very  highest  standing  in  the  community. 

Mr.  Eielson  has  always  been  a  .member  of  the 
English  Lutheran  Church  and  has  served  almost 
continually  upon  the  official  boards.  In  politics 
he  is  a  republican.  His  worth  is  widely  acknowl- 
edged by  all  who  have  become  acquainted  with 
him  and  he  has  a  wide  circle  of  friends,  gained 
through  over  a  half  a  century  of  continuous 
residence  .in  the  capital  city.  At  the  advanced 
age  of  78  years  Mr.  Eielson  is  a  well  preserved 
man.  Nature  certainly  intended  that  when  man 
reaches  advanced  years  he  should  rest  from  his 
labors.  In  youth  one  is  full  of  vigor  and  enthus- 
iasm, which  in  matu're  years  is  guided  by  sound 
judgment,  so  that  the  individual  is  able  to  use 
his  energies  and  efforts  to  the  best  advantage. 
If  he  makes  the  most  of  his  opportunities  his 
labors  will  be  followed  by  success,  and  then, 
when  advanced  years  come  on,  he  will  be  pos- 
sessed of  a  competence  that  will  enable  him  to 
rest  from  further  toil  and  enjoy  the  profits  of 
his  former  activity. 

Such,  at  least,  has  been  the  career  of  Aslag 
Eielson,  and  his  straightforward  dealing  in  all 
business  transactions  has  made  his  name  an  hon- 
ored one  wherever  known.  He  possesses  a  nature 
that  could  never  content  itself  with  mediocrity. 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


because  his  ideals  are  high,  his  industry  unflag- 
ging and  his  mentality  strong  and  decisive.  With 
those  dominant  characteristics  as  a  foundation 
he  has  builded  thereon  the  superstructure  of  a 
highly  successful  business  career. 


yfc. 


REV.  KNUTE  OLSEN  EITTREIM, 

Pastor    for    St.    John's    Norwegian    Evangelical 
Lutheran    Church   at   Creston,    111.,   was   born   in 


Rev.  K.  O.  Eittreim. 


Ft.  Dodge,  Iowa,  June  15,  1870,  his  parents  being 
Ole  O.  and  Martha  Eittreim,  farmers  in  Iowa. 
Our  subject  spent  his  early  years  at  home  and 
attended  the  public  schools.  Later  he  attended 
the  college  department  of  Red  Wing  (Minn.) 
Seminary.  He  also  took  a  business  and  short 
hand  course  at  Beeman's  Business  College  in  Red 
Wing.  He  received  his  theological  training  at 
the  Chicago  Lutheran  Seminary.  He  began  his 
work  in  the  ministry  on  July  1,  1900,  having  been 
ordained  the  same  year  during  the  annual  meet- 


ing of  the  Synod,  held  in  Grafton,  S.  D.  His 
first  call  was  to  the  Norwegian  Evangelical  Luth- 
eran Church,  near  Creston,  III.,  and  St.  John'* 
Lutheran  Church  at  Creston,  where  he  has  re- 
mained  since. 

The  attainment  of  his  purpose  to  be  a  ministei 
of  the  gospel  was  not  an  easy  one.     From  189(1 
to  1895  he  held  a  commercial  position  with  A.  ] 
Risser  &  Co.,  Chicago,  manufacturers  and  whole- 
sale   dealers    in    harness    and    saddlery.      Durin 
summer  vacations  he  clerked  for  John  McLock 
&  Co.,  wholesale  dry  goods;  Butler  Bros.,  whole- 
sale department  store;  and  was  for  a  time  wil 
the  Western   Passenger  Association,  all   of   Ch 
cago.     He  also   taught   parochial   schools   in  th 
Trinity  and  Immanuel  Churches  of  Chicago  an 
in    Nazareth   Church   in   Hamilton   county,   low; 
•    He  was  married  to  Annie  Maria  Digerness  o 
Aug.    24,    1893.      They   have    three   children. 


ELIM  ELLINGSON, 

Capron,  111.,  was  born  on  Gaarden  Aase,  in  Sogn, 
Norway,  April  25,  1835.     His  parents  were  Lan 
and    Gj0ri    (Nelsdatter)     Ellingson,    farmers 
Norway.    The   parents,   with   their   five   childrel 
came  to  America  in  1845  and  settled  in  Caproi 
where  the  mother  died  after  three  years.    The  fa 
ther  remarried  in  1863  and  afterward  moved  firs 
to  Minnesota  and  later  to  South  Dakota.    He  waj 
an  ardent  Christian,  belonging  to  the  Hauge  Sy- 
nod, and  a  zealous  missionary  for  his  faith. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  was  married  in  185 
to  Miss  Torbjjzfr  Seim,  of  Vik,  Norway,  the  sam 
place  where  he  himself  was  born.  She  had  ar 
rived  in  this  country  with  her  parents  two  yean 
earlier  than  Mr.  Ellingson.  The  union  has  bee 
blessed  with  ten  children:  Gerina,  Elizabeth,  A 
fred  (who  died  in  Dakota),  Anna,  John  Henr 
Richard  Louis,  Clarence,  Bertha  Mathilda,  Fran 
Theodore,  William  Arthur,  (who  died  in  Gales- 
burg  while  attending  school).  Three  sons  an 
two  daughters  are  married. 

Mr.  Ellingson  took  over  his  father's  farm  after 
his  father's  marriage  and  is  still  living  on  the  old 
homestead.  The  family  attends  the  United  Luth- 
eran Church,  near  Capron,  the  Sunday  school  of 
which  Mr.  Ellingson  has  been  superintendent  for 
a  number  of  years.  Mr.  Ellingson  and  wife  have 
retired  from  farming,  spending  their  declining 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


303 


years  in  the  town  of  Capron.    They  still  own  the 
farm,  which  their  son  Clarence  is  taking  care  of. 


Nils,  Elim  and  Andrew  Ellingson. 


GIRARD   ALFRED   ELLINGSON 

Is  a  native  of  Chicago,  where  he  was  born  Au- 
gust 9,  1873,  his  parents  being  Lars  A.  and  Doro- 
thea Ellingson,  who  came  to  Chicago  from  Nor- 
way in  1866. 

His  early  life  was  spent,  in  Chicago,  where  he 
attended  the  grammar  and  high  schools.  At  the 
age  of  17  years  he  went  out  west  to  seek  his 
fortune,  but  returned  to  Chicago  in  1892  with 
some  valuable  experience  but  with  little  material 
increase  in  this  world's  goods. 

On  his  return  to  Chicago  he  held  various  posi- 
tions as  general  office  clerk  for  seven  years,  the 
last  two  years  of  which  he  attended  the  evening 
sessions  of  the  Chicago  College  of  Law;  in  1899 
he  went  to  Bloomington,  111.,  and  entered  the  law 
department  of  the  Illinois  Wesleyan  University 
and  graduated  in  1900  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B. 
Since  that  time  he  has  been  practicing  law  in 


the  Chamber  of  Commerce  Building  in  this  city. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian  Singing  So- 
ciety, the  Norwegian  Turners,  Old  People's  Home 
Society,  Wergeland  Lodge  of  R.  H.  K.,  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Foresters  and  the  Fraternal 
Order  of  Eagles.  For  the  past  six  or  seven  years 
he  has  been  prominent  in  the  affairs  of  the  Nor- 
wegian singers  in  Chicago  and  during  1904  and 
1905  was  president  of  the  Normaendenes  Sang- 
forening. 

He  has  strong  and  decided  views  on  political 
economy  and  is  in  sympathy  with  the  radical 
element  in  the  democratic  party,  though  he  has 


G.  Alfred  Ellingson. 

not  taken  any  active  interest  in  practical  politics 
for  some  years. 

Mr.  Ellingson  is  unmarried  and  lives  with  his 
mother  at  2756  Fulton  street,  his  father  having 
died  in  1904. 


JOHN  EDVART  ENGEBRETSON 

Was    born    at    H^nefos,    Norway,   Jan    17,    1867, 
his  parents  being  Ulrich  and  Johanne  Engebret- 


304 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


son.  He  lived  and  went  to  school  in  a  small  town 
and  later  clerked  in  a  grocery  at  Kongsberg. 
The  owner  of  this  store  was  Mr.  Halvorsen. 
He  remained  in  his  employ  for  four  years,  when 
he  went  to  Christiania.  in  1886,  where  he  re- 
mained for  two  years,  when  he  came  to  America, 
settling  in  Chicago.  Here  he  worked  as  a  gro- 
cery clerk  for  Mr.  Zoega  and  remained  with  him 


J.  E.  Engebretsen. 


until  1892.  He  then  entered  into  a  partnership 
with  Mr.  O.  Rolfsen,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Rolfsen  &  'Engebretson,  and  engaged  in  the 
grocery  business  at.  313  W.  Ohio 'street.  In  1898 
they  bought -another  store,  at. 358  .W.  Erie  street. 
In  1893  they  built  their  own  building  for  a  store 
at  the  corner  of  N.  Spaulding  and  Beach  streets, 
having  disposed  of  their  Erie-street  property. 
Mr.  Engebretson  looks  after  the  new  store  and 
Mr.  Rolfsen  is  in  charge  at  the  old  Ohio-street 
store. 

Mr.  Engebretson  was  married  to  Laura  Han- 
sen  on  Jan.  28,  1895.  They  have  had  two  chil- 
dren—  one  now  living.  Their  home  is  at  61 
Beach  street. 


L.  ENGER, 

The  subject  of  this  sketch,  was  born  on  the  Kuls- 
rud  farm,  Stro'm  parish,  S0ndre  Odalen.  Norway, 
Feb.  1,  1856.-  He  lived  on  the  farm  and  went  to 
the  district  school  until  after  his  confirmation 
and  up  to  1872.  In  this  year  he  took  up  a  sea- 
faring.life  and  continued  in  it  until  1882.  Then 
after  a  year's  sojourn  in  Norway  he  emigrated  to 
America  in  March,  1883,  going  direct  to  Minne- 
apolis. ll<>  spent  five  years  here,  going  to  school 
a  part  of  the  time  and  clerking  in  a  grocery 
store. 

In  1888  he  came  to  Chicago  and  was  at  first 
engaged  in  the  coffee,  tea  and  butter  business. 
In  July,  -1889,  he  became  connected  with  the 
Sandberg  Manufacturing  Company,  327  Dearborn 
street,  makers  of  box-wood-blocks  for  wood  en- 
graving. He  has  been  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
that  company  ever  since. 


L.  Enger. 


In  1889  he  married  Mrs.  Jennie  Sandberg  (nee 
Couch)  and  three  children  were  born  of  this 
union.  The  family  attends  the  Bethany  Presby- 
terian Church  and  resides  at  87  Humboldt  boule- 
vard. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


305 


BURTON  C.  ERICSON, 

The    photographer   at    Leland,    111.,   was   born   at 
Ottawa,   March   10,   1871.     He   is   a   son   of   Eric 


B.  C.  Ericson. 

and  Inger  (Olson)  Ericson,  of  Ottawa,  111.  His 
father  was  a  wagon-maker  there  for  over  thirty 
years.  He  moved  to  Leland  in  1877,  where  he 
and  his  wife  died. 

Our  subject  passed  through  the  combined  pub- 
lic and  high  school  in  Leland  and  graduated  in 
1801.  At  first  he  worked  at  his  father's  carriage, 
works,  but  in  1903  he  bought  the  photographic 
studio  of  Mrs.  May  Thorson  at  Leland,  and  since 
that  time  has  been  conducting  it  with  his  sister, 
Miss  Louise,  as  a  partner,  operating  under  the 
name  of  the  Ericson  Studio.  They  are  members 
of  the  Methodist  Church.  The  whole  family 
were  faithful  workers  and  members  of  the  Good 
Templars'  Order  as  long  as  that  order  existed 
at  Leland.  His  father  had  been  an  ardent  temp- 
erance worker  and  a  lodge  deputy  for  many 
years. 


Aug.  29,  1852,  his  father  being  Bygmester  (Con- 
tractor) Kristen  Ericson.  When  our  subject  was 
1  year  his  parents  moved  to  Hamar,  Norway, 
where  Mr.  Ericson,  Sr.,  was  the  largest  con- 
tractor and  builder.  Otto  attended  the  public 
schools  here  and  graduated  from  the  borgerskole 
(high  school)  at  the  age  of  15.  The  history 
of  Hamar  credits  young  Otto  with  having  been 
chosen  as  teacher  in  the  high  school  of  Hamar 
prior  to  his  moving  to  America  with  his  father 
in  1868.  His  father  remained  in  this  country  for 
six  years,  returning  to  Norway  in  1874,  leaving 
his  22-year-old  son  to  fight  his  own  battle  in  his 
newly  adopted  country. 

Mr.  Ericson  became  cashier  and  bookkeeper 
with  Christian  Jevne  in  1868,  and  was  closely 
identified  with  the  success  of  the  business  which 
later  developed  into  the  largest  wholesale  and  re- 
tail grocery  business  in  Chicago.  In  recognition 
of  his  services  Mr.  Ericson  was  admitted  as  a 
partner  in  the  firm  in  1887.  In  1904  he  bought 


OTTO  C.  ERICSON, 

The  president  and  treasurer  of  C.  Jevne  &  Co., 


O.  C.  Ericson. 

from  the  estate  of  C.  Jevne  the  above  business 
and  organized  the  corporation  of  C.  Jevne  &  Co., 
with  a  paid  up  capital  of  $200,000. 

Mr.  Ericson  married,  in  1876,  Miss  Eda  Louise 


was   horn   in    Fanber^,   G-.idbran:lsdalen,   Norway,       Johnron,   born   in   Prcscott,   Pierce   co"n*y.   W:s., 


306 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


in  1854.  Eight  children  sprung  from  this  union, 
five  sons  and  three  daughters,  all  living.  The 
sons  are  Elmer  Otto,  Norman  Winfred,  Willard 
Everet,  Chester  Franklin,  Melvin  Burton;  the 
daughters  are  Grace  Olivia,  Ruth  Dorothy,  Edith 
Marguerite.  The  oldest  daughter,  Grace,  is  an 
accomplished  pianist  and  teacher  of  music  at  the 
Northwestern  University  at  Evanston,  111.,  where 
the  family  reside.  The  oldest  son,  Elmer,  is  con- 
nected with  the  banking  firm  of  N.  W.  Harris  & 
Co.  Norman,  the  second  son,  is  engaged  with  his 
father.  The  other  children,  three  boys  and  two 
girls,  are  attending  school.  Mr.  Ericson  is  a 
member  of  the  Union  League  Club  of  Chicago 
and  chairman  of  the  board  of  truste.es  of  the  First 
Congregational  Church  of  Evanston. 


Mr.  Erickson  is  a  typical  Norwegian-American, 
being  of  magnificent  physique,  six  feet  three 
inches  high,  and  of  rugged  and  athletic  build. 


ALFRED  O.  ERICKSON, 

\ 

Assistant  city  attorney,  with  offices  in  the  First 
National  Bank  Building,  Chicago,  was  born  in  1871, 
at  Scandinavia,  Wis.,  whither  his  parents  immi- 
grated from  Skien,  Norway,  in  the  early  '40's  and 
settled  on  a  farm.  There  Mr.  Erickson's  boyhood 
days  were  spent,  wielding  the  ax,  wrestling  with 
farming  appliances,  and  attending  the  village 
school.  For  a  short  time  he  studied  for  the  min- 
istry under  the  supervision  of  Rev.  N.  J.  Ellestad, 
then  at  Scandinavia,  but  upon  arriving  at  his 
majority  entered  the  Northern  Indiana  Normal 
School,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1893.  He 
was  employed  at  the  World's  Columbian  Exposi- 
tion until  its  close,  after  which  he  took  up  the 
study  of  law  in  the  office  of  Irving  P.  Lord, 
lawyer,  railway  promoter  and  capitalist,  at  Wau- 
paca,  Wis.  In  1895  he  returned  to  Chicago  and 
resumed  the  study  of  law  at  the  law  department 
of  Lake  Forest  University,  from  which  he  grad- 
uated in  1899;  he  was  admitted  to  the  Illinois  bar 
the  same  year,  and  immediately  assumed  the 
practice  of  law.  As  a  lawyer  he  has  been  very 
successful,  and  in  November,  1905,  was  appointed 
assistant  city  attorney  by  John  F.  Smulski. 

Mr.  Erickson  has  taken  an  active  interest  in 
republican  politics,  being  a  member  of  the  re- 
publican executive  committee  of  the  Twenty-fifth 
Ward,  and  is  chairman  of  the  political  action 
committee  of  the  Marquette  Club.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Chicago  Bar  Association,  New 
Illinois  Athletic  Club,  the  Masonic  and  other 
fraternal  societies. 


A.  O.  Erickson. 

In  1899  he  was  married  to  Miss  Louise  H. 
Gentz,  of  Chicago,  with  whom  he  resides  at  804 
Burling  street,  Lake  View. 


MRS.  AGNETE  ERICKSON, 

Widow  of  Captain  Christian  Erickson,  was  born 
at  Hamar,  Norway,  May  6,  1844.  Her  parents 
were  Hans  Jevne,  a  tanner  at  Hamar,  and  Mar- 
tha Jevne  (nee  Rd.mmen)  of  Hedemarken.  With 
one  of  her  brothers  she  came  to  Chicago  in  1867. 
She  is  a  sister  of  the  well  known  merchants,  Chris- 
tian Jevne,  of  Chicago,  who  died  in  1898;  Hans 
Jevne,  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  and  Charles  Jevne, 
of  Chicago.  The  husband,  Captain  Erickson,  who 
was  born  in  Bergen,  May  7,  1839,  came  to  Amer- 
ica at  an  early  age,  held  positions  as  clerk,  and  at 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  War  enlisted  as  a 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


807' 


private  in  Company  I  of  the  Eighty-second  Il- 
linois Volunteer  Infantry,  and  soon  afterward 
was  promoted  to  orderly  sergeant.  Shortly  after 
he  was  promoted  to  second  lieutenant,  and  as 
such  took  command  of  the  company  until  after 
the  battle  of  Gettysburg.  The  next  year  he  took 
part  in  the  battles  of  Lookout  Mountain  and  Mis- 
sionary Ridge,  under  General  Hooker.  He  was 
with  Sherman's  army  on  the  campaign  to  At- 
lanta and  the  glorious  march  to  the  sea,  partici- 
pating in  the  battles  on  the  way.  On  the  march 
to  the  sea  he  was  on  the  regimental  staff  as 
quartermaster,  and  after  being  honorably  dis- 


Mrs.  Agnete  Erickson. 


charged  was  given  a  captain's  commission,  signed 
by  President  Johnson,  for  gallant  and  meritori- 
ous services  during  the  war.  His  company  was 
nearly  all  from  Chicago  and  largely  composed  of 
Scandinavians. 

Being  an  extremely  temperate  man,  Captain 
Erickson  during  the  war  saved  enough  money  to 
start  in  business  in  Chicago.  He  engaged  in  the 
dry-goods  business  on  Milwaukee  avenue,  and 
also  started  a  branch  store  on  Division  street, 
which  was  later  destroyed  in  the  great  fire.  In 
1882  he  built  a  four-story  brickbuilding  at  1190- 
92  Milwaukee  avenue,  where  he  continued  with 


the  same  line  of  business  until  in  1896,  when  ill' 
health  compelled  him  to  retire  from  a  successful 
business  career.  He  died  Jan.  20,  1900. 

Mrs.  Agnete  Erickson  was  married  to  Mr. 
Erickson  Sept.  11,  1870,  and  is  the  mother  of  five 
children:  Ernest  Alexander,  commission  mer- 
chant; Agnes  Camilla,  married  to  Mr.  G.  A. 
Schonlau,  of  Chicago;  Arthur,  who  died  when 
2%  years  old;  Florence  May;  Christian  Arent, 
who  died  at  the  age  of  19. 

With  her  youngest  daughter,  Florence,  Mrs. 
Erickson  lives  in  the  family  residence  at  92 
Fowler  street.  On  May  11,  1897,  Governor  Tan- 
ner appointed  her  a  trustee  of  the  Soldiers'  Wi- 
dows' Home  at  Wilmington,  111.,  and  she  was  re- 
appointed  by  Governor  Yates,  serving  in  all  seven 
years,  whereupon  she  resigned  upon  her  depart- 
ure on  a  visit  to  her  brother's  in  California.  Mrs. 
Erickson  is  a  member  of  the  Dames  of  the  Loyal 
Legion  and  of  the  Norwegian  Club,  Vala.  At- 
tends the  Wicker  Park  Lutheran  Church  and  is 
an  active  member  of  the  Old  People's  Home  So- 
ciety. 


ERNST  ALEXANDER   ERICKSON 

Was  born  in  Chicago  on  the  9th  day  of  July, 
1872.  His  father  was  Captain  Christian  Erick- 
son, who  was  born  in  Bergen,  Norway,  and  his 
mother  Agnete  Jevne,  born  in  Hammar,  Norway. 
Mr.  Erickson  graduated  from  the  grammar  school 
in  Chicago  in  1887  and  then  took  a  two-year  busi- 
ness course  at  the  Metropolitan  Business  College. 
In  1890  he  entered  his  father's  employ  in  the  dry 
goods  business,  and  after  acquiring  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  business  he  was  given  charge 
of  one  his  father's  stores.  This  continued  until 
1896,  when  on  account  of  failing  health  his  father 
decided  to  retire  from  business.  Mr.  Christian 
Jevne,  an  uncle  of  Mr.  Erickson,  then  offered  him 
a  position  with  the  firm  of  C.  Jevne  &  Co.,  where 
he  held  a  very  responsible  position  for  eight 
years.  While  with  this  firm  Mr.  Erickson  took 
a  two-year  course  at  the  Chicago  Business  Law. 
School. 

Mr.    Erickson    then    decided    to    establish   him- 
self  in   his   own   business,   and   in   the   year   1904 
he   entered   the   commission   business   at   169    W 
Randolph  street. 

Mr.  Erickson  was  married  on  April  21,  1897,  to 
Martha  G.  Quales,  daughter  of  Dr.  and  Mrs. 
Niles  T.  Quales.  They  have  two  children:  Win- 
nifrid  Ruth  Quales,  born  Dec.  7,  1899,  and  Veia 
Martha,  born  Dec.  3,  1906. 


308 


A   HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Mr.  Erickson  was  confirmed  in  St.  Paul's  Nor- 
wegian Lutheran  Church,  but  afterward  joined 
the  Wicker  Park  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church, 
where  he  holds  the  office  of  deacon  and  financial 
.secretary.  He  succeeded  his.  father  as  a  member 


E.  A.  Erickson. 


of  the  Illinois  Commandery  of  the  Military  Or- 
der of  the  Loyal  Legion  of  the  United  States. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  Blair  Lodge  No.  393  of 
the  Masonic  Fraternity. 


He  came  to  America  in  1884,  arriving  in  Chi- 
cago on  June  9.  Upon  his  arrival  here  he  se- 
cured work  as  a  carpenter  for  several  years,  or 
until  1890,  when  he  joined  his  brother,  Sievert 
Erickson,  and  engaged  in  the  business  as  car- 
penters, contractors  and  builders,  under  the  firm* 
name  of  Erickson  Bros.  They  have  been  very 
successful,  having  erected  many  large  storage 
houses,  factories  and  other  buildings. 

Mr.  Erickson  is  a  Mason,  a  member  of  Blair 
Lodge  A.  F.  and  A.  M.,  and  belongs  to  the 
consistory  and  the  Medinah  Temple  of  the  Mystic- 
Shrine. 

Our  subject's  father,  who  was  born  in  1819,] 
died  in  1875,  and  his  mother,  born  in  1821,  died! 
in  1904. 


EDO  (ODD)  ERICKSON, 


Edd  Erickson. 


Of  the  firm  of  Erickson  Bros.,  contractors  and 
builders,  with  offices  in  the  Oxford  Building,  84 
La  Salle  street,  Chicago,  was  born  at  Vassestran- 
den,  Norway,  Feb.  22,  1865.  His  father,  Erik 
Arnetvidt,  was  a  farmer;  his  mother's  maiden 
name  being  Martha  Sjursdatter  Tweite.  Our 
subject  worked  on  his' father's  farm  and  attended 
the  common  schools  during  his  youth,  and  later 
learned  the  trade  of  a  carpenter. 


Mr.  Erickson  was  married  to  Miss  Gurie  L. 
M0en,  from  Voss,  Norway,  on  Sept.  26,  1896. 
Her  parents  were  Lars  and  Johanne  Helleness 
Dykesten.  His  wife  died  July  23,  1905,  leaving 
him  with  two  children  —  Elmer  Johan,  born 
March  27,  1898,  and  Marguerite  Lillian,  born  Dec. 
16,  1899.  He  resides  with  his  children  at  237 
Webster  avenue. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


309 


OLE  ERICKSON, 

The  leading  merchant  at  Morris,  111.,  was  born 
in  Gudbrandsdalen,  Norway,  Oct.  6,  1850.  His 
parents  were  Erick  and  Marit  (born  Svarthau- 
gen)  Erickson,  from  Kvam,  Gudbrandsdalen. 
They  were  farmers,  and  our  subject  worked  on 
the  farm  and  attended  the  common  schools. 

When  16  years  old  Mr.  Erickson  came  to  Chi- 
cago and  secured  work  in  a  grocery,  where  he 
remained  for  three  years.  In  May,  1870,  he  went 
to  Morris  and  with  a  partner  opened  a  dry  goods 
store.  This  partnership  lasted  for  three  years, 


O.  Erickson. 


when  he  sold  out  and  again  began  clerking,  con- 
tinuing for  about  eight  years. 

In  1880,  in  partnership  with  W.  B.  Hull,  he 
opened  a  general  store  in  Morris.  In  1884  his 
partner  sold  his  interest  in  the  business  to  B. 
W.  Lens  and  the  firm  of  Lens  &  Erickson  was 
formed.  The  business  increased  and  soon  be- 
came one  of  the  largest  stores  in  Grundy  county. 
In  189?  the  firm  moved  into  larger  quarters  in 
the  Smith  building.  In  1894  the  firm  branched  out 
into  the  grocery  business  also,  having  bought  the 
stock  of  Jonas  Jorstad.  W.  S.  Strong  was  now 
admitted  as  a  member  of  the  firm  in  the  grocery 


department,  the  name  being  changed  to  Erickson 
&  Co.  W.  B.  Lens,  the  senior  member  of  the 
firm,  went  to  Kansas  City,  and  in  1899  Mr.  Erick- 
son became  the  sole  owner  of  the  dry  goods 
store.  His  oldest  son,  Mr.  A.  E.  Erickson,  was 
now  admitted  to  the  business  and  the  firm  name 
was  made  O.  Erickson  &  Son. 

The  present  quarters,  where  the  dry  goods  and 
grocery  departments  have  been  located,  though 
large,  have  proved  too  small  for  the  firm's  busi- 
ness, so  that  they  have  lately  moved  into  Mr. 
Erickson's  large  two-story  brick  building  on  the 
corner  of  Liberty  and  Jackson  streets. 

Mr.  Erickson  was  married  in  Morris  on  Sept. 
10,  1871,  to  Miss  Mary  M.,  a  daughter  of  William 
Frey,  of  that  city.  They  have  had  six  children, 
namely:  Anna  M.,  born  Nov.  1,  1872  (she  died 
in  the  summer  of  1883);  Albert  Edward,  March 
19,  1875;  William  Elaine,  June  20,  1885;  Edna 
Louisa,  June  11,  1890;  Marit  May,  who  died  in 
infancy;  Mildred  Ruth,  March  19,  1895.  Albert 
Edward  was  married  to  Miss  Ida  Hoge,  of  Mor- 
ris, Nov.  11,  1897;  and  William  Elaine  to  Miss 
Mary  Wainwright,  on  June  20,  1905. 

Mr.  Erickson  was  a  Lutheran  and  his  wife  a 
Presbyterian,  but  the  family  now  attends  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  in  which  our  subject  was 
elected  trustee  in  1881.  He  has  for  a  number  of 
years  been  president  of  the  board  and  is  a  teacher 
and  superintendent  of  the  Sunday  school.  As 
chairman  of  the  building  committee  for  the  erec- 
tion of  a  new  church  in  1903  he  earned  for  him- 
self an  excellent  record  as  a  promoter;  a  $25,000- 
edifice  was  built  and  turned  over  to  the  congre- 
gation, free  of  debt.  Mr.  Erickson  has  held  sev- 
eral local  offices  and  is  a  staunch  republican. 

His  mother  died  in  Norway,  Nov.  29,  1879,  and 
his  father,  who  came  to  America  and  settled  on> 
a  farm  in  Minnesota  in  1880,  died  there  in  1885- 


HENRY  HANSEN  ERLAND, 

Son  of  Christian  and  Anne  Mathea  Hansen,  was 
born  in  Chicago,  May  21,  1879.  He  attended  the 
Chicago  public  schools  and  graduated  from  the 
English  High  and  manual  training  school.  He 
then  began  work  in  a  brass  foundry,  but  soon  de- 
cided to  go  to  college  and  acquire  a  better  educa- 
tion. Entered  the  University  of  Michigan  at  Ann 
Arbor  in  1898  and  graduated  in  1901  with  the  de- 
gree of  Bachelor  of  Law.  The  same  year  h< 


310 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


successfully  passed  the  bar  examination  for  the 
state  of  Illinois  and  was  admitted  to  practice  law 
before  the  supreme  court  of  Illinois.  Returning 
to  Chicago,  he  entered  the  law  offices  of  Wickett, 
Bruce  &  Meier,  general  practitioners.  Later  he 
became  associated  with  Colonel  John  S.  Cooper 
and  Hon.  Otto  Gresham. 

In  1904  he  abandoned  the  general  practice  of 
law  to  accept  a  position  with  The  William  D. 
Gibson  Company,  corner  of  Huron  and  Kings- 


H.  H.  Erland. 

bury  streets,  Chicago,  manufacturers  of  steel  and 
wire  springs. 

Mr.  Erland  takes  and  active  interest  in  politics, 
especially  in  ward  and  city  affairs.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Illinois  Athletic  Club.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  St.  Paul's  Norwegian  Lutheran 
Church,  of  which  he  has  been  a  trustee  for  the 
past  three  years.  He  is  not  married,  and  lives  at 
816  No.  Washtenaw  avenue. 


Svenson     Espe    and    his     mother    G0a    Olsdatter 
Bakke,   of   Odde   sogn,  whose   mother   was   born  j 
in  Denmark. 

He  was  educated  in  the  country  school  and 
worked  on  his  father's  farm,  and  was  also  fish- 
ing, until  he  was  confirmed.  He  then  went  to  • 
Stavanger  to  learn  the  carpenter  trade,  and  re- 
mained there  one  year.  Then  returned  to  the 
farm  and  worked  there  until  he  emigrated  to 
America,  in  1857,  on  board  a  small  schooner,  the 
J0rgen  Brunchorst,  and  landed  in  Quebec.  From 
there  he  came  to  Chicago  on  the  7th  day  of  June. 
From  Chicago  he  went  to  Bradford,  Lee  county, 
111.  Worked  on  a  farm  for  about  two  years. 
Then  he  with  a  party  of  young  men  started  out 
with  ox  teams  over  the  plains  for  Pike's  Peak, 
Colorado.  As  it  was  hard  to  find  anything  to 


PETER  O.  ESPE 

Was    born    at   Ullensvang   sogn,   in    Hardanger, 
Norway,    Sept.    29,    1833.      His     father   was    Ole 


P.  O.  Espe. 


eat,  except  when  they  were  able  to  kill  a  buffalo 
or  antelope,  they  came  pretty  near  starving,  so 
the  party  broke  up  and  some  of  them  returned, 
but  others,  among  them  Mr.  Espe,  continued  to 
California,  where  the  gold  fever  was  just  raging 
at  the  time.  He  arrived  in  California  the  29th 
of  October,  same  year,  having  spent  nearly  six 
months  on  the  way.  He  went  to  the  northern 
part  of  California  and  remained  there  for  six 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


311 


years,  all  the  time  mining  gold  on  his  own  ac- 
count. He  did  not  gather  any  millions  of  gold., 
but  succeeded  fairly  well,  so  that  he  could  return 
home  by  the  way  of  Panama,  the  Gulf  of  Mexico 
and  New  York  with  a  snug  sum  of  money  saved 
up.  He  remembers  how  he  passed  the  isthmus 
of  Panama  on  New  Year's  day,  and  when  they 
came  to  New  York  they  were  met  by  a  snow 
blizzard  — a  terrible  change  in  climate  from  the 
tropics. 

He  now  returned  by  railroad  via  Chicago  to 
Willow  Creek  township,  to  Mr.  Lars  Risetter's, 
and  then  bought  a  farm  in  Alto  township,  where 
he  has  been  located  ever  since. 


Mrs.  P.  O.  Espe. 

In  February,  1887,  he  concluded  that  it  was 
not  good  to  be  alone  any  longer  and  was  mar- 
ried to  Miss  Cecilia  Branstveit,  a  native  of  Nor- 
way, with  whom  he  has  had  one  son,  Peter  Si- 
mon Espe,  born  21st  of  June,  1890. 

In  1865  Mr.  Espe's  parents  came  over  from 
the  old  country  and  remained  with  him  and 
"brother  until  their  death.  The  mother  died  af- 
ter two  years,  but  the  father  lived  nearly  twenty 
years  in  this  country. 

Besides  his  farm  in  Illinois  Mr.  Espe  owns  a 
tract  of  land  in  Minnesota.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  church  of  the  Hauge  Synod. 


DR.  HAROLD  ONSUM  EVENSEN. 

Of  Ottawa,  111.,  was  born  at  Veblungsnes,  Roms- 
dalen,  Norway,  April  29,  1868,  his  parents  being 
Halvor  and  Hannah  (born  Ejde)  Evensen.  He 
took  his  middelskole  examination  at  Molde  and 
after  three  years'  study  at  the  cathedral  school, 
where  he  received  the  degree  of  artium,  he  went 
to  the  University  of  Christiania,  where  he  passed 
another  examination.  Afterward  he  studied  med- 
icine until  he  came  to  Chicago,  in  1892. 

His  objects  in  coming  here  were,  first,  to  see 
the  country,  and  second,  to  confirm  the  hopes 
of  findmg  a  wider  and  better  field  for  practice. 
He  immediately  entered  the  College  of  Phys- 
icians and  Surgeons;  studied  there  for  two  years, 
and  graduated  in  1894.  Since  that  time  he  has 
attended  post  graduate  school  for  a  month  or 
two  nearly  every  year  in  Chicago  and  at  the 
Manhattan  Eye  and  Ear  Hospital  in  New  York. 


Dr.  H.  O.  Evensen. 

Before  settling  in  Ottawa  he  also  spent  nearly  a 
year  at  the  Eye  clinics  in  Paris,  where  he  re- 
ceived a  diploma  from  the  medical  faculty  of  the 
University  of  Paris.  From  there  he  went  to 
Berlin,  where  he  devoted  six  months  to  the  study 
of  eye,  ear,  nose  and  throat  diseases  under  the 


312 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


fprempst  specialists.  He  then  returned  to  Amer- 
ica and  has  since  been  located  in  Ottawa.  He 
was  recently  appointed  a  trustee  of  the  Eye  and 
Ear  Infirmary  of  the  state  of  Illinois,  located  at 
Adams  and  S.  Peoria  streets, -Chicago,  one  of  the 
most  commendable  charity  institutions  in  the 
state. 

On  January  3,  1906,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Nellie  Florence  Nash.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  M.  W.  A.,  the  Ottawa  Boat  Club, 
Deer  Park  Golf  Club,  and  the  B.  P.  O.  of  Elks. 


WILLIS  C.  FARLEY, 

Of  Leland,  was  born  in  Adams  township,  La 
Salle  county,  111.,  May  13,  1866.  His  parents  were 
Christopher  and  Helen  (Sanderson)  Farley.  His 


W.  C.  Farley  and  Wife. 


father  was  born  May  15,  1832,  a  son  of  Christo- 
pher and  Julia  Farley,  who  emigrated  from  Nor- 
way to  America  in  1842,  settling  at  Muskego, 
Wis.  There  the  elder  Mr.  Farley  died  and  his 


wife  with  her  son  Christopher  (the  father  of 
Willis  C.)  moved  to  La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  in 
1844  and  located  in  Adams  township.  Here  our 
subject's  father  followed  farming  for  four  years 
as  a  farm  hand  at  $4  per  month,  until  he  could 
make  better  arrangements.  He  followed  farm- 
ing, married,  and  settled  down  on  a  homestead, 
where  he  stayed  until  his  death,  Aug.  11,  1895. 
His  widow  is  still  living  in  Leland.  Their  chil- 
dren were  Esther  and  Mathilda  (both  deceased), 
Willis  C.  (.our  subject),  Hannah,  Frank  (now 
living  on  the  old  homestead),  and  Edward  and 
Alfred  (who  were  grocers  in  Leland  in  1897-98). 

Willis  C.  was  reared  on  the  homestead  and  at- 
tended the  country  schools.  He  left  the  farm  in 
1891  and  entered  the  meat-market  business  in 
Leland.  He  afterward  sold  out  and  went  into 
the  clothing  business  in  partnership  with  his 
uncle  under  the  firm  name  of  Sanderson  &  Far- 
ley. He  sold  his  interest  in  this  in  1894,  but  in 
January  following  he  bought  the  business  from 
his  uncle  and  conducted  it  alone.  He  continued 
this  business  until  1903,  when  he  sold  out  and 
went  into  the  grain  and  coal  business. 

In  1894  he  was  married  to  Miss  Nettie  Baker, 
a  daughter  of  Ole  Baker,  of  Paw  Paw  township, 
De  Kalb  county.  They  have  had  four  children  — 
Fremont,  born  May  27,  1895;  Oakley,  Jan.  25, 
1897,  who  died  Jan.  26,  1898;  Wilmer,  born  Dec. 
15,  1899;  Herbis,  Sept.  9,  1902.  Mr.  Farley  is  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  He  has  filled 
several  political  offices,  the  mention  of  which  wilt 
be  found  in  the  historical  part. 


CARL  EUGENE  FAYE 

Was  born  in  Christiania,  Norway,  Feb.  6,  1858. 
His  father  was  Consul  General  Jacob  C.  A.  Faye, 
his  mother  Christine  Faye  (nee  Heftye).  Carl 
spent  his  boyhood  days  in  the  country  at  Hafs- 
lund,  but  later  completed  his  education  by  study- 
ing languages  and  commercial  business  in  Scot- 
land, France  and  Germany,  from  1877  to  1881. 

In  1875  he  entered  the  shipping  and  lumber 
office  of  Thos.  Stang  &  Co.,  Sarpsborg,  as  clerk, 
and  remained  until  1877. 

From  1881  to  1883  he  was  employed  in  his 
uncle's  bank  (Thos.  Johan  Hefty  &  Son)  at  Chris- 
tiania. 

He  came  to  this  country  in  1883.  He  secured 
employment  here  with  the  wholesale  hat  firm  of 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


313 


Packer,  McDonald  &  Bliss  and  remained  with 
them  for  two  years,  when  he  went  into  the  real 
estate  and  insurance  business.  He  is  now  in  the 
fire  insurance  business,  room  324,  159  La  Salle 
street.  He  is  the  inventor  of  the  Faye  air- 
moistener  attachment  to  radiators,  patented  Oct. 
10,  1905. 


C.  E.  Faye. 


Mr.  Faye  served  a  few  months  in  the  Norweg- 
ian infantry.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian 
Quartette  Club;  the  Hamilton  Club;  past  archon 
of  Amity  Council,  No.  13,  of  the  Royal  League; 
past  chancellor  of  Woodlawn  Council,  No.  24,  of 
the  North  American  Union;  and  was  appointed 
on  the  board  of  managers  of  the  Straphangers' 
League  by  John  M.  Harlan.  He  is  a  Lutheran, 
though  not  a  member  of  any  particular  church. 
His  father,  as  has  already  been  mentioned,  was 
Consul  General  at  Christiania,  succeeding  his 
father,  Hans  Faye,  and  both  were  generally  well 
known  by  several  generations  in  this  country. 

Mr.  Faye  married  Miss  Dagmar  Olsen,  June  9, 
1887.  They  have  had  three  children,  one  now 
living. 


FREDRIK  AUGUST  FERDINANDSEN 

Was  born  on  Watnemoholmen,  Norway,  Octo- 
ber 21,  1848,  to  Ferdinand  A.  Rasak  Fredrikson 
and  his  wife  Ingeborg  Elizabeth  Torkelsen.  His 
father  was  a  pilot  on  the  Norwegian  coast. 

Mr.  Ferdinandsen  was  educated  in  the  country 
school  and  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran  church  at 
Ogne.  At  the  age  of  14  he  went  to  sea  as  a 
sailor  before  the  mast  advancing  until  he  became 
first  mate.  He  sailed  on  the  Ocean  for  years. 

On  April  1,  1882,  he  left  Stavanger  for  Amer- 
ica landing  at  New  .York  two  weeks  later.  From 
there  he  went  direct  to  Chicago  and  sailed  on 
Lake  Michigan  for  one  year. 

Before  leaving  his  native  country  Mr.  Ferdi- 
nandsen had  been  joined  in  wedlock  to  Miss 
Christine  Egeland,  of  Stavanger,  on  March  19, 
1874.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  As- 
bj0rn  Egeland.  They  have  had  seven  children: 
Julia  Adolphine,  born  Nov.  20,  1875;  Alexander 
Cerelems,  Sept.  21,  1877;  Ferdinand  August  Ra- 
sak, Febr.  3,  1882;  Enoch  Marcellus,  Aug.  23, 
1883;  Inga  Louise,  Jan.  13,  1885;  Kittie  Florence, 
May  1,  1886,  and  May,  born  Sept.  3,  1887.  — 
Inga  Louise  is  married  to  Mr.  Charles  A.  Mace, 
of  Boston,  and  Ferdinand  A.  Rasak  to  'Miss 
Georgia  Evelyn  Kissack,  of  Chicago. 

After  having  sailed  for  one  year  on  the  lakes, 
Mr.  Ferdinandsen  in  1883  secured  employment 
as  shipping  clerk  for  the  Chicago  Paper  Com- 
pany, which  position  he  is  still  holding. 

In  politics  he  is  a  Republican  and  has  served 
as  judge  of  election  for  the  last  four  years. 

He  has  always  taken  great  interest  in  every- 
thing concerning  his  own  countrymen  and  their 
advancement  in  this  country.  He  is  or  has  been 
a  member  of  the  following  societies:  Knights  of 
the  Maccabees  of  the  World;  the  Leif  Erikson 
Monument  So.ciety  and  the  Norwegian  National 
League  of  Chicago.  In  these  societies  he  has 
held  various  offices,  as  treasurer,  secretary  and 
vice-president.  He  also  at  one  time  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Norwegian  Tabitha  Society. 

Mr.  Ferdinandsen's  parents  have  both  departed 
this  life;  the  father  at  Watnemoholmen,  in  1899, 
and  the  mother  at  Stavanger,  in  1906. 

With  his  fa,mily  he  resides  at  291  W.  Ohio 
street. 


REV.  CHRISTIAN  W.  FINWALL, 

Who  has  served  the  Norwegian  Baptist  Church 
at   Logan   Square   since   Nov.    1,   1901,   was   born 


314 


A   HISTORY   OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF   ILLINOIS 


in  the  city  of  Bergen,  Norway,  Febr.  18,  1865. 
In  1870  he  entered  a  school  in  his  native  city, 
and  graduated  in  1880.  His  father  was  engaged 
in  the  tailoring  business,  and  is  now  located  at 
Kankakee,  111.,  where  he  has  lived  since  1884. 
His  mother  died  in  1878.  His  secret  ambition  as 
was  to  become  an  actor,  and  with  this  in  mind 
he  studied  vigorously,  without  his  father's  knowl- 
edge or  consent.  When  the  senior  Finwall  left 
Bergen  for  Chicago  early  in  the  year  1883,  the 
young  man  was  put  in  charge  of  a  merchant  tailor 
at  Bergen,  to  become  a  successor  of  his  father 


Park,  111.  From  that  institution  he  graduated  in 
May,  1887,  and  then  accepted  the  pastorate  of 
the  Norwegian  Baptist  church  in  Brookings,  So. 
Dak.  While  attending  the  Seminary  he  assisted 
the  pastor  of  the  Pilgrim  Baptist  Church,  and 
began  the  work,  which  culminated  in  the  Bethel 
Scandinavian  Baptist  Church,  Chicago.  Since  his 
graduation  he  has  served  churches  in  St.  Paul, 
and  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  in  Seattle  and  Ballard, 
Wash.,  in  Fargo,  N.  Dak.,  and  now  the  Logan 
Square  Norwegian  Baptist  Church  of  Chicago. 
He  Has  baptized  about  450  persons  upon  personal 
confession  of  faith  in  Christ,  and  received  more 
than  550  believers,  from  other  churches  during 
his  twenty  years  of  public  ministry.  He  has 
raised  more  than  $30,000  for  church  edifices  and 
philantropic  objects.  He  has  also  planned,  gath- 
ered funds  and  superintended  the  building  of 
parsonages  and  church  edifices  at  Brookings,  S. 
Dak.,  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  Ballard,  Wash,  Fargo,  N. 
Dak.,  Baldwin,  Wis.,  and  Chicago,  111.,  while  be- 
ing active  with  his  pen  and  otherwise,  beside 
taking  care  of  his  pulpit. 

On  Dec.  13,  1887,  Rev.  Finwall  was  married 
to  Miss  Julia  Martin,  born  near  La  Crosse,  Wis. 
Three  children  were  born  to  them,  Myrtle,  Pearl 
and  Cyrus.  Mrs.  Finwall  having  departed  from 
this  life  Oct.  9,  1894,  Mr.  Finwall  on  June  21, 
1895,  was  again  married,  this  time  to  Miss  Eliza 
Martinsen,  a,  school  teacher,  of  Minneapolis, 
Minn.,  who  was  born  in  Big  Stone  county,  Minn. 
Their  union  has  been  blessed  with  six  children: 
Ellsworth,  Ruth,  Harris,  Stella,  Edith  and  Man- 
ning. All  the  children  are  living. 

With  his  family  Rev.  Finwall  resides  in  his 
own  new  home  at  1507  Monticello  avenue  in  the 
midst  of  a  prosperous  and  peaceful  Norwegian 
population. 


Rev.  C.  W.  Finwall. 


in  his  trade.  This  was  the  young  man's  oppor- 
tunity, and  he  employed  his  spare  time  to  study 
plays  and  great  actors,  until  he  suddenly  on  May 
14,  1884,  was  converted  to  Christ,  and  at  once 
threw  his  whole  soul  into  Christian  endeavors. 
He  joined  the  Baptist  Church,  at  Bergen,  in  June 
1883,  and  in  August  he  decided  to  leave  his  native 
town  for  Chicago  to  prepare  for  the  ministry. 

The  first  year  in  Chicago  he  worked  with  his 
hands  during  the  day  and  brushed  himself  up  in 
English  and  other  prediminary  studies  during  the 
evenings,  and  the  following  year  he  entered 
Union  Theological  Seminary,  located  at  Morgan 


KNUT  L.  FOSSE, 

Of  Freedom,  111.,  was  born  in  Strandebarn,  Har- 
danger,  Norway,  Oct.  11,  1862.  His  parents,  Lars 
Anderson  and  Guri  Knudsdatter,  are  both  de- 
ceased! Mr.  Fosse  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  confirmed.  He  then  worked  on  the 
farms  in  the  neighborhood  for  about  three  years, 
when  he  went  to  sea,  sailing  to  Iceland  and 
those  waters  until  he  was  of  age.  Then  he  con- 
cluded to  seek  his  fortune  in  America,  and  ar- 
rived in  New  York  in  1884.  He  went  direct  to 
Ottawa,  111.,  where  he  arrived  on  May  29.  From 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


315 


Ottawa  he  walked  to  Freedom  township,  where 
he  secured  employment  with  Ole  K.  Olson  and 
remained  for  three  years.  The  second  year  after 
arrival  he  joined  the  Lutheran  Church  at  Free- 
dom, and  the  following  year  he  married  Miss 
Anna  Olson  (Tooftee),  who  was  born  in  Tin, 
Telemarken.  Her  father  was  Ole  and  mother 
Guri  Tooftee,  from  Heddal,  Telemarken.  Her 
father  died  in  the  old  country,  but  with  her 
mother,  two  brothers  and  a  sister  Mrs.  Fosse 
came  to  America  and  Freedom  township  in  1883. 


K.  L.  Fosse. 


After  his  marriage  Mr.  Fosse  rented  a  farm  on 
shares  for  ten  years.  He  then  bought  a  place  of 
120  acres  in  the  same  township,  in  1901,  which 
he  is  still  cultivating  and  improving.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Fosse  have  seven  children,  all  living,  name- 
ly: Laura,  16  years;  Clara,  14;  George,  12;  Mary, 
8;  Harald,  7;  Ida,  5;  Alfred,  3  years  old.  The 
family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran  Church.  Mr. 
Posse  has  been  a  deacon  of  the  church  for  about 
fifteen  years,  and  has  acted  as  superintendent  of 
the  Sunday  school  several  times.  He  was  also 
elected  as  a  director  for  the  district  school  No. 
249  several  times. 


FREDERIK    FREDERIKSEN, 

The  Scandinavian  violinist,  was  born  in  Fredriks- 
hald,  Norway,  Nov.  23,  1869,  of  a  Danish  father 
and  a  Norwegian  mother.  At  a  very  early  age 
he  showed  great  love  for  music  and  was  given  a 
violin  when  only  six  years  old.  At  seven  years 
he  received  his  first  lesson  and  two  years  later 
made  his  first  appearance  in  public.  When  fif- 
teen years  of  age  he  entered  the  Royal  Conserv- 
atoire of  Music  in  Leipzic  and  after  studying 
three  years  under  Profs.  Hans  Sitt  and  Friedrich 
Hermann  (violin)  and  Prof.  S.  Jadassohn  (har- 
mony), he  received  his  diploma  as  the  result  of 
an  exceptionally  successful  appearance  at  the 
conservatoire  public  concerts.  His  next  move 


Prof.  Frederik  Frederiksen. 


was  to  Berlin  where  he  studied  for  several  years 
with  the  world-renowned  violinist  Prof.  Emile 
Sauret  who  was,  and  always  has  been,  to  him 
not  only  a  great  master,  but  a  most  kind  friend. 
Mr.  Frederiksen  also  spent  some  time  in  Paris 
where  he  was  a  first  violinist  in  the  celebrated 
Lamoureux  orchestra  and  at  the  same  time 
availed  himself  of  the  opportunity  to  study  with 


316 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


the  well  known  violinist  M.  Martin  Maesick. 
Duringjiis  subsequent  career  Mr.  Frederiksen  has 
had  considerable  experience  and  success  both  as 
performer  and  teacher.  Among  other  appear- 
ances he  has  toured  Scotland,-  Norway  with  Ma- 
dame Agathe  Backer  Grjzfndahl  and  Mr.  Martin 
Knutzen.  He  has  also  played  at  the  Christiania 
symphony  concerts  under  Iver  Holler,  with  the 
Berlin  Philharmonic  Orchestra,  in  London,  Eng- 
land, with  the  Crystal  Palace  Orchestra  and  the 
Queen's  Hall  Orchestra.  In  compliance  with  the 
wish  of  his  friend  and  former  teacher  M.  Emile 
Sauret,  Mr.  Frederiksen  took  up  his  abode  in 
London  in  1892  and  spent  thirteen  years  there 
winning  for  himself  a  reputation  as  a  fine  player 
and  an  exceptionally  good  teacher.  Shortly  after 


violin  at  the  Chicago  Musical  College,  and  lias 
already  gained  a  reputation  for  himself  as  an  ex- 
cellent performer  and  successful  teacher. 


RASMUS  R.  FRETTE 

Was  born  in  Ettne  prestegjeld,  S0ndre  Bergens 
stift,  Norway,  Nov.  24,  1834.  His  father  was 
Rasmus  Rasmussen  Frette,  a  farmer,  and  his 
mother  Siri  Thorkelsdatter  Sande.  Until  18  years 
old  he  worked  with  his  father  on  Sande,  when 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  R.  R.  Frette. 


arriving  in  London  Mr.  Frederiksen  made  the 
acquaintance  of  his  wife,  then  Miss  Grace  Hen- 
shaw,  who  had  won  considerable  distinction  as  a 
pianist  at  the  Royal  Academy  of  Music  in  Lon- 
don and  at  the  Klintworth  Conservatoire  in  Ber- 
lin, and  together  thev  gave  their  first  London 
concert,  arid  their  subsequent  annual  concerts 
were  well  known  and  were  most  favorably  re- 
ceived both  by  the  press  and  the  public.  Mr. 
Frederiksen  has  had  the  honor  of  playing  before 
H.  M.  The  King  of  Sweden  on  five  different  oc- 
occasions  receiving  his  personal  congratula- 
tions. He  came  over  to  America  a  little  over  a 
year  ago  to  take  up  a  position  as  a  professor  of 


his  father  inherited  Gaarden  Frette  and  the  fam- 
ily moved  there. 

In  1858  he  was  married  to  Gunilla  Olsen,  born 
in  1838.  In  1870  they  emigrated  to  America, 
coming  on  a  sailing  vessel  and  landing  at  Que- 
bec. They  made  their  way  from  there  to  Ken- 
dall county,  Illinois,  where  they  remained  for  ten 
years,  locating  in  Ford  county  in  1880,  where 
they  bought  a  farm  and  settled  at  Farmersville, 
seven  miles  west  of  Paxton,  111.  He  still  owns 
the  farm,  which  is  run  by  one  of  his  sons.  They 
have  been  blessed  by  twelve  children,  seven  sons 
and  five  daughters,  of  whom  four  sons  and  three 
daughters  are  living,  all  married  except  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


317 


youngest  daughter.  The  family  attends  the  Nor- 
wegian Lutheran  Church  near  Elliott,  where  the 
children  have  been  confirmed. 

Mr.  Frette  has  taken  a  great  interest  in  educa- 
tional and  church  work  among  his  countrymen 
by  contributing  to  the  Pleasant  View  Luther 
College  and  sending  some  of  his  children  there. 
He  has  served  as  deacon  for  his  church  for 
twenty-five  years.  He  resides  with  his  wife  and 
youngest  daughter  in  their  own  home  in  Paxton, 
Illinois. 


MICHAEL  S.  FRIES, 

Of  Helmar,  111.,  was  born  in  Norway,  Racine 
county,  Wis.,  Oct.  20,  1869.  His  'parents  were 
Bennet  M.  and  Martha  (Abrahamson)  Fries. 
His  parents  were  farmers,  and  our  subject 
worked  on  the  farm  and  attended  the  common 
school,  and  also  the  high  school  one  year.  Af- 
ter leaving  school  he  sailed  on  the  lakes  for  two 
years  and  worked  as  a  painter  for  four  years. 

He  then  moved  to  Kendall  county,  Illinois, 
and  founded  what  is  now  known  as  the  village 
of  Helmar.  At  that  time  there  were  no  other 
buildings  there  except  Rev.  Rasmussen's  North 
Prairie  Church,  which  is  located  at  the  corner 
of  the  four  townships,  Fox,  Big  Grove,  Kendall 
and  Lisbon.  Mr.  Fries  built  the  first  house  and 
opened  a  general  store,  and  in  1894  succeeded  in 
establishing  a  post-office.  He  was  appointed 
postmaster,  which  place  he  has  held  since.  He 
also  owns  a  store  in  Newark,  managed  by  his 
brother-in-law,  H.  B.  Peterson. 

Our  subject  was  married  to  Miss  Malinde  E. 
Ellertson,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Ellertson, 
of  Lisbon,  111.,  on  May  2,  1894.  They  were  mar- 
ried in  the  church  at  Helmar.  They  have  five 
children — Iva  Margrete,  born  Jan.  29,  1895; 
Bernice  Sedalia,  April  4.  1897;  Rudolph  Daniel, 
Feb.  4,  1900;  Shervin,  May  16,  1901;  Milton  Jer- 
emiah. June  25,  1905.  Mr.  Fries  is  the  only 
surviving  son  of  a  family  of  twelve  children,  and 
all  were  living  when  his  father  died  in  1881;  his 
mother  died  in  1885,  and  is  buried  in  the  old 
cemetery  in  Racine  county,  Wisconsin. 

Mr.  Fries  is  the  president  of  St.  Olafs  Temp- 
erance Union  at  Helmar,  a  trustee  of  the  Luth-s 
eran  Church  and  a  teacher  in  the  Sunday  school. 
He  contributes  liberally  to  Norwegian  charities, 
takes  great  interest  in  the  Pleasant  View  Luther 
College  at  Ottawa,  and  is  a  faithful  worker,  for 
his  local  church  at  Helmar. 


LARS  FRULAND, 

Of  Newark,  111.,  was  born  in  Samnanger,  near 
Bergen,  Norway,  March  15,  1831.  His  father  was 
Nils  Fruland,  a  farmer,  and  his  mother,  Anne 
Tp'sseland  Williamson.  His  father  emigrated  to 
America  in  1837,  with  his  family  and  a  large 
party  of  his  neighbors,  and  landed  in  New  York. 
From  that  city  they  followed  the  usual  route 
west,  via  the  Hudson  River  to  Albany,  thence  to 
Buffalo,  and  through  the  lakes  to  Chicago.  Leav- 
ing their  families  there,  some  trusted  members 
went  out  prospecting  for  suitable  lands,  but  were 
misled  and  went  south  to  the  vicinity  of  Beaver 
Creek,  near  the  Indiana  line.  They  settled  there, 
bought  cattle,  and  took  up  claims,  but  the  place 
nt  that  time  was  very  unhealthy  because  of 
malaria,  and  about  half  of  the  settlers  died  of 
fever  and  ague  in  a  short  time.  After  two  years 
Nils  Fruland  and  the  others  concluded  that  they 
had  better  look  to  the  west  for  better  land  and 
a  healthier  climate.  They  accordingly  packed 
their  belongings  and  set  out  toward  the  west. 
Only  one  of  the  first  party,  a  Mr.  Langeland,  re- 
mained about  two  years  longer. 

The  party  went  to  La  Salle  county,  to  what 
was  then  known  as  Mission  Point,  which  later 
was  renamed  Norway,  indicating  from  whence 
its  population  had  come. 

After  arriving  here  (at  Norway)  Mr.  Fruland 
worked  for  others  for  about  a  year  and  then 
bought  eighty  acres.  On  this  he  put  up  a  good- 
sized  log  house,  which  he  occupied  until  his 
death,  adding  to  and  enlarging  it  from  time  to 
time.  Here  he  reared  his  family,  which  consisted 
of  five  children.  Three  children  were  born  in 
the  old  country  and  two  in  this  new  Norway. 
He  gradually  added  to  his  holdings  until  he 
had  240  acres.  Mr.  Nils  Fruland  departed  this 
life  in  1873,  and  his  wife  in  1896,  at  the  ripe  age 
of  96  years.  Before  his  death  Mr.  Fruland  di- 
vided his  land  among  his  children,  giving  each 
of  them  forty  acres,  retaining  only  forty  acres 
for  himself.  Some  of  the  children  bought  the 
others  out,  thus  increasing  their  holdings. 

Mr.  Lars  Fruland  worked  on  the  farm  until  it 
was  divided  among  the  children,  when  he  moved 
to  Newark,  where  he  purchased  a  house. 

In  1856  he  was  married  to  Miss  Levina  Lar- 
son, who  was  born  in  Stavanger,  Oct.  7,  1837. 
[Her  parents  were  Lars  Olson  Hetletvedt  and 
Bertha  Siversdatter,  who  came  to  America  in 
1853.]  They  have  been  blessed  with  eight  chil- 
dren five  of  whom  are  living,  namely:  Lewis 
Fruland,  45  years  old,  a  farmer,  and  married  to 
Sera  Rasmussen;  Emma,  married  to  Mr.  Casse 
Johnson,  who  was  in  business  in  Morris,  but  died 


BIS 


A   HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF   ILLINOIS 


ten  years  ago,  leaving  a  widow  and  three  chil- 
dren; Nils  Fruland,  36  years  old,  married  and  a 
farmer;  Joseph  Fruland,  33  years,  married  and 
farming;  Porter  Fruland,  27  years  old,  married 
and  living  on  the  homestead.  The  old  couple 
have  seventeen  grandchildren.  The  family  are 
members  of  the  Haitge  Synod<  Mr..  Fruland  and 
all  his  sons  are  stanch  republicans. 


FREDRIK  HERMAN  GADE, 

Consul  for  Norway  at  Chicago,  also  lawyer,  was 
born  Aug.  12,  1871,  at  Frogner  Hovegaard,  near 
Christiania,  the  estate  of  the  Gade  family  for 


F.  H.  Gade. 


several  generations.  His  father  is  Gerhard  Gade, 
who  for  twenty-seven  years  was  United  States 
consul  at  Christiania.  An  uncle,  Fredrik  G.  Gade, 
a  well  known  merchant  and  large  capitalist,  was 
at  one  time  a  member  of  the  Storthing  and  also 
United  States  consul  at  Bergen.  Another  uncle 
was  Herman  Gade,  commander  in  the  Norweg- 


ian Navy  and  first  chamberlain  to  King  Oscar  II. 
Mr.  Gade's  mother  was  Miss  Helen  R.  Allyn,  of 
Cambridge,  Mass.,  of  old  New  England  pilgrim 
stock,  being  a  direct  descendant  of  William  Brad- 
ford, first  governor  of  Massachusetts. 

Mr.  Gade  received  his  education  partly  in  Nor- 
way and  partly  in  Cambridge,  Mass.  In  1889  he 
entered  Harvard  College  and  completed  the  four- 
year  academical  course  in  three  years.  He  there- 
upon took  the  Harvard  law-school  course  and 
graduated  as  LL.  B.  in  1895.  He  settled  in  Chicago 
and  soon  formed  a  law  partnership  with  his  Har- 
vard classmate,  Charles  B.  Pike,  which  continued 
until  1903,  when  Mr.  Pike  went  out  of  the  law 
practice  to  fill  the  position  of  president  of  the 
Hamilton  National  Bank.  Later  Mr.  Gade  formed 
a  law  partnership  with  Theodore  Stensland  and 
Johan  Waage  under  the  firm  name  of  Gade, 
Stensland  &  Waage,  since  dissolved. 

Mr.  Gade  resides  in  Lake  Forest,  and  was 
mayor  of  that  municipality  for  three  terms,  from 
1903  to  1906. 

During  the  critical  period  following  the  action 
of  the  Norwegian  Storthing  in  declaring  the 
union  with  Sweden  dissolved,  Mr.  Gade  was 
most  active  in  laboring  for  the  recognition  of 
Norway's  sovereignty  by  the  United  States,  and 
in  this  behalf  headed  the  movement  for  present- 
ing to  President  Roosevelt  the  monster  petition 
from  Norwegians  in  America  asking  for  such 
recognition. 

Mr.  Gade  was  in  December,  1905,  appointed 
consul  for  Norway  at  Chicago,  when,  owing  to 
the  dissolution  of  the  union  with  Sweden,  a 
separate  consular  service  was  established;  the  of- 
fice being  at  the  same  time  converted  into  a  full 
consulate,  to  include  the  states  of  Illinois,  Indi- 
ana and  Michigan. 

During  the  summer  of  1906  Mr.  Gade  attended 
the  coronation  of  King  Haakon  in  Trondhjem 
and  handed  to  the  king,  as  a  greeting  from  Nor- 
wegians in  America,  a  portfolio  containing  po- 
ems, musical  compositions  and  artistic  designs. 
Mr.  Gade  received  during  the  festivities  the  coro- 
nation medal. 

He  married  on  May  25,  1897,  Miss  Alice  Gar- 
field  King,  of  Chicago,  and  in  this  marriage  there 
are  two  children  —  Gerhard  and  Alice  King.  The 
family  attends  the  Presbyterian  Church  at  Lake 
Forest. 

.  Mr.  Gade  is  a  member  of  the  University  Club 
of  Chicago,  the  Harvard  Clubs  of  Chicago  and 
New  York,  the  Onwentsia  Club  (being  its  secre- 
tary), the  Norwegian  Quartette  Club  and  the  So- 
ciety of  Mayflower  Descendants;.  He  is  one  of 
the  trustees  of  the  New  National  Theater  Asso- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


31!) 


ciation,  being  deeply  interested  in  a  movement 
to  elevate  the  stage  by  productions  of  high  dra- 
matic and  literary  order. 


WILLIAM  GERNER, 

President  of  the  William  Gerner  Piano  Company, 
was  born  at  Berger,  near  Eidsvold,  Norway, 
March  23,  186(5.  He  went  to  Christiania  when  2 
years  old,  with  his  parents,  Thomas  and  Thora 
(nee  Paulsen)  Gerner,  where  he  attended  school, 
and  at  the  age  of  14  entered  the  mercantile  field. 
He  came  to  Chicago  in  1885,  and  his  first  position 
was  to  take  care  of  a  horse  for  a  piano  man. 
Later  he  began  to  sell  the  Mason  &  Hamlin 
pianos  and  organs,  until  he  left  Chicago  to  ac- 
cept a  position  with  the  S.  Dill  &  Co.  music  house 
in  Kalamazoo,  Mich.  In  1888  he  returned  to  Chi- 
cago and  again  engaged  with  the  Mason  &  Ham- 
lin Piano  Company,  but  later  he  entered  the  ser- 
vice of  the  Chicago  Cottage  Organ  Company 
(now  known  as  the  Cable  Company),  where  he 
gradually  rose  to  be  one  of  their  managers.  Mr. 


to  have  the  largest  Scandinavian  following  in  his 
line  of  business  in  the  West,  and  made  a  special 
effort  to  employ  salesmen  of  all  nationalities, 
which  policy  resulted  in  an  immense  business. 
Mr.  Gerner  has  also  started  several  agencies  for 
American  organs  jn  Scandinavia,  and  since  he 
came  to  this  country  has  made  several  trips 
abroad. 

In  May,  1903,  Mr.  Gerner  severed  his  connec- 
tion with  the  Cable  Company  and  purchased  stock 
in  a  big  modern  piano  factory  and  organized  the 
William  Gerner  Piano  Company.  Besides  being 
directly  interested  in  the  manufacture  of  modern, 
high  class  pianos,  his  company  is  also  factor}'  dis- 
tributers for  Player  pianos,  and  organs  and  for 
renowned  grand  and  upright  pianos,  made  in  Bos- 
ton and  New  York,  with  over  forty  years'  repu- 
tation for  unquestioned  reliability. 

Mr.  Gerner  married  Miss  Cecilie  Dahl,  from 
Christiania,  Norway,  1891.  Five  children  were 
born  to  them,  of  whom  three  are  living,  Signe, 
14;  William  Dahl,  10;  and  Gudrun.  7  years  old. 
Mr.  Gerner  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Athletic 
Club,  Normjendenes  Sangforening.  and  one  of  the' 
founders  and  a  charter  member  of  the  Norwegian 
Quartette  Club  of  Chicago. 


William  Gerner. 

Gerner  managed  to  establish  an  enormous  bust- 
ness  for  this  concern,  not  only  among  Americans, 
but  among  all  other  nationalities.  He  was  known 


JOACHIM  GOTTSKE  GIAVER, 

Chief  structural  engineer  for  D.  H.  Burnham  & 
Co.,  was  born  at  Gj0vig,  Lyngen,  near  Troms0, 
Norway,  Aug.  15,  1856.  His  parents  were  I.  H. 
and  Hanna  B.  (Holmboe)  Giaver,  the  father  be- 
ing a  merchant.  Mr.  Giaver  received  his  primary 
education  by  private  tutelage  at  home  until  he 
was  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran  church  at  Lyngen. 
He  then  assisted  in  his  father's  business  until  19 
years  of  age,  when  he  spent  one  year  preparing 
for  college,  whereupon  he  entered  the  technical 
college  at  Trondhjem,  completing  a  course  there 
in  three  years. 

In  June,  1882,  Mr.  Giaver  came  to  America, 
spent  a  short  time  in  Chicago  and  then  went  to 
St.  Paul,  Minn.,  where  he  started  as  a  draftsman 
in  an  architect's  office  and  later  worked  one  year 
in  the  bridge  department  of  the  Northern  Pacific 
Railroad,  dividing  his  time  between  their  offices 
in  St.  Paul,  Minneapolis  and  Duluth. 

In  the  fall  of  1883  he  secured  a  position  in 
Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  where  he  remained  until  1891, 
having  in  the  meantime  risen  to  the  position  of 
chief  engineer  for  the  Shiffler  Bridge  Co. 


320 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


In  1891  Mr.  Giaver  came  to  Chicago  and  was 
made  assistant  chief  engineer  in  charge  of  de- 
signing all  the  structures  for  the  World's  Colum- 
bian Exposition.  That  work  completed  he  started 
in  the  contracting  business  for  himself  in  1893, 
continuing  same  until  1897,  when  he  became 
bridge  designer  for  the  Chicago  Drainage  Dis- 
trict. Since  1899  he  has  held  the  position  of  chief 
structural  engineer  for  D.  H.  Burnham  &  Co. 

On  Sept.  3,  1885,  Mr.  Giaver  was  married  to 
Miss  Louise  Karoline  Schmedling,  a  daughter 


T.  G.  Giaver. 


of  Carl  Wilhelm  and  Kaia  Emelie  (M01drop) 
Schmedling  of  Trondhjem.  This  union  has  been 
blessed  with  eight  children,  six  sons  and  two 
daughters  of  whom  five  are  now  living,  viz., 
Astrid,  born  Jan.  13,  1888;  Birgit,  June  18,  1889; 
Erling,  July  10,  1891;  Finn,  Aug.  20,  1892,  and 
Einar,  May  22,  1897.  Three  sons,  Einar,  Leif 
and  Carl  Wilhelm  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Giaver's  parents  both  died  in  Norway,  the 
father  in  1884  and  the  mother  in  1903. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Western  Society  of  Civil 
Engineers,  the  Columbia  Yacht  Club,  the  Young 
Men's  Christian  Association  and  the  Norwegian 
Quartette  Club. 

The  family  resides  at  1356  N.  Sawyer  avenue. 


WALDEMAR  GIERTSEN 

Was  born  in  Bergen,  Norway,  Oct.  1,  1868.  He 
came  to  Chicago  in  August,  1887,  and  has  re- 
mained here  since.  He  was  employed  by  the  follow- 
ing firms  in  succession:  C.  Erickson,  dry  goods; 
Mandel  Bros.,  as  shade  hanger;  C.  H.  Besley  & 
Co.,  machinists'  supplies;  J.  A.  Fay  &  Co.,  and 
their  successors,  J.  A.  Fay  &  Eagan  Co.;  Man- 
ning, Maxwell  &  Moore.  He  spent  about  eleven 
years  with  these  different  firms,  making  the  ma- 
chinery supplies  business  a  special  study.  In 
1900  he  started  in  business  for  himself,  under  the 
name  of  Machinery  Exchange,  which  he  changed 
in  1905  to  the  Chicago  Machinery  Exchange,  deal- 
ing especially  in  wood-working  machinery.  The 
company  is  incorporated  and  Mr.  Giertsen  owns 


Waldemar  Giertsen. 


95  per  cent  of  the  stock,  being  the  president  and 
treasurer.  He  is  also  a  stockholder,  director  and 
second  vice-president  of  the  Jennings  Real  Estate 
Loan  Co.,  being  one  of  the  organizers  of  that  con- 
cern. He  is  a  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  Ham- 
ilton Club. 

He  married,  Oct.  20,  1897,  Miss  Theckla  Ida 
Henschel,  of  German  parents,  born  and  reared"  at 
Sheboygan,  Wis.  They  reside  in  their  own  home 
at  551  Winthrop  avenue. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


321 


ADOLF  C.  GRESEN, 

The  real  estate  man,  was  born  at  Porsgrund, 
Norway,  Dec.  31,  1862,  his  parents  being  Ole  An- 
dreas and  Laurence  Gresen.  He  attended  the 
public  school  iii  Norway  and  then  clerked  in  a 
grocery  store  in  Porsgrund  until  he  was  2fi  years 
old,  when  he  left  for  America,  arriving  here  on 


A.  C.  Gresen. 


April  15,  1888,  alone.  After  mastering  the  pre- 
vailing speech  of  the  country  he  secured  a  place 
as  buyer  for  a  wholesale  commission  house,  and 
later  went  into  the  commission  business  for  him- 
self, continuing  at  that  until  1892,  when  he  en- 
gaged in  the  real  estate  business. 

Mr.  Gresen  does  not  claim  any  distinction  of 
any  kind  except  that  he  is  a  good  citizen  and 
belongs  to  the  Lutheran  Church. 


born  in  Skien,  Norway,  Feb.  19,  1859,  to  Chris- 
tian and  Marthine  Christine  (born  Johannesen) 
Grauer.  His  father,  who  was  a  tailor  by  trade, 
was  born  in  Eidsvold;  his  mother  in  Skien. 

He  came  to  America  with  his  parents  in  1863, 
landing  in  Quebec,  where  the  family  remained  for 
a  year  before  coming  on  to  Chicago.  Here  Mr. 
Grauer,  Sr.,  built  himself  a  substantial  home  at 
160  N.  Green  street,  where  our  subject  spent  his 
youth,  or  until  his  parents  passed  away — his 
mother  on  Feb.  19,  1882,  and  his  father  in  Octo- 
ber, 1886.  Her^  Otto  passed  through  the  public 
school,  attended  evening  school,  and  also  took 
private  lessons.  Later  he  took  a  three-year 
course  at  the  Chicago  Theological  Seminary, 


PROF.  OTTO  CHRISTOPHER  GRAUER, 

With  the   Chicago   Theological   Seminary,   repre- 
senting the    Danish-Norwegian    department,   was 


O.  C.  Grauer. 


graduating  in  1887.  During  vacations  and  as  a 
regular  employee  during  these  thirty  years  he 
has  also  worked  for  Edward  Ely  &  Co.,  Field  & 
Leiter,  J.  V.  Farwell  &  Co.,  and  the  Sandford 
Manufacturing  Company. 

He  was  married  to  Jennie  Douglas,  daughter  of 
James  and  Agnes  Ainslie,  Jan.  18,  1883.  They 
have  had  three  children,  two  now  living,  namely: 
James  Carroll,  born  Aug.  17,  1887,  and  George 
Ainslie,  March  2.  1890. 

Rev.    Grauer's    first    call  as  a  minister   of  the 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


gospel  was  to  the  Congregational  Church  at 
Cragin,  111.,  where  he  officiated  during  the  last 
year  of  his  seminary  course.  He  was  also  in- 
strumental in  building  a  house  of  worship  for 
this  congregation.  He  was  pastor  for  the  Union 
Congregational  Church  at  Cobden,  111.,  in  1887-89. 
general  missionary  for  northern  Wisconsin  under 
the  Congregational  Sunday-School  Publication 
Society  until  1891.  In  the  fall  of  1891  he  began 
work  as  professor  in  the  Danish-Norwegian  de- 
partment of  Chicago  Theological  Seminary,  and 
has  continued  in  this  position  until  the  present 
time.  The  special  branches  he  teaches  are  sys- 
tematic theology,  church  history,  psychology,  and 
English  language  and  rhetoric.  During  his  con- 
nection with  the  seminary  he  has  also  served  sev- 
eral churches,  among  them  the  Courtland  Street 
Congregational  Church,  Chicago,  which  he  organ- 
ized and  helped  to  secure  a  house  of  worship;  the 
Trinity  Congregational  Church,  acting  pastor  in 
1899.;  and  the  Bethany  Congregational  Church 
from  1903  to  1906.  For  five  years  he  was  com- 
mander-in-chief  of  the  United  Boys'  Brigade  of 
America,  and  is  still  vice-president  of  the  national 
organization.  For  eight  years  he  has  been  treas- 
urer and  business  manager  for  the  Evangelisten 
Publishing  Society,  which  publishes  the  Norweg- 
ian religious  weekly,  Evangelisten.  He  is  also  the 
author  of  the  Norwegian  handbook  for  ministers, 
called  Pastoral  Haandbog. 

When  nineteen  years  old  our  subject  joined  the 
Tabernacle  Church,  on  Grand  avenue  and  Morgan 
street,  and  served  as  Sunday  school  superintend- 
ent, clerk  and  treasurer,  and  he  and  Mrs.  Grauer 
were  members  of  the  choir  for  seven  years.  The 
family  are  now  members  of  the  First  Congrega- 
tional Church  of  Oak  Park.  The  Professor  was  a 
member  of  Company  D,  First  Illinois  Infantry, 
I.  N.  G.,  for  five  years,  and  served  during  the 
railroad  riot  in  1877. 

As  a  boy  Mr.  Grauer  was  not  confirmed,  and 
explains  this  fact  as  follows:  "My  mother  was  a 
convert  in  the  so-called  Lammer's  movement  in 
Skien  in  the  '50's  and  was  a  charter  member  of 
the  free  church,  organized  July  4,  1856,  and  called 
the  Free  Apostolical  Christian  Church.  She  was 
therefore  a  dissenter  from  the  state  church,  and 
that  accounts  for  .my  not  being  confirmed,  and  for 
the  fact  that  we  became  identified  with  the  Con- 
gregational or  Free  Church  here  in  America,  the 
principles  of  that  church  coming  nearest  to  these 
she  learned  to  believe  in  the  Norwegian  Free 
Church." 

The  family  resides  at  446  N.  Grove  avenue, 
Oak  Park,  111.  The  Professor's  business  address 
is  81  Ashland  boulevard,  Chicago. 


NICOLAY  ANDREAS  GREVSTAD 

Was'born  on  the  Grevstad  farm,  Sykelven,  0r- 
skog  parish,  S0ndm0re,  Norway,  June  2,  1851. 
His  parents  were  "husmandsfolk"  (renters  of  a 
small  tract  of  land).  He  went  to  the  district 
school,  which  in  those  days  was  kept  at  the  farms 
of  the  district,  a  week  at  a  time  in  each  house> 
helped  his  parents  to  clear  and  work  their  midget- 
farm,  and  became  quite  skillful  in  filling  his 
mother's  kettle  with  fish. 


N.  A.  Grevstad. 

After  confirmation  he  clerked  a  couple  of  years 
in  Aalesund.  But  he  felt  the  need  of  a  better 
education  and  after  finishing  a  course  at  a  normal 
school  he  began  to  prepare  himself  for  the  uni- 
versity relying  upon  what  he  could  earn  teaching 
and  working  for  newspapers. 

In  1878  he  completed  his  studies  in  the  uni- 
versity of  Christiania,  graduating  from  the  law 
department  in  the  spring  of  that  year;  and  en- 
tered the  government  service  in  the  Department 
of  Justice.  But  he  found  the  work  too  slow  and 
in  1880  assumed  editorial  charge  of  "Dagbladet," 
at  that  time  the  leading  organ  of  the  liberal 
party  of  Norway.  The  country  was  then  facing 
a  grave  political  crisis  growing  out  of  the  crown's 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


323 


claim  to  an  absolute  veto.  The  electoral  battle 
of  that  summer  was  fought  on  this  issue,  J'Dag- 
bladet"  taking  a  strong  and  aggressive  stand 
against  the  crown's  attempted  usurpation  of  a 
prerogative  not  granted  by  the  organic  law  of 
the  land,  and  in  support  of  the  liberal  party  and 
its  leader,  Johan  Sverdrup. 

In  1883,  owing  to  political  differences  with  a 
group  of  radical  leaders  who  had  obtained  con- 
trol of  the  paper,  he  resigned  as  editor  of  "Dag- 
bladet,"  whose  circulation  had  trebled  under  his 
management,  and  came  to  the  United  States, 
where  he  at  first  joined  the  editorial  staff  of 
"Nordvesten,"  St.  Paul,  Minn. 

The  adoption  of  the  jury  system  had  for  some 
years  been  a  leading  issue  in  Norway.  During  the 
public  discussions  of  the  question  the  opponents 
of  the  reform  had  a  great  deal  to  say  about  the 
alleged  failure  of  the  jury  system  in  America.  In 
order  to  establish  the  truth  or  falsity  of  these 
arguments  Mr.  Grevstad  submitted  a  series  of 
questions  concerning  the  American  jury  system 
to  leading  judges  and  lawyers  of  the  United 
States.  Replies,  generally  very  full  and  com- 
plete, were  received  from  upwards  of  two  hun- 
dred, including  five  of  the  judges  of  the  federal 
supreme  court  at  Washington.  They  were  em- 
bodied in  a  report,  which  was  published  by  the 
Storthing  of  Norway  and  was  drawn  upon  freely 
by  the  members  during  the  debate  of  the  jury 
law  bill  then  pending. 

In  the  fall  of  1886  Mr.  Grevstad  returned  to 
Norway  at  the  request  of  Johan  Sverdrup  to  re- 
sume charge  of  "Dagbladet."  But  he  found  him- 
self a  changed  man  and  went  back  to  the  United 
States,  this  time  for  good.  In  the  fall  of  1887 
he  accepted  a  position  as  editor  of  the  "Norman- 
naheimen"  department  of  the  Minneapolis  Jour- 
nal and  also  as  assistant  editorial  writer  of  the 
Minneapolis  Tribune,  the  two  papers  at  that  time 
being  controlled  by  the  same  owners.  In  Janu- 
ary 1888  he  succeeded  Dr.  Albert  Shaw  as  the 
leading  editorial  writer  of  the  Tribune.  In  1890 
he  resigned  this  position  to  assume  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Minneapolis  Times,  at  that  time  only 
a  few  months  old,  and  made  it  the  leading  organ 
in  the  state  of  the  independent  republicans  who 
were  opposing  the  prevailing  boss-rule  in  the 
party.  Since  the  fall  of  1892  he  has  been  editor 
of  the  Chicago  "Skandinaven." 

In  two  articles  in  the  Atlantic  Monthly  for 
1891  and  1893  he  has  given  the  Americans  a  full 
outline  of  the  principles  and  working  of  the  Nor- 
wegian courts  of  conciliation. 

In  1879  Mr.  Grevstad  was  married  to  May  Ber- 
ger  of  Eidsvold.  They  have  one  daughter,  Dagny, 


now  Mrs.  A.  L.  Mordt,  of  Chickasha,  Oklahoma. 

In  the   fall  of  1906  the  order  of   St.   Olaf  was 

conferred  upon  him  by  King  Haakon  of  Norway. 


CHARLES  GUSTAVE  GROTNES, 

Of  the   Charles   Grotnes'   Machine   Works,   28-30 
W.  Washington  street,  was  born  in  Solom,  near 


C.  G.  Grotnes. 


Porsgrund,  Norway,  on  the  18th  of  August,  1863. 
His  parents  were  L.  P.  Pederson  and  Maren  Eliza 
(born  Isaksen)  Grotnes,  and  resided  at  Pors- 
grund, where  his  father  was  a  shipbuilder.  When 
15  years  old  Chf.rles  went  to  sea  and  sailed  for 
three  years,  going  through  the  navigation  school 
at  Porsgrund  at  the  age  of  17. 

He  came  to  Chicago  at  the  age  of  18,  intending 
to  sail  on  the  great  lakes,  but  instead  went  in  as 
an  apprentice  with  a  small  machine  firm  named 
Humbertson,  on  Canal  Street.  After  three  years 
here  he  went  to  work  for  the  Calumet  Steel  and 


324 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Iron  Company,  at  South  Chicago,  for  two  years. 
He  then  went  to  work  for  William  Glader  as 
foreman,  and  remained  with  him  in  that  capacity 
for  thirteen  years.  About  five  years  ago  he 
started  in  for  himself  at  his  present  location. 
He  has  several  patented  inventions. 

Mr.  Grotnes  was  married  to  Christine  Mathilda 
Wium,  of  Drammen,  Norway,  Nov.  4,  1886.  They 
have  three  children.  He  is  a  member  of  the  A. 
O.  U.  W.,  attends  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  re- 
sides at  375  Humboldt  Avenue. 


Mr.  Grover  attended  the  common  school  and 
one  term  at  Pleasant  View  College,  near  Ottawa. 
In  1901  he  entered  the  Northwestern  University 
Law  School,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1904, 
receiving  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  He  then  passed 
the  examination  before  the  state  board  of  legal 
examiners  within  two  weeks,  and  the  same  year 
was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He  returned  to  Leland 
and  practiced  law  for  one  year,  until  the  First 
National  Bank  was  started,  when  he  was  made 
its  cashier.  In  1905  he  was  elected  clerk  of 
Adams  township,  to  which  office  he  was  re- 
elected  in  1906.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Leland 
Masonic  Lodge  and  attends  the  Methodist 
Church. 


GEORGE  O.  GROVER, 

Cashier  of  the  First  National  Bank  at  Leland,  is 
a   native   of  the   place,   having   been  born   there, 


G.  O.  Grover. 


June  19,  1877.  His  father,  Charles  Grover,  is 
also  a  native  American,  and  was  born  in  Big 
Grove  township,  his  parents  having  come  from 
Norway.  His  mother,  Elizabeth  (Johnson),  who 
is  still  living  in  Leland,  was  born  in  Norway. 


CARL  GULBRANDSEN 

Was  born   in    Christiansund,    Norway,    Oct.    26, 
1854.     He  enjoyed  a  good  common  school  educa- 


Carl  Gulbrandsen. 


tion    until,   at    the   age   of   15,   he   began   his   ap- 
prenticeship in  Trondhjem  as  a  wigmaker. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


325 


After  having  learned  his  profession  in  Norway 
he  went  to  Copenhagen,  Denmark,  to  take  a 
position  with  the  wigmaker  for  the  royal  Danish 
court,  and  finally  finished  his  wigmaking  educa- 
tion under  M.  Alliber,  the  celebrated  wigmaker 
of  Paris. 

He  came  to  New  York  in  1881,  and  later  came 
to  Chicago,  where  he  secured  a  position  as  fore- 
man with  the  Thomes  hair  establishment. 

In  1883  he  established  his  own  business,  which 
he  has  continued  since,  being  now  located  in  the 
Republic  Building,  corner  of  State  and  Adams 
streets.  At  present  he  is  the  only  Norwegian 
wigmaker  in  Chicago,  and  one  of  the  most  noted 
in  the  profession,  having  an  actual  practical  ex- 
perience of  about  thirty-five  years.  In  January, 
1905,  he  patented  a  hair  tonic  of  his  own  inven- 
tion, called  "Hairo." 

Mr.  Gulbrandsen  is  a  member  and  is  vice- 
president  of  Del  Norske  Sangerforbund  and  Den 
Norske  Kvartetklub,  and  also  a  member  of  Thor- 
waldsen's  Lodge,  K.  of  P.,  of  which  he  is  treas- 
urer. 

His  parents   died  in   Norway  many  years  ago. 

Mr.  Gulbrandsen  is  married  and  has  a  family 
of  three  grown-up  children  — two  daughters  and 
one  son,  and  resides  at  1412  N.  Spaulding  avenue. 

Since  the  above  was  written  Mr.  Gulbrandsen 
has  been  elected  president  of  Det  Norske  Sanger- 
forbund for  the  ensuing  year. 


REV.  GEORGE  ALBERT  GULLIXON, 

Pastor  of  St.  Paul's  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church 
in  Chicago,  was  born  in  Bode,  Iowa,  December 
19,  1866.  His  parents,  who  were  farmers,  living 
near  Bode,  were  Andrew  and  Anna  Rossing  Gul- 
lixon.  The  subject  of  our  sketch  spent  his  early 
life  on  his  father's  farm,  attending  the  country 
schools,  and  was  confirmed  in  St.  Olaf's  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran  Church  at  Bode.  Later  he 
entered  Luther  College  at  Decorah,  Iowa,  taking 
the  full  course,  and  graduated  in  1890.  He  then 
completed  his  studies  for  the  ministry  by  taking 
the  prescribed  course  at  Luther  Seminary,  then 
at  Robbinsdale,  Minn.,  now  at  Hamline,  Minn.; 
graduating  in  1893. 

He  was  principal  of  Luther  Academy  at  Bode, 
Iowa,  in  the  school  year  of  1886-'87,  after  his 
sophomore  year  at  college.  After  graduating 
from  the  seminary  and  having  been  ordained  as 
a  minister  in  1S93,  he  was  called  as  assistant  to 


Rev.  L.  O.  Sherven  at  Orfordsville,  Janesville, 
Beloit,  and  Rock  Run,  Wis.,  which  position  he 
accepted.  The  following  year,  1894,  this  charge 
was  divided,  Rev.  Gullixon  accepting  the  pastor- 
ate of  the  Beloit  and  Rock  Run  congregations,  in 
November  of  that  year.  He  continued  as  pastor 
of  this  charge  until  July,  1902,  when  he  accepted 
the  pastorate  of  the  Norwegian  Evangelical  Luth- 
eran St.  Paul's  Church,  Chicago. 

He  was  married  to  Minnie  Amanda  Olson,  of 
Madison,  Wis.,  October  7,  1897,  her  parents  being 
S0ren  and  Randi  (born  Amundson)  Olson.  They 


Rev.  G.  A.  Gullixon. 


have  been  bles=ed  with  four  children,  Ruth  Agnes, 
Alvin  Sigurd,  Valborg  Adeline,  and  Esther  Signe. 
Alvin  Sigurd,  born  December  30,  1900,  died  De- 
cember 21,  1905. 

Rev.  Gullixon  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  the 
home  mission  of  the  Eastern  District  of  the 
Synod  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  of 
America,  elected  in  1895  and  re-elected  in  1904, 
and  is  still  holding  this  position.  He  is  also  vice- 
president  of  the  Lutheran  Home  Finding  Society 
of  Illinois  for  dependent  children.  The  family 
resides  at  895  N.  Leavitt  street,  Chicago. 


326 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


CHARLES  TELLEF  GUNDERSON 

Was  born  on  a  farm  in  Vraadal,  Norway,  July 
23,  1854.  He  was  the  second  youngest  of  seven 
children,  five  boys  and  two  girls,  all  of  the  boys 
being  sailors.  Both  of  his  .parents  died  when 
•Charles  was  but  13  years  old,  and  he  had  to  go  to 
an  uncle  near  Risjzir,  where  he  worked  on  a  farm 
during  the  summer  and  attended  school  in  the 
winter.  He  got  his  first  experience  as  a  sailor  on 
a  small  vessel  from  Ris0r  in  1869,  but  after  a  few 
months  the  boat  was  run  down  by  the  German 


Captain  C.  T.  Gunderson. 


steamer  Westphalia  in  the  English  Channel.  The 
vessel  sank  in  two  minutes,  but  the  crew,  includ- 
ing the  subject  of  our  sketch,  were  rescued  by 
the  crew  of  the  Westphalia.  They  were  taken  to 
New  York,  where  Charles  again  shipped  on  a 
Norwegian  vessel  as  general  utility  boy.  He  re- 
mained on  the  vessel  for  thirty-two  months,  leav- 
ing her  at  Baltimore  when  his  contract  was  up 
in  1872.  He  then  sailed  on  different  vessels 
along  the  coast,  going  as  far  as  the  West  Indies. 
He  came  to  Chicago  in  1874.  Here  he  sailed  be- 
fore the  mast  on  the  lakes  until  1880,  when  he 
went  to  work  for  J.  C.  Gilchrist,  a  large  vessel 


owner  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  for  whom  he  has  navi- 
gated sailing  vessels  and  steamers  for  the  past 
twenty-five  years.  His  last  command  was  the 
steamer  Geo.  H.  Ru'ssell,  which  took  out,  in  1905, 
the  largest  cargo  of  grain  ever  shipped  from  Chi- 
cago, consisting  of  235,000  bushels  of  corn  and 
58,000  bushels  of  barley,  aggregating  7,972  tons. 
He  married  Anna  Theresa  Eaton,  on  April  15, 
1888.  He  is  a  Mason,  and  resides  at  74  Evergreen 
avenue. 


CAPTAIN  HARRY  GUNDERSON 

Was  born  in  Ris0r,  Norway.  He  came  to  America 
when  17  years  old  and  has  been  sailing  either  as 
captain  or  sailor  for  twenty  years  on  the  great 


Captain  H.  Gunderson. 


lakes.  He  is  at  present  the  captain  of  the  steam- 
ship Henry  Stainbrenner.  It  belongs  to  the  Kins- 
man Transit  Company. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


327 


GEORGE  ADOLPH   GUNDERSON, 

The  senior  member  of  the  grocery  firm  of  Gun- 
derson  &  Berg,  1647  Armitage  avenue,  was  born 
in  Christiania,  Norway,  Dec.  7,  1868.  His  parents 
were  Ole  Gunderson,  a  building  contractor,  and 
Johanne  (born  Peterson). 

George  attended  school  in  his  native  city  and 
wa.s  confirmed  in  0stre  Akers  Kirke.  As  soon 
as  he  u-as  old  enough  to  undertake  the  work  he 
was  apprenticed  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  mason, 
which  he  completed  before  coming  to  Chicago, 
on  Sept.  7,  1889. 


G.  A.  Gunderson. 


On  his  arrival  here  he  immediately  secured 
work  at  his  trade  and  followed  it  for  several 
years.  Having  saved  his  money,  he  later  started 
a  retail  fish  store  at  the  corner  of  Nebraska  and 
Armitage  avenues,  which  he  conducted  for  three 
years. 

In  1898  he  joined  Mr.  Martin  Berg  in  establish- 
ing a  retail  grocery  and  meat  market  at  1647 
Armitage  avenue,  under  the  firm  name  of  Gun- 
derson &  Berg.  They  have  an  up-to-date  store 
and  market,  do  i,  thriving  business,  and  enjoy  the 
confidence  of  tl'eir  patrons. 


On  April  2,  1892,  Mr.  Gunderson  married  An- 
tonie  Hansen  Foss,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Hansen  Foss,  of  Enebak,  Norway.  They  had 
two  children  —  Jennie,  born  Aug.  6,  1892,  and 
Thorolf,  born  Feb.  2,  1896.  Mrs.  Gunderson  died 
on  April  16,  1904.  He  is  a  member  of  White 
City  Lodge  of  Odd  Fellows. 


SIVERT  TOBIAS  GUNDERSON 

Hails  from  the  "Land  of  the  Midnight  Sun,"  and 
is  proud  of  it.  He  was  born  in  Norway  in  1839, 
and  at  the  age  of  9  years,  or  in  1848,  came  to 
America  with  his  parents.  The  family  at  once 


S.  T.  Gunderson. 


settled  in  Chicago,  then  a  town  of  20,000.  Rail- 
road facilities  were  then  in  their  infancy,  the 
westward  journey  having  been  made  via  the 
Hudson  River,  the  Erie  Canal  and  the  great 
lakes. 

Our  subject  at  once  entered  the  public  schools, 


328 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


but  at  the  age  of  15  laid  aside  his  books,  his 
education  since  having  been  gained  in  the  school 
of  experience,  where  he  has  learned  the  valuable 
and  useful  lessons  that  have  made  him  the  prac- 
tical man  of  affairs  that  he  is  to-day. 

His  parents  were  in  limited  circumstances,  and 
he  began  to  earn  his  own  living  by  learning  the 
carpenter  and  lathing  trade.  At  the  age  of  18 
years  he  began  business  along  this  trade  for  him- 
self, and  was  thus  engaged  when  the  financial 
panic  of  1857  swept  over  the  country.  In  conse- 
quence there  was  but  little  going  on  in  the  way 
of  building,  and  with  the  hope  of  bettering  his 
condition  Mr.  Gunderson  moved  to  Fort  Leaven- 
worth,  Kan.,  in  1858,  but  soon  returned  to  Chi- 
cago. 

In  1862  he  purchased  a  lake  vessel,  the  Her- 
cules, and  within  five  years  became  the  owner  of 
six  vessels,  most  of  them  engaged  in  the  grain 
trade.  As  his  financial  resources  increased  he 
also  interested  himself  in  the  lumber  trade,  and 
in  1871  purchased  large  interests  in  sawmills. 
This  business  was  in  a  thriving  condition  when, 
in  1875,  his  plant  was  completely  destroyed  by 
fire.  Being  but  lightly  insured,  he  was  almost 
ruined  financially.  He  went  to  work  with  de- 
termination to  retrieve  his  losses,  however,  and 
to-day  in  addition  to  his  lumber  business,  is  the 
owner  of  extensive  real  estate  interests,  being 
the  senior  member  of  the  firm  of  S.  T.  Gunder- 
son &  Sons,  home  builders. 

He  was  for  a  number  of  years  connected  with 
the  firm  of  John  A.  Ganger  &  Co.,  shipping 
large  quantities  of  doors  and  sash  of  their  own 
manufacture  throughout  the  United  States. 

In  1862  Mr.  Gunderson  was  married  to  Emily 
C.  Olson.  They  have  two  sons  and  one  daughter. 
George  O.,  the  oldest,  is  assistant  with  his  father 
in  business;  Seward  M.  is  also  connected  with 
his  father  in  business;  the  daughter,  Miss 
Ida  Mabel,  is  a  most  accomplished  and  highly 
educated  young  lady,  a  graduate  of  the  Misses 
Grant  Seminary  and  the  Chicago  Musical  College, 
having  received  a  teacher's  diploma,  being  a  mu- 
sician of  more  than  usual  brilliancy.  She  also 
possesses  artistic  talent  as  a  painter  in  both  oils 
and  water  colors,  and  is  alike  accomplished  along 
other  lines. 

Mr.  Gunderson  is  an  active  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Church,  contributing  to  its  charities. 
He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  Masonic  Or- 
phans' Home  and  served  as  trustee  for  three 
years.  He  became  a  Mason  in  1868,  joining  Kil- 
winning  Lodge  No.  3111,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  is  a 
member  of  Chicago  Commandery  No.  19,  K.  T., 
the  Oriental  Consistory,  having  attained  to  the 


32d-degree,  and  belongs  to  the  Medinah  Temple 
of  the  Mystic  Shrine.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
the  Lincoln  and  Menoken  clubs.  In  1874  he  was 
elected  to  a  seat  in  the  city  council,  and  in  1891 
he  was  appointed  a  member  of  the  board  of  edu- 
cation by  Mayor  Washburn,  and  was  appointed 
a  member  of  the  library  board  by  Mayor  Swift. 

Mr.  Gunderson  and  his  wife  have  traveled  ex- 
tensively, both  in  this  country  and  abroad.  They 
have  visited  every  country  in  Europe,  and  last 
January  thev  took  a  Mediterranean  tour,  visiting 
all  interesting  points,  including  the  Holy  land. 
They  have  also  made  a  three  months'  tour  of1 
Mexico  and  spent  some  time  in  southern 
California  before  returning.  Mr.  Gunderson's 
work  in  securing  Chicago  as  the  site  for  the 
World's  Fair  stands  to  his  credit,  as  does  the 
fact  that  he  was  the  originator  of  the  plan  and 
president  of  the  company,  which  purchased  the 
Viking  Ship,  a  reproduction  of  the  little  ship  in 
which  the  Norwegian  Explorers  are  supposed  to 
have  come  to  America  in  about  the  year  1000. 
The  ship  is  now  on  exhibition  at  the  Field  Co- 
lumbian Museum. 

For  the  last  fourteen  years  S.  T.  Gunderson 
&  Sons  have  been  erecting  some  very  nice  houses, 
selling  them  on  time  payments.  In  the  last 
four  years  they  have  erected  from  fifty  to  sev- 
enty houses  a  year.  This  plan  has  proven  a  great 
help  to  persons  who  have  not  had  sufficient 
money  to  buy  a  lot  and  erect  a  home  themselves. 
Many  families  have  secured  cosy  and  comfort- 
able homes,  taking  a  personal  interest  in  the 
progress  and  welfare  of  the  city,  as  they  are 
happily  settled  in  their  own  homes  paid  for  )'» 
small  monthly  installments. 

In  May,  1907,  Mr.  Gunderson  was  appointed  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Education. 


REV.  ANDREW  HAAGENSEN 

Was  born  Oct.  30,  1835,  near  Sarpsborg,  Norway, 
of  parents  Haagen  Hansen  and  Christina  Pouls- 
datter.  Raised  in  a  romantic  and  beautiful  coun- 
try of  the  Sarps-fossen  waterfall,  where  kind 
hands  cared  for  him,  he  obtained  such  rudiment- 
ary education  as  the  surroundings  afforded.  He 
was  more  fortunate  later  on,  having  the  advant- 
age of  a  private  tutor  in  Sarpsborg,  while  he  was 
employed  as  a  clerk  with  the  firm  of  H.  Hafslund, 
and  where  soon  afterward  he  was  employed  as 
bookkeeper.  Here  he  remained  six  years,  to  the 
entire  satisfaction  of  his  employer. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


In  1856  he  was  converted  to  God  in  Sarpsborg 
under  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  by  Rev.  O.  P. 
Petersen,  and  became  united  with  the  first  organi- 
zation of-  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in 
Norway.  In  1857  he  severed  his  connection  with 
the  firm  he  had  worked  for,  feeling  a  strong  call 
to  preach  the  gospel.  Exercising  his  gift  and  tal- 
ents, he  was  eventually  licensed  to  preach,  and 
devoted  part  of  his  time  to  teaching,  but  was  also 
engaged  in  mission  work.  In  the  fall  of  1857  he 
migrated  to  America,  having  been  recommended 
by  the  superintendent  of  the  Methodist  Church. 
After  taking  the  examination  he  entered  the  Wis- 


Rev.  A.  Haagensen. 


consin  Conference  in  May,  1858,  and  was  ordained 
deacon  by  Bishop  Morris  in  the  same  year,  and 
in  1860  he  was  ordained1  elder  by  Bishop  Scott. 

In  1859  he  was  married  to  Julia  Thompsen, 
from  Eidfjord,  Hardanger,  Norway.  Out  of 
eleven  children  eight  are  still  living,  all  having 
received  a  good  education,  principally  at  North- 
western University,  Evanston.  One  son,  E.  C. 
Haagensen,  who  was  graduated  from  Northwest- 
ern Medical  College,  is  located  at  Hillsboro,  N. 


D.,  and  is  vice-president  of  the  state  board  of 
health.  Another  son,  A.  P.  Haagensen,  who  was 
graduated  from  the  college  of  liberal  arts  and  also 
the  law  school  of  Northwestern  University,  is 
located  at  Ashland,  Wis.,  where  he  has  served  as 
district  attorney  of  'Ashland  county. 

After  serving  nine  years  in  the  pastorate,  with 
a  great  degree  of  acceptance  and  success,  he  was 
appointed  presiding  elder  of  the  Norwegian  dis- 
trict in  the  Wisconsin  Conference.  This  position 
he  held  for  seven  consecutive  years.  In  1876  and 
again  in  1884  he  was  elected  reserve  delegate  to 
the  General  Conference,  the  highest  council  in 
the  church.  In  1870,  when  the  first  monthly  Mis- 
sionaeren  was  published  in  Norwegian,  he  became 
associate  editor.  In  1880,  when  the  Norwegian- 
Danish  conference  was  organized,  he  was  elected 
editor  of  the  weekly,  Den  Kristelige  Talsmand, 
and  under  his  editorship  the  paper  was  very  suc- 
cessful and  was  enlarged  from  four  to  eight  pages. 
In  1881  he  was  again  appointed  presiding  elder 
:>f  the  Chicago  district,  which  position  he  held  for 
i:'jc  years,  and  under  his  administration  the  work 
was  extended,  societies  organized  and  churches 
built.  In  1888  he  was  elected  delegate  from  his 
conference  to  the  General  Conference,  held  at 
New  York  city. 

In  1890  he  was  again  elected  editor  of  Den 
Kristelige  Talsmand,  which  position  he  held  for 
seven  years  with  good  success.  In  his  pastorate 
he  has  served  some  of  the  most  prominent 
churches.  Besides  all  this  he  has  composed  and 
translated  a  number  of  hymns  and  songs  and  is 
author  of  the  trenchant  volume  entitled  Method- 
ism and  Luthcranism  Compared;  also  The  Nor- 
wegian and  Danish  Methodist  Mission  History 
and  illustrated  Bible  History,  all  in  the  Nor- 
wegian language.  From  the  early  history  of  the 
Norwegian  Methodist  mission  in  this  country  he 
has  taken  a  very  important  part  in  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Norwegian-Danish  Theological  Sem- 
inary at  Evanston,  and  has  for  a  number  of  years 
been  president  of  the  school  board.  At  present 
he  is  financial  agent  for  the  endowment  school 
fund,  which  is  to  be  used  in  employing  more 
teachers  to  supply  the  great  need  of  preparing 
young  men  for  the  ministry.  When  he  landed 
in  Chicago,  in  October,  1857,  the  Norwegian 
Methodists  had  no  church  nor  organization.  There 
are  now  in  Chicago  eight  Norwegian-Danish 
Methodist  Episcopal  churches  belonging  to  the 
Norwegian-Danish  Conference,  of  which  he  is 
still  in  active  service  as  a  minister.  Looking  at 
the  great  development  of  both  church  and  state, 
he  is  thankful  to  God  for  the  success  of  both,  and 
that  he  is  a  citizen  of  this  great  and  glorious 
country. 


339 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


GUDLEIK  RASCH  HALVORSEN 

Was  born  in  Fredrikshald,  Norway,  May  21,  1882. 
His  father  is  Cand.  Theol.  Anders  Halvorsen  and 
his  mother  Julie  Charlotte,  nee  Rasch. 


G.  R.  Halvorsen. 

When  Gudleik  was  one  and  a  half  years  of  age, 
his  parents  moved  to  Christiania  and  remained 
there  three  years.  His  father  was  then  appointed 
Sogneprest  at  Talvik.  Finmarken.  where  young 
Halvorsen  remained  until  15  years  old,  when  his 
father  was  promoted  and  moved  to  Lyster  in 
Sogn,  arriving,  there  in  the  spring  of  1897.  Here 
Gudleik  was  confirmed  in  Dale  church,  and  in  the 
fall  was  sent  to  Bergen  to  study  at  the  Cathedral 
school.  In  1898  he  passed  examination  for  en- 
trance in  the  Middelskole.  His  primary  educa- 
tion he  had  received  partly  by  a  private  teacher 
and  partly  in  the  public  school.  When  ready  with 
the  course  at  the  Middelskole  he  spent  one  year 
teaching  school  and  working  on  the  farm.  In 
1899  he  entered  the  technical  college  at  Chris- 
tiania, which  he  left  as  a  fullfledged  civil  engineer 
in  the  spring  of  1903. 

During  the  following  summer  he  was  engaged 
in  surveying  the  neighborhood  around  Lyster  and 
later  with  making  plans  and  drawings  for  public 
and  private  buildings  at  the  same  place,  in  the 


meantime  also  running  the  farm  or  "prestegaard," 
on  which  his  father  was  living. 

In  the  spring  1904  he  came  to  America,  where 
he  made  his  first  stop  at  Windom,  Minn.  Then 
he  came  to  St.  Paul,  where  he  worked  in  a  ma- 
chine shop  a  few  weeks;  went  to  Great  Falls, 
Mont.,  where  he  worked  in  an  architect's  office; 
from  there  to  Anaconda,  working  in  the  office  of 
the  civil  engineer  of  the  Anaconda  Copper  Min- 
ing Co.  He  remained  there  until  Jan.,  1906,  when 
he  came  to  Elgin,  111.,  where  he  has  been  em- 
ployed since  in  the  city  engineer's  office.  During 
last  summer  he  paid  a  visit  to  his  home  in  Nor- 
way. Mr.  Halvorsen  is  a  member  of  the  Nor- 
wegian Lutheran  Synod,  of  the  Total  Abstinence 
Society  of  Norway  and  while  in  Anaconda  was 
president  of  the  Norwegian  Christian  Young  Peo- 
,  pie's.  Society  "Framsteg." 


GOODMAN  HALVORSEN- 

Was  born  in   Etne   parish,   between   Bergen  and 
Stavanger,   Norway,   Sept.   6,   1821.     He   was   the 


Goodman  Halvorsen. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


331 


youngest  of  three  children,  and  at  the  age  of  16 
began  his  struggles  for  a  livelihood.  During  the 
summer  he  worked  on  farms  at  the  low  wages 
then  prevailing:  in  the  winter  he  engaged  in 
fishing. 

Before  emigrating  to  America  he  married  Mar- 
tha, a  daughter  of  Gunder  Grindeim.  He  sailed 
from  Bergen  May  10,  1847  and  landed  in  New 
York  city  on  June  24.  From  there  he  traveled 
by  way  of  the  Erie  Canal  and  the  lakes  to  Chi- 
cago and  then  by  team  to  Mission  township,  La 
Salle  county,  111.,  which  brought  his  uneventful 
but  tiresome  journey  to  an  end  on  July  12  of  the 
same  year.  Here  he  remained  one  month,  when 
he  went  to  the  home  of  Ole  Anderson,  near 
Newark,  where  he  lived  until  March,  1848.  In  the 
fall  of  1847  he  purchased  forty  acres  of  land 
in  what  is  now  Fox  township,  Kendall  county, 
and  two  years  later  added  forty  acres,  both 
lots  having  been  purchased  at  the  government 
price,  $1.25  per  acre.  In  the  spring  of  1848 
he  built  a  log  cabin  on  his  land  and  moved 
into  it.  His  wife  fell  a  victim  to  the  cholera 
plague  in  1849,  leaving  a  young  son,  who  en- 
listed in  the  Union  Army  in  1864.  He  was  taken 
sick  and  died  in  1865.  Later  Mr.  Halvorsen  mar- 
ried Inger  Berge,  from  Etne,  Norway,  who  died 
in  1855,  leaving  him  with  three  children. 

After  a  time  he  married  again,  this  time  Kari 
Berge,  a  sister  of  his  second  wife.  They  have 
seven  children  living.  Their  youngest  son,  Ed- 
ward, died  Jan.  10,  1901.  Mr  Halvorsen  has 
altogether  ten  -children,  three  of  them  married. 
He  has  fourteen  grandchildren  and  four  great- 
grandchildren. He  is  enjoying  his  declining  years 
on  his  old  homestead,  but  leases  the  farm  land  to 
other  parties. 


oring.  His  sunsets  are  simply  marvels  of  real- 
ism. Hailing  from  so  picturesque  a  country  as 
Norway,  it  is  little  wonder  that  he  prefers  to 
select  his  subjects  from  fhe  land  of  the  Vikings. 
If  it  were  not  for  his  very  pronouncedi  disposi- 
tion for  independence  he  very  likely  would  have 
achieved  a  good  financial  success  as  r.  result  of  his 
splendid  productions;  if  for  instance,  he  had  se- 
lected theatrical  scenery  and  decorations  as  his 
branch  of  painting,  he  might  have  become  a 
wealthy  man.  But  he  is  too  proud  of  his  art  and 
loves  it  too  well  to  cultivate  any  side  issue  of  it. 


J.  O.  Hammerstad. 


JOHN   (OLSON)  HAMMERSTAD, 

The  artist,  was  born  at  Christiansund,  Norway, 
on  April  19,  1842.  His  parents  were  Ole  and 
Magdalena  (Schei)  Hammerstad.  Ole  Hammer- 
stad was  a  sailor.  Mr.  Hammerstad  was  appren- 
ticed to  a  painter  and  decorator  in  Norway  and 
learned  to  master  his  trade  before  coming  to 
America.  He  emigrated  in  1869  and  located  in 
Chicago,  where  he  has  remained  since. 

Mr.  Hammerstad  is  probably  one  of  the  most 
gifted  landscape  painters  of  Norwegian  birth  in 
America,  his  greatest  strength  being  in  the  col- 


His  pictures,  always  salable,  are  usually  taken 
by  somebody  at  nominal  prices  and  resold  at 
many  times  the  price  paid  Hammerstad.  It  is 
with  bitterness  he  mentions  that  such  buyers,  or 
"sharks,"  as  he  terms  them,  are  found  among  his 
own  countrymen. 

Mr.  Hammerstad  was  married  to  Agnes  Klemp, 
daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Christian  Klemp,  of 
Fredrikshald,  Norway.  They  have  had  four  chil- 
dren, of  whom  only  one  daughter,  Agnes,  is  now 
living.  She  was  born  Aug.  10,  1890.  The  family 
resides  at  733  Summerdale  avenue.  Chicago. 


332 


A  HISTQJRY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


NILS  HALVORSEN, 

The  retired  farmer,  to  whom  Rev.  Henry  Noss 
refers  in  his  sketch  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran 
churh  at  Leland,  111.,  was  born  in  Telemarken, 


Nils  Halvorsen. 

Norway,  June  6,  1820.  He  spends  his  declining 
years  at  Leland,  although  his  farm  is  located  in 
the  vicinity  of  Earlville,  111.  On  account  of  his 
advanced  age  Mr.  Halvorsen  is  sickly  at  times, 
but  still  able  to  move  around. 


ADOLPH  MARTIN  HANSEN 

Was  born  at  Farsund,  Norway,  Feb.  2,  1871,  his 
parents  being  Hans  and  Martha  Andersen.  His 
father  was  the  proprietor  of  a  meat  market  in 
Farsund,  and  Adblph  worked  in  his  father's  shop, 
learning  the  business.  He  afterward  spent  two 
years  working  for  others. 

In  1888  he  came  to  America.  In  1890  he  started 
a  meat  market  at  254  N.  Halsted  street,  and  con- 


tinued there  for  several  years.  He  then  moved 
his  market  to  his  own  building  at  534  N.  Califor- 
nia avenue,  where  he  has  conducted  a  profitable 
business  for  the  last  five  years. 

He  was  married  to  Olivia  Olsen,  of  Madison, 
Wis.,  on  Dec.  3,  1891.  They  have  had  three  chil- 
dren, one  now  living,  Mildred  Lorette.  Mr.  Han- 


A.  M.  Hansen. 


sen  is  a  member  of  the  Ben  Hur  Valhalla  Court; 
for  several  terms  has  been  vice-president  of  the 
Varden  Literary  Club,  and  is  a  delegate  from  the 
same  club  to  the  Norwegian  National  League. 
He  is  liberal  in  his  contributions  to  worthy  char- 
ities according  to  his  means.  The  family  reside 
in  their  own  home,  at  534  N.  California  ave- 
nue. 


CHRISTIAN  HANSEN, 

The  merchant,  tailor,  was  born  in  Grue  Preste- 
gjeld,  Sol0r,  Norway,  Oct.  25,  1847.  His  parents 
were  Hans  and.  Martha  (nee  Christiansen)  Sam- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


333 


uelsen.  Christian  began  to  learn  the  trade  of  a 
tailor  in  Sol0r  when  12  years  old  and  continued 
at  the  work  until  he  was  17  when  he  went  to 
Drammen  to  put  on  the  finishing  touches.  'Here 
_he  worked  for  four  years,  carrying  with  him  a 
certificate  as  a  master  of  his  trade.  He  then  went 
to  Christiania,  where  he  worked  for  one  year  be- 
fore coming  to  America. 

Arriving  in  New  York  in  1870,  he  went  to  Black 
River  Falls,  Wis.,  where  he  had  friends  who  had 
urged  him  to  locate,  but  he  did  not  like  it  there 
and  went  to  La  Crosse,  Wis.  Here  he  was  em- 
ployed as  a  journeyman  by  one  of  the  leading 
firms  and  remained  for  two  years,  until  1872, 


Mr.  Hansen  was  married  to  Anna  Mathea  Haag- 
ensen  in  Chicago,  on  March  22,  1877.  His  wife 
is  a  daughter  of  Hans  and  Anna  Haagensen,  from 
Ringerike,  Norway.  They  have  two  children — • 
Henry  Hansen  Erland,  born  May  21,  1879,  and 
Minnie  Adelia,  Dec.  12,  1882.  Mr.  Hansen's 
mother  died  in  Norway  in  1850,  but  his  father, 
who  is  now  past  85  years,  is  living  in  Iowa,  hale 
and  hearty.  Our  subject  is  a  member  of  St. 
Paul's  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church,  and  resides 
at  816  Washtenaw  avenue. 


Christian  Hansen. 


when  he  came  to  Chicago.  He  soon  found  em- 
ployment and  worked  at  the  bench  for  two  years, 
when  he  was  offered  and  accepted  the  position  of 
cutter  for  H.  B.  Matthews.  He  held  this  place 
until  1885,  when  he  engaged  in  business  for  him- 
self at  113  Adams  Street,  corner  of  Clark.  He 
conducted  this  business  successfully  for  over 
twenty  years  in  the  same  place,  moving  to  his 
new  and  commodious  offices  in  the  new  Republic 
Building,  corner  of  State  and  Adams  Streets,  in 
January,  1906,  when  the  old  building  was  torn 
down  to  make  room  for  a  skyscraper. 


HANS  HANSEN 

Was  born  March  25,  1852,  at  Sell,  Gudbrands- 
dalen,  Norway.  His  father  was  Hans  Paulsen 
and  his  mother  Marit  Paulsen,  farming  people 


Hans  Hansen. 


at  Sell.  He  learned  the  trade  of  a  tailor,  first  at 
Trondhjem  and  later  at  Christiania,  to  which 
latter  place  he  walked  over  Dovrefjeld,  a  distance 
of  about  350  English  miles.  As  a  journeyman 


834 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


tailor  he  worked  at  several  places,  such  as  Aren- 
da),  Brevik,  Porsgrund.  He  then  served  five  years 
in  the  army,  until  in  1880  he  migrated  to  Amer- 
ica, landing  at  New  York.  From  there  he  went 
to  Connecticut,  where  he  worked  at  his  trade  in 
Manchester  and  Hartford  for  two  years.  He 
now  turned  to  the  West  and  arrived  in  Chicago 
in  the  spring  of  1882.  In  Chicago  he  remained 
only  six  months,  whereupon  he  went  to  Rock- 
ford,  111.,  where  he  has  resided  since,  with  the 
single  exception  of  six  months  in  Colorado. 

While  in  Norway  Mr.  Hansen  was  married,  in 
1877,  to  Miss  Emelie  Nord,  of  Christiania.  Mrs. 
Hansen  was  born  at  Braunvold,  near  Kongsvin- 
ger.  Their  marital  union  has  been  blessed  with 
four  children:  Herman  O.,  born  at  Arendal,  is 
now  foreman  with  the  Clark  Printing  Co.,  of 
Rockford;  Martin  E.,  machinist;  Hilda  Emilia,  a 
fine  pianist,  w'.io  is  well  known  in  musical  circles 
in  Rockford,  both  as  a  successful  teacher  and  a 
leader  of  the  orchestra  of  the  Empire  Theater; 
and  Paul  Algor,  who  died  in  infancy.  The  last 
three  children  were  born  in  Rockford. 

Mr  Hansen  is  a  director  of  the  Modern  Wood- 
men of  America,  in  which  society  he  has  held 
various  offices  for  more  than  ten  years.  Has  also 
been  a  delegate  to  a  number  of  the  conventions 
of  the  society,  the  last  convention  being  national, 
at  Milwaukee,  in  1905.  He  is  also  one  of  the 
founders  and  charter  members  of  the  Home  Fra- 
ternal League  which  has  its  headquarters  in  Rock- 
ford,  but  extends  over  the  northern  part  of  Illi- 
nois. 

•  Mr.  Hansen  has  always  taken  a  very  active  part 
in  republican  politics  and  been  a  delegate  to  the 
county  conventions  for  some  ten  years.  He  has 
been  with  the  Rockford  Clothing  Company  dur- 
ing the  last  eighteen  years.  Lives  with  his  fam- 
ily in  his  own  residence,  1228  Elm  street,  Rock- 
ford. 


HARALD  M.  HANSEN, 

Was  born  in  Christiania,  Norway,  March  21, 
1847.  He  attended  the  common  schools  and  also 
private  Sunday  and  evening  schools.  He  was 
apprenticed  at  the  age  of  14  to  Carl  Schoyen, 
General  Contractor  and  Architect  and  worked 
at  bricklaying  and  plastering,  .also  considerable 
time  in  the  office,  especially  in  the  winter  months 
as  a  draftsman.  He  studied  drawing  and  archi- 
tecture in  the  Royal  Art  School  in  Christiania 
where  at  the  age  of  twenty  he  won  his  diploma 


as  Master  builder.  A  year  later,  when  21,  he 
won  the  government  scholarship  for  efficient 
practical  mechanicship  and  as  draftsman  in  build- 
ing, and  was  rewarded  by  being  sent  to  Berlin, 
Germany,  for  the  further  study  of  architecture 
in  the  fall  of  1868,  for  one  year.  While  there  he 
received  the  second  government  scholarship,  this 
time  as  an  architect,  and  remained  there  an- 
other year. 

He  returned  to  Christiania  in  1870  and  later 
in  the  same  year  arrived  in  Chicago,  Ills.  He 
found  employment  immediately  with  W.  S.  B. 
Jenney  as  architectural  draftsman.  Mr.  Jenney 


H.  M.  Hansen. 

was  then  engaged  on  plans  of  the  West  Chicago 
Parks— Humboldt.  Garfield  and  Douglas,  and 
also  in  regular  architects  work  in  Chicago.  He 
continued  in  Mr.  Jenney's  employ  until  the  fall 
of  1871,  when  he  was  engaged  as  instructor  in 
the  Architectural  Department  in  the  Illinois  In- 
dustrial University  at  Champaign.  Remained  at 
the  University  one  school  year  and  then  returned 
to  Chicago  and  soon  after  opened  an  office  as 
architect  and  superintendent  of  buildings,  where 
he  has  been  ever  since  and  still  continues  in  the 
work  of  an  architect. 

Mr.   Hansen   married    Karen   Marie    Boesen   of 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


335 


Christiania,  Norway,  in  1871,  who  died  in  Chi- 
cago in  February,  1880,  leaving  three  children  — 
Gunhilda  M.  B.,  Carrie  L.  and  Burton  E.  Han- 
sen — all  living.  He  married  again  in  August, 
1884,  Miss  Mathilda  Anderson  of  Chicago.  Mr. 
Hansen's  home  is  at  167  Eugenie  street,  Chicago. 


JOHN  FREDRIK  HANSEN, 

Of  Aurora.  II!.,  was  born  in  Christiania,  Nor- 
way, Nov.  21,  1859,  his  parents  being  Hans  and 
Berthe  Andersen.  He  attended  the  public  schools 
in  Norway  and  came  to  America  in  1881,  locat- 
ing in  Aurora.  Here  he  secured  work  with  a 
small  plumbing  concern,  but  worked  for  them 


J.  F.  Hansen. 


only  a  short  time,  when  he  was  employed  in  the 
shops  by  the  C.,  B.  &  Q.  R.  R.  After  a  year's 
time  he  was  made  foreman  in  the  steamfittin^; 
department,  and  is  holding  the  same  position 
to-day,  the  plant,  of  course,  having  increased  in 
size  and  importance  with  the  years. 

Mr.  Hansen  was  married  in  Christiania  to  Jo- 
hanne   Wilhelmine   Wilhelmsen,  on   May  8,   1881, 


shortly  before  leaving  for  America.  They  have 
had  six  children,  namely;  Bertha  (married),  Jen- 
nie, Anna,  Oscar,  Henry  and  Charles.  The  two 
last  named  have  passed  away. 

Mr.  Hansen  is  a  member  of  the  Odd  Fellows, 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  (Camp  54),  the 
North  Star  Club  (a  Norwegian  society),  and  in 
1879,  in  Norway,  he  joined  the  Gcod  Templars. 
He  prides  himself  that  from  that  day  to  this  he 
has  kept  his  pledge  inviolate. 

In  1902  he  was  elected  a  director  of  the  Fox 
River  Supply  Company  for  three  years,  and  after 
two  years'  service  was  elected  president.  The 
family  attend  the  Lutheran  Church,  and  their 
contributions  to  charity  are  through  that  organi- 
zation. 


REV.   O.   L.   HANSEN 

Was  born  at  Skien,  Norway,  Oct.  11,  1844.     His 
childhood   was   spent   at  Skien   and   on   Herre   in 


Rev.  O.  L.  Hansen. 

the  parish  of  Bamble,  until  he  was  fifteen  years 
of  age  when  he  was  confirmed  in  the  church  of 
the  last  mentioned  parish. 


336 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


He  then  followed  a  seafaring  life  for  eight 
consecutive  years,  six  in  Norwegian  and  two  in 
English  and  American  ships. 

When  eighteen  years  old  he  was  converted 
among  the  Methodists  in  Porsgrund.  During 
the  winter  of  1865  he  left  Norway  for  America 
which  country  he  had  visited  several  times  be- 
fore .as  a  sailor.  He  made  New  York  his  head- 
quarters and  sailed  out  of  that  port  until'  the 
spring  of  1868,  when  he  came  to  Chicago. 

When  the  Norwegian  and  Danish  Methodists 
in  1868  organized  their  first  church  in  Chicago, 
he  was  with  them.  He  had  concluded  to  become 
a  preacher  of  the  Gospel  and  for  that  purpose 
studied  at  the  Pennington  Seminary  in  New 
Jersey  and  at  the  Evanston  .Theological  Institute 
at  Evanston,  111.  In  1871  he  received  his  "venia 
concionandi"  in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
and  in  1872  his  first  appointment  as  pastor  for 
Ashippun,  Oconomowoc,  Whitewater  and  Hart 
Prairie  and  also  assisted  Rev.  A.  Haagensen  in 
his  work  at  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

In  the  summer  of  1873  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Clausine  Marie  Hansen  who  was  born  at  Bergen, 
Norway.  They  have  had  eight  children  of  whom 
four  are  living. 

In  the  autumn  of  1873  Rev.  Hansen  took 
charge  of  the  Methodist  Church  at  Forest  City, 
la.,  which  place  was  then  a  frontier  town,  and 
the  whole  county  of  Winnebago  could  not  show 
a  single  church  building.  Through  the  efforts 
of  Rev.  Hansen  and  the  willing  hands  of  the 
Norwegian  Methodists  a  church  was  built  while 
he  remained  there,  being  the  first  one  in  that 
county. 

Afterwards  he  served  different  churches  of  his 
denomination  in  Minnesota,  Wisconsin  and  Illi- 
nois. 

Rev.  Hansen  has  been  presiding  elder  of  the 
Minneapolis  District  of  the  Norwegian-Danish 
Conference  for  six  years.  He  has  served  as 
trustee  of  the  Norwegian-Danish  Theological 
Seminary  at  Evanston  for  twenty-six  years  and 
is  at  present  president  of  the  board  of  trustees. 
In  1905  he  was  elected  manager,  by  his  con- 
ference, of  the  Norwegian-Danish  Book  Con- 
cern, located  at  272  Grand  avenue,  Chicago. 

It  may  be  of  interest  to  mention  that  a  brother 
of  Rev.  Hansen,  Captain  Alexander  Hansen,  was 
commanding  the  steamer  Seguranza  during  the 
Spanish-American  war.  This  ship  was  General 
Shafter's  flagship  when  the  great  transport  fleet 
carried  our  American  soldiers  from  Florida  to 
Cuba,  and  it  was  on  Captain  Hansen's  advice 
that  the  general  ordered  the  troops  to  be  landed 
where  they  did.  As  is  well  known,  not  a  man 
or  a  mule  was  lost  during  the  landing. 


REINERTH  EMIL  ALFRED  HANSEN. 

R.  E.  A.  Hansen,  with  the  International  Har- 
vester Company  of  America,  at  No.  7  Monroe 
street,  Chicago,  was  born  in  Stavanger,  Norway, 
on  June  8,  1872.  His  father,  Malermester  Wil- 
helm  Th.  Hansen,  is  still  living;  rjut  his  mother 
Johanna  Andrea  (born  Jacobsen)  died  while  he 
was  in  his  infancy. 

Reinerth's  early  years  were  passed  in  Stavan- 
ger, where  he  graduated  from  Kongsgaard  h0iere 
Almenskole,  taking  final  examination  in  1886.  In 
1886  and  1887  he  was  with  Christian  Bjelland  & 
Co.,  of  Stavanger,  as  bookkeeper  and  English 
correspondent.  Gave  this  up  in  1888,  when  he 
commenced  sailing  from  Stavanger  to  England 


R.  E.  A.  Hansen. 


and  South  America.  Followed  this  occupation 
for  nearly  six  years,  the  last  two  years  as  first 
and  second  officer,  as  he  had  passed  the  naviga- 
tion examination  in  1891.  During  these  years  he 
visited  the  principal  places  in  Europe,  Australia, 
East  and  West  Indies  and  South  America,  and 
was  finally  shipwrecked  on  San  Domingo,  from 
which  point  he  made  his  way  to  New  York,  where 
he  landed  in  March,  1894,  and  arrived  in  Chicago 
in  April  of  the  same  year. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


337 


Here  he  held  different  jobs.  He  served  as  a 
painter  with  Tom  Olson,  did  some  laundry  work, 
and  was  assistant  shipping  clerk  for  L.  Manasse, 
the  optician  in  the  Tribune  Building,  until  in 
February.  1895.  he  secured  the  position  as  invoice 
clerk  with  the  Milwaukee  Harvester  Company,  at 
Milwaukee,  Wis.  Was  rapidly  promoted,  and  has 
been  with  them  since.  A  year  after  the  Interna- 
tional Harvester  Company  of  America  was  or- 
ganized—  January  1,  1904  —  he  was  transferred 
to  the  general  offices  in  Chicago,  and  he  is  now 
in  charge  of  the  Milwaukee  and  gas  engine  re- 
pairs parts  line  of  the  company;  is  also  the  trans- 
lator (Danish-Norwegian)  for  the  company. 

Mr.  Hansen  has  held  many  society  and  social 
positions;  was  treasurer  in  1903  for  the  North- 
west Club  of  Milwaukee;  guide,  secretary  and 
vice-president  of  the  Carpenter  Lodge  of  the 
Fraternal  Alliance  several  years,  and  also  one 
year  secretary  of  Crystal  Spring  Lodge,  I.  O. 
G.  T.,  of  Milwaukee.  Farmaceut  Hans  G.  Han- 
sen,  his  only  brother,  died  here  in  Chicago  in 
1900,  and  is  buried  in  Mt.  Olive  cemetery. 

He  was  married  on  July  4,  1896,  to  Anna  B. 
Rimestad,  of  Stavanger,  Norway,  in  Milwaukee, 
Wis.  They  have  two  children,  Trygve,  R.,  10 
years,  and  S.  J.  Ruth,  7  years  old.  The  family 
are  Lutherans  and  attend  different  churches. 
Their  residence  is  at  1340  N.  Spaulding  avenue. 


and  the  Paxton  Club.  He  received  a  patent 
on  a  gearing  for  binders  and  mowers  on  July  6, 
1904.  He  moved  to  Paxton  in  November,  1905, 


ABEL  A.  HANSON,  PH.  G.,  D.  D.  S., 

Of  Paxton,  111.,  was  born  near  Elliott,  111.,  July 
26,  1872.  His  parents,  Abel  and  Anna  (born 
Stueland)  Hanson,  were  farmers,  living  near  El- 
liott. Mr.  Hanson  attended  the  public  schools 
and  later  took  a  course  in  pharmacy  at  Valpa- 
raiso, Ind.,  graduating  in  1900  as  Ph.  G.  He  also 
took  a  course  !n  dentistry,  at  the  Chicago  College 
of  Dental  Surgery,  graduating  with  the  degree  of 
D.  D.  S.  He  opened  an  office  and  began  the  prac- 
tice of  dentistry  a't  Broadlands,  111.  Previously 
he  had  spent  two  years  as  a  clerk  in  Minneapolis. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Josephine  Isabella 
Volden.  of  Elliott,  on  Feb.  7,  1899.  They  have 
two  children — Birdella  Viola  May,  born  June  4, 
1900,  and  Florence  Irene,  born  Jan.  27,  1904. 

While  at  Broadlands  our  subject  was  a  member 
of  the  city  council  for  1903-04.  At  Elliott  he  was 
secretary  of  the  Pontoppidan  Church.  He  is  a 
member  of  Paxton  Lodge,  No.  416,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.; 
Ford  Chapter,  No.  113;  Mt.  Olivet  Commandery, 
K.  T.,  No.  38;  Paxton  Lodge,  I.  O.  O.  F.,  418; 


A.  A.  Hanson. 


where   he   is   enjoying   a   lucrative   practice.      His 
father  died  in  1895  and  his  mother  in  1902. 


BERTHEUS  HANSON, 

Of  Hanson  Brothers,  contractors  and  builders, 
with  offices  at  59  Dearborn  street,  was  born  on 
Gaarden  Eugenes,  Ibestad  parish,  near  Troms0, 
Norway,  May  22,  1857.  His  parents  were  Hans 
Christian  Bertheusen  and  Andrea  Hanson.  He 
attended  the  public  schools  and  was  confirmed 
in  Norway.  While  but  a  boy  he  learned  the 
trade  of  a  carpenter  with  his  father. 

He  came  to  America  and  Chicago  in  the  fall  of 
1880  and  soon  secured  work  at  his  trade.  For  a 
time  he  attended  evening  schools,  wishing  first  to 
master  the  English  language  as  quickly  as  possi- 
ble but  also  took  private  lessons  in  engineering 
and  architectural  drawing.  The  firm  of  Hanson 
Brothers  has  built  many  buildings  for  them- 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


selves  and  others,  and  also  several  public  build- 
ings, for  the  city,  county  and  the  national  govern- 
ment. 

On  June    11,    1887,   Mr.    Hanson   married    Miss 


Bertheus  Hanson. 


Julia  Knudson,  of  Chicago.  They  had  four  chil- 
dren, three  now  living,  namely:  Marie,  Harvey 
Andrew  and  Bernard  Gilmore.  The  family  at- 
tends the  Lutheran  Church  and  resides  at  29 
Frances  place. 


CHARLES   F.  HANSON 


high  school  at  Leland;  also  in  the  Morris  Normal 
and  Scientific  School  at  Morris,  111.,  and  at  the 
Northern  Indiana  School  at  Valparaiso,  Ind. 

In,  1888  he  commenced  the  study  of  law  in  the 
office  of  Brewer  &  Strawn  of  Ottawa,  111.,  and 
was  admitted  to  practice  law  at  Ottawa  in  1890. 
In,  1893  he  came  to  Morris  and  entered  upon  the 
practice  of  his  profession.  He  was  elected  city 
attorney  of  Morris  in  1895,  and  re-elected  in  1897; 
elected  to  the  office  of  state's  attorney  of  Grundy 
county  in  1900,  and  re-elected  in  1904;  is  now 
serving  his  second  term.  Mr.  Hanson  is  a  vig- 
orous prosecutor,  and  has  sent  more  men  to  the 
penitentiary  during  his  term  than  any  of  his  pre- 
decessors in  the  office  during  a  like  period  of 
time.  His  private  practice  is  large;  he  has  more 
cases  on  the  docket  than  any  other  attorney  at 
the  bar  of  Grundy  county.  He  is  attorney  for  the 
Chicago,  Rock  Island  &  Pacific  Railway  Com- 
pany, and  is  employed  by  a  number  of  the  villages 
in  Grundy  county  as  their  regular  counsel. 


C.  F.  Hanson. 


He  married   Lillie   B.   Nelson  in   1891,  and   has 

Was  born  in   La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  near  the       three  children-Russell,  Leslie  and   Luella. 
village   of   Leland,  in   1863.     His   father,   Ole   H. 
Hanson,   was    born    in   Telemarken,    Norway,   in 
1827,    and    came    to    this    country    in    1839.     His 
mother   was   born   in   La   Salle   county,   of    Nor- 
wegian  descent;  she  died  in  1873.     Mr.  Hanson, 
Sr.,  lived  at  and  near  the  village  of  Leland  from 
the  time  of  his  arrival  in  this  country  until   his 
death,  Dec.  25,  1904. 
The  subject  of  this  sketch  was  educated  in  the 


HART  HANSON 


Was   born   in    Christiansand,    Norway.    March    5, 
1871,    his    parents    being   Hans    and   Anna    (born 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


339 


Simonson)  Hanson.  He  came  to  America  with 
his  parents  in  1880  and  settled  at  Norway,  111. 
He  came  to  Chicago  ten  years  later  and  engaged 
in  business  in  1893. 

Mr.  Hanson  is  a  member  of  the  firm  of  George 
B.  Doan  &  Co.,  300  Wabash  avenue,  being  whole- 
sale dealers  in  educational  books  and  publishers 
of  games. 


Hart  Hanson. 


Mr.  Hanson  married  Alvilda  M.  Arneson,  June 
29,  1897.  They  have  one  child,  Everett  Hart. 
Mr.  Hanson  is  a  member  of  The  Columbia  Club, 
Fox  Lake,  and  belongs  to  The  Independent  Reli- 
gious Society.  The  family  resides  at  47  Hum- 
boldt  boulevard. 


His  father,  Hans  Christian  Bertheusen,  was  a 
carpenter  and  farmer  in  Engenes;  his  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Andrea  Hanson.  He  attended: 
the  public  schools  in  Norway  and  evening  schools 
after  his  arrival  in  America.  He  quit  his  school- 
ing in'  Norway  when  16  years  old,  to  help  his 
father  on  the  farm  and  to  learn  the  carpenter 
trade. 

He  left  Norway  for  America  in  April,  1887;  ar- 
rived in  New  York  May  21,  and  in  Chicago  May 
24.  In  October  of  the  same  year  he  went  to  San 
Diego,  Cal.,  but  returned  to  Chicago  in  July,  1888. 
He  worked  at  the  carpenter  trade  both  in  Cali- 
fornia and  Chicago,  continuing  until  October 


H.  A.  Hanson. 


HARTVIG  ALBERT  HANSON, 

Of  Hanson  Bros.,  contractors  and  builders,  with 
offices  at  59  Dearborn  street,  room  409,'  was  born 
in  Engenes,  near  Troms0,  Norway,  Jan.  24,  1867, 


1892,  when  he  entered  into  a  partnership  with  his 
brother,  Bertheus  Hanson,  as  general  contract- 
ors and  builders,  which  firm  has  prospered  since 
its  organization. 

Mr.  Hanson  was  married  to  Wilhelmina  Sophia 
Aim,  of  Chicago,  on  June  27,  1903.  His  wife  was 
an  adopted  daughter  of  Captain  Andrew  and 
Gudrina  Anderson.  They  have  one  child,  Alice 
Gertrude  Hanson,  born  Dec.  4,  1904.  The  family 
resides  at  29  Frances  place.  Chicago. 


340 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


HENRY  HANSON, 

The  carriage  and  buggy  manufacturer  at  57-59 
Austin  avenue,  now  retired  from  active  work,  was 
born  in  Jonsten,  Raade  sogn,  Norway,  Oct.  23, 
1847,  his  parents  being  Hans  and  Helena  (born 
Jenson)  Halvoison.  At  14  years  he  went  to 
Moss  and  worked  as  an  apprentice  for  four  years 
for  his  brother,  learning  the  carriage  trade.  At 
the  age  of  19  he  left  Norway,  going  via  Sweden 
and  Denmark  to  Germany.  At  the  age  of  21  he 
returned  to  Norway  and  started  a  shop  at  Sar- 
vike.  He  operated  this  for  two  years,  when  he 
took  passage  on  the  sailing  vessel  Hans  Smith 
and  came  direct  to  Chicago. 


Jan.  7,  1874.  They  have  had  six  children,  two 
now  living.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Luth- 
eran church,  and  reside  at  113  Evergreen  avenue. 


Henry  Hanson. 


He  arrived  in  Chicago  in  the  spring  of  1872  and 
started  to  work  for  G.  Vetterlund,  on  W.  Lake 
street.  He  worked  for  him  for  eight  years,  when 
he  opened  a  shop,  with  Christ  Iverson  as  partner, 
at  the  present  location,  57-59  Austin  avenue.  This 
partnership  lasted  for  six  years,  when  they  parted, 
and  Mr.  Hanson  continued  the  business  in  his 
own  name  for  nineteen  years,  retiring  in  Sep- 
tember, 1905. 

Mr.   Hanson  was  married   to   Laura   Krogstad, 


SAMPSON  A.  HANSON, 

Of  Elliott,  111.,  was  born  at  Lisbon,  111.,  Nov.  6, 
1868.  His  father,  Abel  Hanson  Seglem,  came 
from  Kvinherred,  near  Bergen,  Norway.  His 
mother  was  Anna  Stueland.  When  Hanson  was 
4  years  old  his  parents  moved  to  Elliott,  Ford 
county,  and  Sampson  was  consequently  educated 
in  the  public  schools  of  Dix  township.  At  first 
he  worked  on  his  father's  farm,  but  later  secured 
a  position  with  the  hardware  firm  of  Orr  &  Lock- 
ett,  Chicago,  then  located  at  Monroe  and  Clark 


S.  A.  Hanson. 


streets.  Life  in  Chicago  did  not  agree  with  him, 
however,  so  he  went  West,  working  on  farms  in 
Minnesota  and  Iowa,  but  returned  to  Elliott, 
where  he  in  connection  with  his  brother,  who 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


341 


lives  on  a  farm  in  the  neighborhood,  started  a 
meat  market. 

In  1895  he  was  married  to  Miss  Hannah  Valden, 
who  was  born  at  Nettle  Creek,  Grundy  county. 
She  was  organist  of  the  Pontoppidan  parish  be- 
fore her  marriage.  They  have  four  children — 
Abbie  Christina,  Lyman  Arthur,  Hanley  Oliver 
and  Abel  Aaron. 

Mr.  Hanson  has  been  a  member  of  the  village 
board  since  its  incorporation,  and  takes  an  active 
part  in  politics,  being  a  pronounced  republican. 
He  is  a  brother  of  Dr.  Hanson,  of  Paxton,  111. 


from  the  Electrical  College  at  Teplitz,  Schonau, 
Austria.  He  then  returned  to  Trondhjem,  where 
he  began  his  active  work  in  life  as  a  draftsman. 
He  came  to  America  in  1903,  landing  in  Boston, 
and  from  there  went  to  St.  Charles,  Mo.,  where 
he  worked  for  six  months  before  going  to  Au- 
rora. He  is  now  employed  as  draftsman  with  the 
Aurora  Automatic  Machinery  Company.  Both 
his  parents  are  living  in  Trondhjem.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Maccabees. 


REV.  LARS  HARRISVILLE, 


IVER  ANDREAS  HANSSEN, 

Of  Aurora,  III.,  was  born  in  Trondhjem,  Norway, 
Sept.  8,  1876.  His  parents  were  Andrew  and  Dor- 
die  (Udstad)  Hanssen.  His  father  was  the  pro- 
prietor of  a  cooper  shop  in  Trondhjem.  Iver 


At  present  pastor  for  St.  Paul's  English  Lutheran 
Church  on  Fairfield  avenue  and  Hirsch  street,  is 


I.  A.  Hanssen. 


attended  the   Latin   school   in  Trondhjem,   Pors- 
grund's   mechanical   trade   school,   and   graduated 


Rev.  Lars  Harrisville. 


a  native  of  Chicago,  having  been  born  here  on 
May  11,  1864.  He  is  a  son  of  Knud  Knudsen  and 
Maren  Karine,  (born  Larson)  Harrisville.  His 
father  came  to  America  in  1845  and  located  in 
Chicago,  taking  an  active  interest  in  church  work. 


842 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


He  was  one  of  the  leading  members  of  the  Trin- 
ity Norwegian  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church. 

Our  subject  studied  for  the  ministry  at  the  sem- 
inary in  Red  Wing,  Minn.  His  first  call  was  to  St. 
John's  Lutheran  Church  at  Sioux  City,  Iowa, 
where  he  was  pastor  for  ten  years.  He  then  came 
to  Chicago,  where  he  serves  St.  Paul's  English 
Lutheran  Church,  belonging  to  Hauge's  Synod. 
They  are  now  building,  a  magnificent  new  church 
edifice  a  block  east  of  their  present  one;  the  cor- 
ner stone  was  laid  with  great  ceremony  in  the 
summer  of  1906.  Rev.  Harrisville  has  been  presi- 
dent of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Children's  Home 
in  Chicago  for  six  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
board  of  directors  for  the  seminary  at  Red  Wing, 
in  which  he  was  also  offered  a  professorship,  but 
declined  it. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Hannah  D.  Munson, 
June  26,  1889.  They  have  had  six  children,  rive 
now  living.  They  reside  at  727  N.  Washtenaw 
avenue. 


HAUMAN  G.  HAUGAN.     .  . 

W-e  commenced  our  series  of  biographical 
sketches  and  portraits  with  a  likeness  of  the  man 
whose  brief  life  story  will  be  told  in  the  follow- 
ing lines.  We  put  his  picture  at  the  front,  be- 
cause in  our  estimation,  and  everybody  else's  who 
knows  him,  Comptroller  Haugan  is  in  many  re- 
spects one  of  the  most  prominent  Norwegians  not 
•only  in  Illinois  but  in  the  United  States  as  well. 
In  this  and  other  states  we  have  men,  prominent 
in  politics  and  otherwise,  who  have  been  kept 
more  in  the  lime-light  of  publicity  and  whose 
names,  therefore,  are  more  familiar  to  newspaper 
readers,  but  for  general  usefulness  and  sterling 
character  Mr.  Haugan  ranks  among  the  first. 

Mr.  Haugan  was  born  at  Christiania,  Norway, 
Nov.  7,  1840.  His  parents  were  Helge  A.  and 
Anna  B.  Haugan.  He  was  educated  in  the  schools 
of  the  capital  of  Norway. 

He  came  to  America  in  1858  and  took  up  his 
residence  in  Chicago  in  1863.  As  a  clerk  in 
Chicago  for  two  years  he  familiarized  himself 
with  the  customs  of  the  new  country,  and  then 
entered  the  Batavian  Bank  at  La  Crosse,  Wis., 
of  which  he  later  became  cashier.  In  1870  he 
was  appointed  paymaster  and  auditor  of  the 
Southern  Minnesota  Railroad.  When  this  road 
was  purchased  in  1880  by  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee 


and  St.  Paul  Railway,  Mr.  Haugan  moved  to 
Milwaukee  to  accept  the  post  of  private  secretary 
to  Sir  W.  C.  Van  Home,  now  of  the  Canadian 
Pacific.  He  next  served  as  land  commissioner 
of  the  Chicago,  Milwaukee  and  St.  Paul  Railroad, 
with  headquarters  in  Milwaukee,  and  came  to 
Chicago  in  January,  1901,  to  fill  the  position  of 
comptroller  of  the  same  company. 

For  thirty-six  years  Mr.  Haugan  has  been  in- 
timately identified  with  railway  affairs  in  the 
Northwest.  His  accurate  and  detailed  knowledge 
of  the  workings  of  the  great  Chicago,  Milwaukee 
and  St.  Paul  system  has  been  gained  by  many 
years  in  its  service,  during  which  time  he  has 
traveled  extensively  in  the  states  traversed  by 
the  railroad.  His  duties  as  land  commissioner 
included  the  locating,  naming  and  developing  of 
many  new  towns  in  Wisconsin,  Minnesota  and 
North  and  South  Dakota,  some  of  which  have 
since  become  prosperous  cities. 

In  1884  Mr.  Haugan  became  a  member  of  the 
firm  Haugan  &  Lindgren,  bankers.  He  is  a  large 
stockholder  in  the  State  Bank  of  Chicago,  in  the 
development  of  which  he  has  been  an  important 
factor. 

Mr.  Haugan  was  married  at  Rockdell,  Minn., 
Oct.  22,  1869,  to  Emma  Petersen,  who  died  in 
1905,  leaving  him  with  three  daughters:  Helga  C., 
Ragna  L.  and  Alice  J.  Last  year,  1906,  Mr.  Hau- 
gan, accompanied  by  his  three  daughters,  made 
an  extended  tour  through  Europe,  including  Nor- 
way and  Sweden.  His  home  is  at  1122  Judson 
avenue,  Evanston.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Union 
League  Club  and  the  Milwaukee  Club. 


H.  A.  HAUGAN. 

Helge  Alexander  Haugan  was  born  October 
26,  1847,  in  Christiania,  Norway,  and  attended 
schools  in  his  native  city  until  the  time  of  his 
departure  with  his  parents  for  America,  in  1858. 
For  four  years  he  lived  with  them  in  Canada,  a 
portion  of  the  time  on  a  farm  near  Lenoxville, 
and  later  in  Montreal,  where  he  was  apprenticed 
to  learn  the  gas-fitting  and  plumbing  trade.  As 
a  boy  of  sixteen  he  came  to  Chicago  in  1863,  and 
after  several  years  spent  in  the  employ  of  others, 
engaged  in  business  on  his  own  account  in  1871 
as  a  contractor  in  the  gas-fitting  and  plumbing 
business,  meeting  with  excellent  success.  His 
mind,  however,  was  full  of  plans  for  larger 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


343 


thins?,   and   in   1879,  with   John   R.    Lindgren,   he 
i  founded    the     business    of    Haugan   &   Lindgren, 
Bankers,  in  which  firm  Mr.  Haugan  was  the  sen, 
ior  member. 

In  1891,  when  the  bank  was  incorporated  as 
;  the  State  Bank  of  Chicago,  Mr.  Haugan  was 
elected  its  President,  and  has  ever  since  occu- 
pied this  position,  in  addition  to  being  a  direct- 
or of  the  Chicago  Title  &  Trust  Company.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Union  League  Club,  the  Mid- 
day Club,  and  the  Bankers'  Club.  For  many  years 
his  home  has  been  on  Deming  Court,  in  Lake 
tfiew. 


Chytraus  and  the  other  to  Dr.  Wallace  F.  Gros- 
venor,  both  of  Chicago.  Mrs.  Chytraus  died  in 
California  in  May,  1907. 


HENRY  ALEXANDER  HAUGAN 

Was  born  Aug  14,  1879.  He  is  a  son  of  Helge 
A.  Haugan,  president  of  the  State  Bank  of  Chi- 
cago, and  his  wife  Laura  Haugan. 

Mr.    Henry    A.    Haugan    was    educated    in    the 


Helge  A.  Haugan. 


Occupied  with  his  increasing  duties  as  head  of 
the  bank,  Mr.  Haugan  has  never  taken  an  active 
part  in  politics  nor  sought  office,  although  a 
warm  friend  of  good  government  and  civic  re- 
form. He  was,  however,  a  member  of  the  Board 
of  Education  under  Mayor  Swift,  and  later  served 
for  several  years  as  treasurer  of  the  Lincoln 
Park  Board. 

He  was  married,  in  Chicago,  in  1868,  to  Laura 
A.  Wardrum,  and  has  six  children,  of  whom 
Oscar  H.  Haugan  and  Henry  A.  Haugan  are  con- 
nected with  the  State  Bank  of  Chicago.  Of  his 
two  daughters  one  was  married  to  Judge  Axel 


Henry  A.  Haugan. 

Chicago  public  schools,  both  grammar  and  high 
school,  and  later  took  a  course  in  the  Dartmouth 
College.  Having  finished  this  course  he  entered 
the  State  Bank  of  Chicago  as  clerk  and  worked 
in  various  departments,  until  he  was  appointed  as- 
sistant cashier,  which  position  he  is  now  holding. 

Mr.  Henry  Haugan  is  a  very  quiet  and  unas- 
suming young  man  who,  as  a  matter  of  course, 
must  have  been  well  versed  in  the  banking  busi- 
ness before  his  appointment  to  his  present  re- 
sponsible position. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Athletic  As- 
sociation and,  being  single,  resides  with  his  par- 
ents. 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


OSCAR  H.  HAUGAN, 

Manager  for  the  real  estate  loan  department  of 
the  State  Bank  of  Chicago,  is  the  oldest  son  of 
Helge  A.  and  Laura  Haugan,  and  was  born  in 
this  city,  Nov.  5,  1872.  After  completing  the 
curricula  of  the  public  schools  he  attended  the 
Northwestern  Military  Academy  at  Highland 
Park  and  Northwestern  University  at  Evanston, 
111.  After  leaving  college  he  entered  the  bank's 
employ  in  1892.  After  a  preliminary  training  in 
the  various  commercial  departments  he  was 
transferred  to  its  real  estate  loan  department, 
where  he  served  several  years  in  different  posi- 


O.  H.  Haugan. 

tions,  until  he  was  promoted,  in  1902,  to  the  po- 
sition of  manager.  Mr.  Haugan  is  thoroughly 
versed  in  the  mortgage  loan  business  and  well- 
informed  on  real  estate  values  in  Chicago. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Real  Estate 
Board  and  was  its  treasurer  for  one  term,  in 
1905,  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Real  Estate  Loan 
Association,  the  Chicago  Yacht  Club  and  the 
Union  League  Club. 

Mr.  Haugan  married  Miss  Clara  C.  Jevne,  of 
this  city,  June  26,  1900.  They  have  two  children 
—  a  boy,  Jevne,  6  years  old,  and  a  daughter, 
Helen,  3  years  old.  They  reside  at  17  Roslyn 
Place. 


REV.   PAUL   HAUGAN,   B.   D., 

Pastor  of  the  Maplewood  avenue  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  was  born  at  Trondhjem,  Nor- 
way, Dec.  27,  1860.  His  father  was  Paul  Hau- 
gan, a  marine  engineer  and  later  foreman  at  the 
"Nordenfjeldske  Dampskibsselskabs"  machine 
shop  in  Trondhjem.  His  mother  was  Johanne 
Haugan,  nee  Sundt. 

In  the  home  of  his  Godfearing  and  energetic 
parents  he  was  early  convinced  of  the  necessity 
of  giving  his  heart  to  God  and  become  as  useful 
as  possible.  Exhibiting  signs  of  special  promise 
for  engineering  it  was  decided,  that  he  should 


Rev.  Paul  Haugan. 

enter  on  this  career.  To  this  end  he  was  pre- 
pared for  entrance  in  the  "Polytechnical  School" 
at  Trondhjem. 

Having  attained  the  age  necessary  for  admis- 
sion he  commenced  his  studies  there.  While  a 
student  in  the  year  1880  he  gave  his  heart  to 
God. 

After  completing  his  studies  he  worked  in 
machine  shops  for  about  a  year. 

In  order  to  continue  his  studies  a  position  was 
secured  for  him  in  Newcastle.  England. 

His  mother  did  not  like  the  idea  of  sending 
her  young  son  out  among  strangers  and  decided 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


345 


that  he  should  go  to  America,  where  he  had  a 
sister,  the  wife  of  Rev.  J.  C.  Tollefsen.  Conse- 
quently he  came  to  America  in  1882,  settling  at 
Stoughton,  Wis.,  where  his  sister  at  that  time 
lived. 

The  first  religious  meeting  he  attended  in  that 
place  was  a  Methodist  class-meeting.  While  in 
Norway  he  had  never  thought  of  severing  his 
connections  with  the  Lutheran  Church.  But  now 
in  a  foreign  country  and  having  to  settle  the 
question  of  selecting  a  church  home,  the  reason- 
ing of  the  Methodist  doctrine  together  with  the 
simplicity  and  earnestness  of  the  life  of  that  lit- 
tle band  of  Methodists  with  whom  he  became 
associated,  impressed  itself  upon  him  greatly. 
Having  acquainted  himself  with  the  English 
language  and  American  customs  he  went  to  Chi- 
cago the  following  spring.  Here  he  worked  as 
a  mechanical  engineer. 

But  as  souls  were  awakened,  and  led  to  peace 
with  God  under  his  preaching,  the  request  was 
again  made  to  him  to  give  his  full  time  to  win- 
ning souls  for  God  and  for  that  purpose  enter 
on  probation  with  the  Norwegian  and  Danish 
annual  Conference.  He  finally  yielded.  At  the 
annual  conference  at  Cambridge,  Wis.,  1885,  he 
was  accepted  on  probation  as  member  of  the 
Conference.  His  first  appointment  was  Eau 
Claire,  Wis.  During  his  two  years'  service  a 
church  was  built  and  a  number  of  souls  con- 
verted. 

Having  satisfied  himself  that  he  had  an  inner 
call  to  the  ministry,  he  decided  to  fit  himself  by 
a  theological  education  in  order  to  glorify  God 
and  become  useful  to  the  church. 

The  way  opened  itself  for  him.  A  petition 
was  presented  without  his  knowledge  to  his  pre- 
siding elder.  Rev.  A.  Haagensen,  that  he  be  ap- 
pointed as  pastor  of  the  Hyde  Park  congrega- 
tion, since  removed  to  Park  Side,  near  Pullman, 
Illinois. 

He  now  enrolled  as  a  student  at  the  Garrett 
Biblical  Institute  and  completed  his  studies  in 
1891. 

His  ordination  to  the  Deacons  Order  he  re- 
ceived by  Bishop  C.  H.  Fowler  in  Chicago,  in 
1887,  and  to  the  Elders'  Order  by  Bishop  J.  N. 
Fitz-Gerald  at  Racine,  in  1889. 

His  following  appointments  were:  Whitewa- 
ter, Wis.,  two  years;  Moreland,  111.,  one  year; 
Ishpeming,  Mich.,  one  year;  Marinette,  Wis., 
one  year;  Immanuel  Church,  Chicago,  two  years; 
Evanston,  two  years;  Manistee,  Mich.,  three 
years;  Stoughton,  Wis.,  three  years;  and  Calu- 
met, Mich.,  three  years.  During  1  year  of  his 
pastorate  in  Calumet  he  also  was  the  editor  of 


"Young  Peoples'  Tidings,"  having,  received  the 
election  to  this  work  by  the  Annual  Conference, 

When  in  charge  of  the  Moreland  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  Chicago,  111.,  he  organized 
the  first  Epworth  league  in  the  Norwegian  and 
Danish  Conference.  As  a  pastor  he  has  raised 
the  money  for  and  built  the  three  following 
churches:  Eau  Claire,  Wis.,  Evanston,  111.,  and 
Mohawk,  Mich. 

In  1893  after  having  visited  his  parents  in  Nor- 
way he  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  Kildahl  of 
Milwaukee,  Wis.  Their  union  has  been  blessed 
with  six  children. 

Haugan  is  a  well  educated  man,  an  earnest 
Christian  and  a  gifted  preacher  who  is  serving 
his  God  and  his  church  faithfully. 


DR.  N.  A.  HAUGE, 

Dentist,    of    Newark,    111.,   was    born    in    Bergen, 
Norway,  April  6,  1872.     His  father,  Nels  L.,  and 


Dr.  N.  A.  Hauge. 

his  mother,  A'nna   (Thompson)   Hauge,  are  both 
still  living  in  Norway.     Dr.  Hauge  first  attended 


346 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


the  common  schools  and  later  was  educated  by 
private  teachers  until  17  years  old.  He  then  be- 
gan the  study  of  dentistry  at  Dr.  George  Ber- 
gersen's  dental  office  in  Bergen,  where,  after  a 
full  term  of  three  years,  he  received  his  certificate 
as  a  doctor  of  dental  surgery. 

In  1892  he  came  to  America,  locating  in  Chi- 
cago, and  studied  dentistry  according  to  Amer- 
ican methods  with  Dr.  Nels  Nelson,  on  Mil- 
waukee avenue,  for  about  two  years.  He  then 
entered  the  Chicago  Dental  College  for  one  year, 
where  he  received  his  diploma  and  passed  the 
final  examination  before  the  state  board  of  ex- 
aminers. Then  he  began  to  practice  on  his  own 
account,  opening  an  office  in  the  Masonic  Temple. 
Chicago,  and  continued  there  for  two  years, 
when  he  moved  to  Ottawa,  where  he  enjoyed  a 
lucrative  practice  for  three  years.  In  the  mean- 
time he  had  also  started  an  office  in  Newark, 
where  he  settled  permanently  in  1903.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Scandinavian  Dental  Society  of 
Chicago.  He  is  also  a  Mason,  an  Odd  Fellow 
and  a  member  of  the  B.  &  P.  O.  Elks. 


HANS  KNUTSON  HAUGEN 

Was  born  in  Silljords  prestegjseld,  Telemarken, 
Norway,  in  November,  1856.  His  father  was 
Knut  Knutson,  a  farmer,  and  his  mother  Aaste 
Svensdatter  Broten.  The  family  consisted  of  five 
sons  and  three  daughters.  Hans  grew  up  on  the 
farm  and  was  a  strong  and  healthy  boy  until  he 
arrived  at  maturity.  Then  he  was  called  upon 
to  serve  in  the  army,  but  on  account  of  a  fever- 
ish pain  which  had  settled  in  his  legs  he  was  ad- 
judged incapacitated,  put  in  a  hospital,  and  had 
the  misfortune  to  have  his  left  leg  amputated. 
When  discharged  from  the  hospital  a  cripple  he 
had  to  give  up  work  on  the  farm,  and  so  turned 
his  attention  to  the  shoemaker's  trade.  This  he 
mastered  thoroughly  and  worked  at  it  until  his 
father's  cousin,  Halvor  Hansen,  who  resided  in 
America,  visited  his  native  place  and  induced 
young  Haugen  to  go  with  him  to  America. 

He  came  to  America,  and  to  Capron,  111.,  where 
he  remained  for  a  few  months,  then  went  to'Rio, 
Wis.,  and  from  there  he  went  with  an  aunt  to 
Lake  Park,  Minn.,  where  he  had  three  brothers. 
While  there  the  old  ailment  set  in  in  his  right 
leg,  so  that  he  had  to  go  to  a  hospital  at  Detroit, 
Minn.,  where  that  was  amputated  also.  This  ex- 


perience would  probably  discourage  most  men, 
but  Haugen,  nothing  dau'nted,  secured  artificial 
fimbs  and  set  out  to  make  his  way  in  this  world 
on  his  own  account.  He  now  returned  to  Capron, 
where  he  has  resided  since,  diligently  working  at 
his  trade  and  saving  his  earnings,  until  he  now 
has  a  comfortable  competence  provided  for  old 
age  and  the  rniny  days.  He  sticks  to  his  last, 
working  early  and  late,  but  is  as  cheerful,  happy 


H.  K.  Haugen. 

and  active  as  ever,  and  often  jokes  about  occupy- 
ing two  graveyards  already,  and  says  that  it  will 
take  a  third  to  complete  the  job,  which  will  in  all 
probability  be  at  Capron  when  his  time  comes. 
During  the  time  he  was  laid  up  he  busied  himself 
with  wood  carving  and  became  quite  an  expert. 
He  can  show  some  very  fine  specimens  of  his 
work. 


MRS.  JOH ANNE  KNUTSDATTER  HEGGEM, 

Now  living  with  her  daughter.  Mrs.  George  K 
Hanmer,  at  St.  Charles,  111.,  was  born  in  M^ckle- 
burst,  near  Bergen,  Norway,  Feb.  22,  1829.  Her 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


347 


parents  were  Knud  M0ckleburst  and  Bertha  Ols- 
datter   Segro,   of  Jolstad   parish. 

In  1850  she  was  married  to  Mr.  Ole  Heggem, 
of  the  same  place.  The  couple  migrated  to  Amer- 
ica in  18G9  and  settled  at  first  in  Chicago,  where 
Mr.  Heggem,  who  was  a  patternmaker  by  trade, 
worked  for  thirty  years,  until  his  death.  Ten 
children  were  born  to  them,  seven  sons  and  three 
daughters,  of  whom  three  sons  and  two  daugh- 
ters are  living.  Two  of  the  sons  are  living  in 
Chicago,  one  in  Ohio,  one  daughter  is  living  in 


Mrs.  J.  K.  Heggem. 


California,  and  Anna,  married  to  George  L.  Han- 
mer,  in  St.  Charles,  111.  Mr.  Hanmer  is  purchas- 
ing agent  for  The  Condensing  Company  of  St. 
Charles. 

Since  the  death  of  her  husband  Mrs.  Heggem 
has  been  living  with  her  daughter  at  St.  Charles. 
While  in  Chicago  she  attends  Dr.  Thomas' 
Church,  The  People's,  held  in  the  McVicker  The- 
ater. The  old  lady  is  well  preserved  for  her  age, 
being  but  little  troubled  with  sickness. 


MRS.  ANNA  HEGGLAND 

Was  born  in  Mission  township,  (Norway),  La 
Salle  county,  May  12,  1842.  Her  father  was  Mr. 
Osmon  Tutland,  from  Hjelmeland  sogn,  Stavan- 
ger,  Norway,  and  her  mother  Malinde  Yadla, 
from  Aardal,  near  Stavanger.  The  couple  were 
not  among  the  Norwegians,  who  came  over  in 


Father  of  Mrs.  Anna  Heggland. 


the  Sloop,  but  were  among  those  who  emigrated 
next  afterward,  and  were  of  the  second  bunch  of 
settlers  in  Mission  (now  Norway),  where  they 
arrived  in  1836.  Mr.  Tutland  and  his  wife  had 
five  children  born  to  them  in  the  old  country,  of 
whom  one  boy  died  in  infancy  in  Norway,  fine  on 
the  ocean,  and  one  boy  when  they  arrived  in 
New  York.  They  consequently  brought  two 
children,  both  bovs.  with  them  to  Mission  He>"<? 
four  more  children  were  born  to  them,  three  girls 
and  one  boy,  among  whom  was  the  subject  of 
this  sketch,  and  who  is  the  only  survivor  of  the 
children  of  Mr.  Tutland's  first  marriage.  When 
9  years  old  Mrs.  Heggland  lost  her  mother.  Her 
father  thereupon  returned  to  the  old  country  and 
brought  back  with  him  a  new  wife.  Her  name 
is  Helene  Sophie  Age.  This  new  union  resulted 


348 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


in  five  children,  of  whom  only  two  (sons)  arc 
living,  in  Iowa. 

Mrs.  Heggland  was  educated  in  the  district 
school  and  confirmed  in  the  Norwegian  Lutheran 
Church.  She  was  baptized  by  the  renowned  Rev. 
Eielsen  and  confirmed  by  the  hardly  less  re- 
nowned Rev.  Rasmussen,  who  also  officiated 
when  she  was  married  the  first  time. 

Mrs.  Heggland  was  married  in  1858  to  Jonas 
R.  Sigmundstad.  The  couple  had  four  children — 
three  girls  and  one  boy.  The  boy  died  in  infancy. 
The  girls  are  married  —  Anna  Christina  to  Mr. 
Sam  Overland,  a  farmer  in  Iowa  and  a  native  of 
Norway;  Melinda  Elizabeth,  to  Mr.  Jonas  R.  Jor- 
stad,  a  farmer  in  the  vicinity  of  Newark;  Rosa 
N.,  to  Mr.  Jesse  C.  Johnson,  a  farmer.  This 
couple  lives  on  Mrs.  Heggland's  old  homestead 
in  Mission  township.  Mr.  Sigmundstad  having  de- 
parted this  life  in  1887,  his  wife  in  1890  was  mar- 
ried to  Mr.  Jacob  Jerred,  of  Norway,  Benton 
county,  Iowa.  No  issue  came  of  this  union.  Mr. 
Jerred  died  in  1899.  In  September,  1902,  she  was 
married  again,  this  time  to  Mr.  John  Heggland, 
who  was  born  in  Rennesjzina,  one  mile  north  of 
Stavanger,  July  16,  1837.  He  came  to  America 
in  1805.  Mr.  Heggland  was  a  widower,  having 
been  married  to  Miss  Anna  Sannungshaugen,  of 
Norway.  She  had  died  in  1900. 

(During  the  period  of  nine  years  marital  union 
with  Mr.  Jerred  the  subject  lived  with  him  on 
his  farm  in  Iowa.) 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  John  Heggland  now  live  as  retired 
farmers  in  their  own  house  in  Newark,  111.  The 
old  couple  are  members  of  the  United  Church  at 
Norway.  Mrs.  Heggland  has  eleven  grandchil- 
dren. 


He  was  married  to  Thora  Magdalene  Ellison, 
Aug.  24,  1895.  They  have  three  children,  namely: 
Carlyle  Monroe,  born  Oct.  6,  1896;  Stanley  Elli- 


H.    M.    Heggland. 


son,  Aug.  24,  1898;  Thurlow  Trygve  Martin,  Dec. 
22,  1904.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Nor- 
wegian Lutheran  St.  Timothy  Church,  and  reside 
at  1230  Tripp  avenue. 


HANS  MARTIN  HEGGLAND,  D.D.S., 

Was  born  at  Haugesund,  Norway,  Feb.  26,  1866, 
his  parents  being  Christian  Staalesen  and  Marie 
(nee  Ostrem)  Heggland.  Our  subject  spent  his 
youth  in  Haugesund. 

He  came  to  America  in  May,  1888,  and  worked 
as  a  painter  for  four  years.  In  1892  he  entered 
the  United  States  Dental  College  as  a  student. 
He  completed  his  course  and  in  1895  opened  an 
office  at  948  Armitage  avenue,  where  he  is  still 
practicing  dentistry.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Illinois  State  Dental  Society,  the  Chicago  Odon- 
tographic  Society,  the  Scandinavian-American 
Dental  Society  and  the  Northwestern  University 
Dental  Alumni. 


DR.   LUDVIG  HEKTOEN. 

Dr.  Ludvig  Hektoen  is  a  native  of  Wisconsin, 
having  been  born  July  2,  1863,  on  his  father's  farm 
near  Westby,  that  State.  His  parents,  Peter  P.  and 
Olave  (Thorsgard)  Hektoen,  natives  of  Norway.were 
early  settlers  of  Vernon  county,  Wisconsin,  where 
the  father. still  resides,  living  retired  in  Westby. 
Besides  carrying  on  farming  Peter  P.  Hektoen  was 
engaged  as  a  school  teacher,  following  that  calling 
for  several  years  in  Vernon  county,  after  which 
he  held  a  public  office  at  the  State  capital. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


849 


His  family  consisted  of  three  children:  Ludvig,  Mar- 
tin, who  is  a  physician,  and  Miss  Marie,  who  is 
a  graduate  of  the  University  of  Wisconsin. 

Ludvig  Hektoen  passed  his  yotirn  as  a  typical 
farmer  boy,  attending  school  winters  and  assisting 
on  his  father's  farm  during  the  remainder  of  the 
year.  When  fourteen  years  old  he  was  sent  to 
Luther  College,  at  Decorah,  Iowa,  and  six  years  later 
graduated  from  that  institution,  with  the  degree  of 
B.  A.  The  next  year  he  spent  in  study  at  the  Uni- 
versity of  Wisconsin,  after  which  for  one  year  he 
was  engaged  as  druggist -at  the  Oshkosh  (Wiscon- 


Dr.  Ludvig  Hektoen. 


came  lecturer  on  pathology  at  Rush  Medical,  and 
professor  of  pathology  at  the  College  of  Physicians 
and  Surgeons.  In  1894-5  he  furthered  his  scientific 
acquirements  by  study  in  Upsala,  Berlin  and  Prague. 
Before  returning  to  Chicago,  he  was  elected  pro- 
fessor of  pathology  in  Rush  Medical  College,  a  posi- 
tion he  has  filled  ever  since.  In  1900  he  was 
honored  with  appointment  as  head  of  the  Depart- 
ment of  Pathology  and  Bacteriology  at  the  Univer- 
sity of  Chicago — a  mark  of  esteem  of  which  any 
physician  might  feel  proud.  As  teacher  and  investi- 
gator in  pathology  Dr.  Hektoen  exerts  a  strong  and 
wide-spreading  influence  on  the  minds  and  careers  of 
the  students  who  come  under  his  charge.  In  Janu- 
ary, 1902,  Dr.  Hektoen  was  appointed  director  of  the 
Memorial  Institute  for  Infectious  Diseases  in  Chi- 
cago. He  holds  membership  in  the  principal  medical 
societies  of  the  city,  state  and  country,  including  the 
American  Medical  Association  and  the  Association 
of  American  Physicians ;  has  served  four  years  as 
president  of  the  Chicago  Pathological  Society;  and 
was  elected  president  of  the  Association  of  American 
Pathologists  and  Bacteriologists  for  lyus.  The  mem- 
bers of  the  profession  are  the  best  judges  of  a  phy- 
sician's real  worth,  whether  in  the  line  of  research 
or  practice,  and  such  high  honors  are  not  bestowed 
unmerited.  Dr  Hektoen  is  one  of  the  editors  of 
The  Journal  of  Infectious  Diseases.  He  is  also 
a  frequent  contributor  to  current  medical  lite- 
rature especially  along  the  line  of  original  in- 
vestigations in  the  field  of  infectious  diseases. 
He  frequently  serves  on  committees  and  special 
commissions  charged  with  the  study  of  matters 
concerning  public  health. 

A  record  like  Dr.  Hektoen's  speaks  for  itself, 
especially  in  the  circles  where  the  value  of  at- 
tainments like  his  is  well  enough  known  to  be  cor- 
rectly estimated. 

In  1891  Dr.  Hektoen  married  Miss  Ellen  Strandh, 
of  Habo,  Sweden,  and  they  have  one  daughter,  Aikyn 
an'd  one  son,  Josef  Ludvig. 


sin)  Insane  Asylum.  He  then  commenced  the  spe- 
cial preparation  for  his  life  work,  entering  the  Col- 
lege of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  Chicago,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1887,  and  for  the  six  months 
following  he  was  Assistant  Physician  at  the  Insane 
Asylum  at  Kankakee,  Illinois.  Having  received  ap- 
pointment as  Interne  (first  place)  at  the  Cook  Coun- 
ty Hospital,  he  returned  to  Chicago  to  enter  upon 
the  duties  of  that  position,  in  which  he  remained 
until  the  spring  of  1889.  At  the  close  of  that  period 
he  took  up  the  active  practice  of  medicine  in  Chicago. 
In  1890  he  was  appointed  coroner's  physician,  serv- 
ing as  such  until  1893,  and  in  the  meantime  he  be- 


HENRY  L.  HENDRICKSON. 

Of  Newark,  III.,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  La  Salle 
county,  March  19,  1863.  His  father  was  Lars 
Hendrickson  and  his  mother,  Serena  Johnson. 

Mr.  Hendrickson's  youth  was  spent  on  the 
farm.  He  attended  the  public  schools  during  the 
school  period,  and  was  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran 


350 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


church  at  Lisbon.     He  has  followed  farming    in 
La  Salle  and  Grundy  counties  since. 

He  was  married  to  Marthena  Bravick,  of  Mis- 
sion township,  on  Dec.  14,  1887;  her  parents  were 
Henry  and  Johanna  Bravick.  They  have  had  six 
children,  namely:  Eva  G.,-  born  Aug.  5,  1889; 
Stella  G.,  born  June  28,  1891,  and  died  Feb.  8, 


H.   L.   Hendrickson. 


1894;  Lawrence,  born  Oct.  12,  1893;  Stella  J., 
Aug.  13,  1895;  Helena  A.,  Jan.  28,  1898;  Lillie  M., 
born  May  21,  1902,  and  died  Feb.  12,  1904.  Mrs. 
Hendrickson  died  Nov.  30,  1904. 

Mr.  Hendrickson  is  now  living  on  a  200-acre 
farm  in  Nettle  Creek  township,  Grundy  county, 
where  he  has  been  since  1894,  having  previously 
rented  farms  in  Miller  and  Mission  townships, 
La  Salle  county.  Our  subject  is  a  member  of  the 
Modern  Woodmen.  He  was  appointed  deputy 
sheriff  in  1904.  In  1900  he  was  elected  a  director 
on  the  school  board  for  district  27  and  served 
for  six  years.  In  1905  he  was  elected  a  director 
for  two  years  of  the  Farmers'  and  Merchants' 
Telephone  Co.,  of  Newark.  The  family  attends 
the  Lutheran  Church. 


HANS  ANDREAS   HENRIKSON, 

Aurora,   111.,  was   born  at   Eker,  near   Drammen, 
Norway,  Feb.  19,  1857,  his  parents  being  Kristian 
and  Marie   (born  Kristofferson)   Henrikson.     His 
early    life   was    spent    in    the    city,   attending    the 
public   school  in    Christiania,   Norway,  where   he' 
began   work   in   a    cotton   mill   in    1871.      He    was; 
made  assistant  foreman  in  a  canvas-cloth  mill  in 
1875  and  continued  at  that  work  until  he  migrated 
to  America  in  1880. 


H.  A.  Henrikson. 


On  arriving  in  this  country  he  went  direct  to 
Aurora,  where  he  learned  the  machinist  trade  in 
the  C.  B.  &  Q.  R.  R.  shops,  and  worked  there  for 
twelve  years.  He  was  appointed  letter  carrier  on 
the  6th  of  May.  1895,  which  position  he  still 
holds.  Mr.  Henrikson  takes  a  lively  interest  in 
club  and  social  matters,  having  organized  the 
North  Star  Club,  a  local,  political  and  social 
club  of  Norwegians  and  Danes  in  Aurora. 
In  1893  he  organized  the  Norwegian-Dan- 
ish Reading  Club,  a  literary  club  which  owns 
over  200  volumes  of  choice  Norwegian  and  Dan- 
ish works.  In  1884  he  helped  to  organize  a  so- 
cial and  political  club  called  Vikingen,  of  which 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


351 


he  was  president  for  three  years.  In  1889  he  or- 
ganized the  Norwegian-Danish  Lutheran  Church 
of  Aurora,  of  which  he  served  as  chairman  of  the 
board  of  trustees  for  two  years,  and  was  also  a 
member  of  the  choir  for  some  time.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Royal  Arcanum,  the  Modern 
Woodmen  and  the  National  Association  of  Letter 
Carriers. 

Nov.  25,  1876,  he  married  Miss  Valborg  Jose- 
phine Carlsen,  who  was  born  in  Christiania,  Nor- 
way, in  1856.  They  have  eight  children,  namely: 
Harriet  A.,  Hulda  P.,  Charles  E.,  Henrik  A.,  Al- 
bert C,  Alma  M.,  Jenny  A.  and  Arthur  • —  all 
living.  The  family  resides  at  406  Water  street, 
Aurora. 


RICHARD  HERVIG, 


Mechanical  engineer  and  draftsman,  with  the   C. 
B.  &  Q.  R.  R.  at  Aurora,  was  born  in  Fredriks- 


Hervig  attended  the  high  school  in  Fredriksstad 
and  was  confirmed  in  the  Glemminge  Lutheran 
Church.  He  also  graduated  from  the'  mechanical 
trade  school  in  Porsgrund,  Norway,  and  the 
technical  college  at  Mittweida,  Germany. 

He  came  to  America  in  April,  1904.  Stopped 
for  two  months  in  New  York,  and  then  for  eight 
months  in  Philadelphia,  going  from  there  to  the 
St.  Louis  Fair,  where  he  remained  for  three 
months.  He  then  came  to  Chicago,  and  soon  aft- 
erward located  at  Aurora. 

He  began  his  'career  as  machinist  in  Fredrik- 
stad,  but  after  leaving  college  he  was  employed 
as  a  draftsman  in  different  offices,  to  learn  the 
details  of  his  profession.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Western  Railway  Club,  and  unmarried. 


FREDERICK  ANDREAS  HESS,  M.  D., 

Was  born  in  Bergen,  Norway,  May  22,  1851.     His 
parents  were   Jens  Christian  Hess  and  Anna  Jen- 


Richard  Hervig. 


stad,  Norway,  Dec.  19,  1879.  His  parents  were 
Nils  Peter  and  Emelie  (born  Reiersen)  Hervig. 
His  father  was  also  a  mechanical  engineer.  Mr. 


F.  A.  Hess,  M.  D. 

sina  (born  Carlsen)  Hess.  Ou'r  subject's  youth 
was  spent  at  school,  mostly  at  private  schools  in 
Bergen. 


852 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Mr.  Hess  also  took  private  lessons  in  languages 
and  science  after  arriving  in  Chicago,  which  he 
did  on  July  4,  1863.  He  entered  Rush  Medical 
College  in  1869  and  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
M.D.  in  1873,  since  which  time  he  has  practiced 
medicine  in  Chicago.  He  w,as  visiting  physician 
for  the  county  farm  from  1873  to  1877;  assistant 
sanitary  inspector  in  1874,  during  the  small-pox 
epidemic,  he  served  two  years  as  physician  to  the 
Tabitha  Hospital,  and  one  year  in  the  Christian 
Temperance  Hospital. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  E.  Campbell,  of 
Chicago,  on  Jan.-  15,  1882,  her  parents  being  Wil- 
liam and  Ellen  Campbell.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren, a  son,  Frederick  Andrew  Hess,  married  to 
Bessie  Atwood;  and  a  daughter,  Anna  Jensina. 

Dr.  Hess  is  a  member  of  the  Scandinavian  Med- 
ical Society  and  a  former  president  of  it;  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Chicago  Medical  Society  and  of  the 
American  Medical  Association.  He  was  given  the 
honorary  degree  of  Ph.  D.  by  Montezuma  Uni- 
versity, of  Bessemer,  Ala.,  in  1899.  The  family 
are  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
of  Ravenswood,  of  which  our  subject  is  president 
of  the  board  of  trustees,  and  treasurer.  He  has 
been  an  active  member  of  the  Old  People's  Home 
Society,  having  belonged  to  the  Humboldt  Park 
branch  since  it  was  organized.  The  doctor's  of- 
fice is  at  247  E.  Division  street  and  his  home  at 
949  Belle  Plaine  avenue. 


CHRISTIAN   HENRY  HETTELSATER 

Was  born  in  Sogn,  Norway,  Jan.  4,  1851.  He 
graduated  to  the  university  from  Aars  &  Voss's 
school  in  Christiania  in  1869,  and  pursued  the 
study  of  mathematical  branches  for  several  years, 
while  at  the  same  time  he  was  a  teacher  of  math- 
ematics at  Aars  &  Voss's  school.  Two  years, 
from  1875  to  1877,  he  spent  at  the  Polytechnical 
School  of  Aachen,  Germany,  after  which  he  took 
up  the  profession  of  civil  engineering  in  Norway 
until  the  summer  of  1886,  when  he  came  to  the 
United  States  with  his  family,  then  consisting  ot 
wife  and  five  children.  He  soon  found  employ- 
ment in  the  office  of  the  B.  &  M.  R.  R.  at  Lincoln. 
Neb.  Since  then  he  has  been  continually  engaged 
in  various  branches  of  engineering  in  different 
parts  of  the  country.  He  came  to  Chicago  in 
1893,  went  to  Youngstown,  Ohio,  in  1897,  to  Pitts- 
burg,  Pa.,  in  1900,  and  returned  to  Chicago  in 


1903,  when  he  entered  the  employ  of  D.  H.  Burn- 
ham  &  Co.,  architects,  as  an  architectural  engi- 
neer. In  1903  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Western  Society  of  Engineers. 

In  1878  he  married  Elise  Rseder,  a  daughter  of 
Stiftamtmand  Rseder-,  of  Bergen,  Norway.  They 
have  eight  children:  Aagot,  Cathrine,  Karen, 
Marie,  and  Ditlef  born  in  Norway,  and  Henry, 
Elise  and  Anton,  born  in  the  United  States.  The 
oldest  daughter,  Aagot,  is  married  to  Prof.  O.  W. 


C.  H.  Hettelsater. 

Brackney,  of  Taylor  University,  Upland,  Ind. 
The  oldest  son,  Ditlef  has  recently  been  appointed 
engineer  of  the  Springfield  Bridge  Company,  of 
Springfield,  111. 

In  1890  Mr.  Hettelsater  became  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  which  he  has 
ever  since  been  an  interested  and  active  worker; 
he  has  for  several  years  been  a  class-leader  in  the 
church. 


MRS.  SUSANNA  HILL, 

Of  Morris,  111.,  a  daughter  of  Anders  and  Olena 
(Nelson)   Anderson,  was  born  in  Tysvaer  parish, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


353 


four  miles  north  of  Stavanger,  Norway,  March 
20,  1822.  Her  education  was  received  from  her 
mother,  who  taught  her  to  .read  the  Catechism 
and  the  Bible.  It  was  not  considered  necessary 
for  a  farmer's  daughter  to  learn  to  write  in  those 
days. 

With  her  parents  she  migrated  to  America  in 
1836.  They  came  over  in  a  sailing  vessel  and 
stopped  for  two  years  in  Kendall  county,  New 
York,  not  having  the  means  to  pay  their  way 
over  the  lakes.  Two  years  later  the  family  came 


Four  Generations.  Front  Row— Mrs.  C.  J.  Wing, 

Lillie  Nelson,  Mrs.  Susanna  Hill.   Standing — 

Mrs.  Frank  Nelson,  Miss  Amalia  Hill. 

to  Chicago,  and  from  there  to  Newark  by  wagon, 
riding  with  a  settler  who  had  hauled  grain  to 
Chicago.  At  first  they  settled  in  Mission  town- 
ship. 

Miss  Anderson  was  married  to  John  Hil!  (John- 
son), in  Ottawa,  111.,  June  27,  1844.  Mr.  Hil'l  was 
born  on  a  small  island  in  Stavanger  fjord,  on 
which  only  two  families  lived.  They  have  had 
nine  children  —  Helen,  born  April  15,  1845;  Eliz- 
abeth, April  8,  1848;  Andrew,  March  17,  1850; 
Lillie,  March  6,  1852;  Abel,  Jan.  24,  1854;  Henry 
J.,  July  10,  1856;  Daniel,  Oct.  28,  1858;  Susan 
Louisa,  Feb.  10,  1862;  Mary,  Jan.  10,  1866.  At 
this  writing  three  of  the  children  are  living  — 


Helen,  married  to  Austin  Osmon  (now  deceased); 
Lillie,  to  Charles  J.  Wing;  Daniel,  to  Annie  Os- 
mon. John  Hill,  our  subject's  husband,  died  Dec. 
30,  1892.  Mrs.  Hill  was  reared  as  a  Quaker,  but 
when  20  years  of  age  joined  the  Baptist  Church, 
which  creed  she  still  embraces.  Her  father  died 
July  31;  1849,  from  the  cholera,  58  years  old,  and 
her  mother  Feb.  12,  1875,  88  years  old.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Hill  were  the  first  Norwegian  settlers  at 
Lisbon. 


HELGE  A.  HILLESON 

Was  born  in  Willow  township,  Lee  county,  Illi- 
nois, April  13,  1859.  His  father  was  Amund  Hille- 
son,  of  South  Bergen  stift,  and  his  mother  Inge- 


H.  A.  Hilleson. 

borg  Larson  Maland.  He  was  confirmed  on  June 
7,  1874,  and  continued  to  work  on  his  father's 
farm  until  of  age. 

He  was  then  married  to  Miss  Anna  Nilson, 
born  in  Lee  county,  June  12,  1860.  They  have 
had  eight  children,  namely:  Amanda,  born  April 


354 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


19,  1882;  Harvey  Elmer,  Jan.  22,  1884;  Thomas 
Evald,  Sept.  6,  1885;  Julia  Maria,  Jan.  7,  1893; 
Hilda  Margrethe,  Feb.  7,  1895;  Emma,  Feb.  3, 
1897;  Lawrence  Gerhard,  Dec.  22,  1898;  Anna 
Henrietta,  June  22,  1902.  Amanda  was  married 
Sept.  14,  1905,  to  Mr.  Lars' Espe,  of  Jewell,  la. 

About  ten  years  before  his  father's  death,  Mr. 
Helge  Hilleson  had  taken  over  his  father's  farm, 
which  then  consisted  of  320  acres.  Since  then  he 
has  acquired  and  added  240  acres  more,  across 
the  road,  in  section  10,  so  that  his  holdings  now 
embrace  560  acres. 


Mrs.  H.  A.  Hilleson. 


Mr.  Hilleson  has  been  too  busy  to  run  for  any 
public  office,  although  he  has  been  offered  such 
several  times.  Within  the  Lutheran  Synod 
Church,  however,  he  has  acted  both  as  deacon 
and  trustee.  The  family  belongs  to  the  Lutheran 
Church  in  Willow  Creek  township.  As  an  ener- 
getic farmer  and  business  man  Mr.  Hilleson 
stands  very  high  in  the  county  and  is  regarded 
among  his  intimate  friends  as  a  good  natured, 
pleasant  companion.  Mr.  Hilleson  is  a  share- 
holder, director  and  vice-president  of  the  Lee 
State  Bank,  of  Lee,  111. 


E.  S.  HOLLAND, 

Of  Big  Grove  township,  Kendall  county,  111.,  was 
born  in  Etne  parish,  Bergens  stift,  Norway, 
March  31,  1831.  He  came  to  America  with  his 
parents,  who  located  at  Walworth  county,  Wis- 
consin, in  1846.  When  20  years  of  age  our  sub- 
ject moved  to  Green  county,  Wisconsin,  where 
he  located  on'  sec.  4,  in  the  town  of  York. 

On  Oct.  4,  1855,  he  married  Johanne  Dorothea 
Chantland,  who  came  to  this  country  with  her 
widowed  mother  in  1854.  Mrs.  Holland  was  one 
of  a  family  of  seven  sisters  and  one  brother, 
Lieutenant  I.  W.  Chantland,  residing  in  Iowa 
county,  Wisconsin.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Holland  lived 
on  their  farm  in  Wisconsin  until 'December,  1866, 


E.  S.  Holland. 


when  they  moved  to  Kendall  county,  Illinois. 
Here  he  located  on  sec.  27,  in  Big  Grove  town- 
ship, where  he  has  remained  since,  engaged  in 
farming  as  his  principal  work  in  life",  but  was  for 
a  long  time  agent  for  the  Hecla  Fire  Insurance 
Company,  of  Madison,  Wis. 

In  1873  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Holland  took  a  trip  to 
Norway,  visiting  the  scenes  of  their  youth.  Mrs. 
Holland  died  on  June  18,  1884,  leaving  a  little 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


355 


girl,  Sarah  Dortina,  whom  she  had  adopted  when 
one  year  old,  who  clung  to  her  foster  parents 
with  a  daughter's  love  and  bears  their  name,  re- 
fusing to  know  any  others  as  her  parents. 

On  Sept.  1,  1885,  Mr.  Holland  married  Miss 
Christina  Peterson,  born  Dec.  25,  1848,  in  Skien, 
Norway.  Her  father  died  in  1870  and  in  1872 
she  came  to  America,  living  first  in  Milwaukee 
and  afterward  in  Chicago  until  her  marriage. 
They  have  four  children,  namely:  Randolph, 
born  Aug.  29,  1887;  Marie,  Dec.  6,  1888;  Olga, 
Aug.  18,  1890;  Elmer,  Feb.  21,  1893. 

Mr.  Holland  is  a  consistent  Christian  and  has 
always  taken  a  leading  and  active  part  in  church 
work.  He  and  his  family  are  members  of  the 
United  Lutheran  Church  at  Lisbon;  Mr.  Holland 
has  been  on  the  board  of  trustees  and  a  deacon 
for  years.  He  has  also  been  trustee  and  treasurer 
of  the  Pleasant  View  Luther  College  since  it 
was  organized.  He  has  held  many  civil  offices. 
While  in  Wisconsin  he  was  supervisor  for  York 
township.  In  Big  Grove  he  has  been  road  super- 
visor, assessor  and  justice  of  the  peace;  having 
practically  held  some  important  office  since  1867. 


LOUIS  HOUSE, 

Newark,  111.,  was  born  at  Hardanger,  on  Gaarden 
Huus,  Bergens  stift,  Norway,  April  15,  1826.  His 
father  was  Amund  Amundson,  a  farmer,  and  his 
mother  Kari  Jordal.  Mr.  House  was  educated 
in  the  ambulatory  country  schools  and  confirmed 
in  the  Lutheran  Church.  He  worked  on  his 
father's  farm  until  about  23  years  old,  when  he 
went  to  Bergen  to. learn  the  trade  of  a  black- 
smith. He  remained  there  for  about  six  years, 
when  he  came  to  America  locating  in  Chicago 
in  1850.  He  worked  at  his  trade  here  for  eight 
years. 

In  1855  he  was  married  to  Miss  Ragnhild  An- 
finson,  who  was  born  in  Sogn,  Norway.  They 
had  five  children,  three  sons  and  two  daughters, 
all  living.  Mrs.  House  died  in  1868,  the  family 
having  before  that  time  moved  out  on  a  farm  in 
the  vicinity  of  Lisbon.  In  1871  Mr.  House  was 
married  again,  to  Miss  Julia  Mathre,  who  was 
born  near  Helmar.  With  her  he  has  had  eight 
children,  four  sons  and  four  'daughters. 

Of  the  children  by  his  first  wife  one  son,  Al- 
fred, is  a  preacher  at  Tin  Valley,  Minn.  He  was 


married  the  first  time  to  a  daughter  of  the  re- 
nowned Rev.  P.  A.  Rasmussen.  The  oldest  son 
with  his  second  wife,  Henry,  is  a  traveling  man 
with  Carson,  Pirie,  Scott  &  Co.  His  second  wife 
died  in.  1894. 

Mr.  House  retired  from  farming  about  six 
years  ago  and  moved  to  the  town  of  Newark, 
where  he  is  spending  his  declining  years.  A 
daughter  by  his  first  wife,  Miss  Martina,  is  the 
housekeeper  for  the  old  gentleman.  The  family 
has  always  attended  the  United  Lutheran  Church. 
Mr.  House  has  always  been  a  staunch  believer  in. 
republican  politics.  Though  largely  a  self-edu- 


Louis  House. 


cated  man,  he  has  been  greatly  interested  in  giv- 
ing, his  children  a  good  education.  One  of  his 
sons  is  a  preacher;  two,  Henry  and  Martin, 
studied  for  several  years  at  Northfield  College, 
Minn.,  and  two  of  the  girls  are  at  the  present 
time  at  the  Pleasant  View  College  at  Ottawa. 
One  son,  Edmond,  is  a  farmer  in  Colorado;  and 
one  daughter,  Betsy,  is  living  in  Oregon.  One 
daughter,  Rachel,  was  married  to  Mr.  Tweeth, 
but  died  when  27  years  old.  Mr.  House  prides 
himself  on  his  children,  having  still  twelve  living. 


356 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


MRS.  CARRIE  HOVDA, 

The  present  post  mistress  at  Leland,  111.,  was 
born  in  Miller  township,  La  Salle  county,  Illinois, 
April  29,  1861. 

Four  years  later  she  moved  with  her  parents 
to  De  Kalb  county,  where  her  childhood  and 
school  days  were  passed.  Her  father,  Mr.  An- 
drew H.  Johnson,  now  deceased,  was  fof  many 
years  a  farmer  in  De  Kalb  county.  Later  he 
moved  to  Lee,  where  he  served  as  president  of 
the  Farmers'  Elevator  Company.  Her  mother, 
Mrs.  Sarah  Baker  Johnson,  is  still  living  and  re- 
sides at  Lee. 


EINAR  C.  HOWARD 

Was  born  in  Christiania,  Norway,  April  24,  1879, 
son  of  Mathias  and  Anne  Haugom.  His  mother 
died  when  Einar  was  8  years  of  age,  but  his  father 
is  living  in  Christiania. 


Mrs.  Carrie  Hovda. 


In  January,  1878,  the  subject  of  our  sketch  was 
married  to  John  A.  Hovda  and  moved  to  Leland, 
where  Mr.  Hovda  was  engaged  in  the  mercantile 
business.  Seven  children  were  born  to  them, 
three  dying  in  infancy.  Those  living  are  Eno, 
Alvin,  Ernest  and  Olga.  Mr.  Hovda  died  Aug.  9, 
1899.  He  was  postmaster  at  Leland  at  the  time, 
and  Mrs.  Hovda  was  appointed  post  mistress, 
which  position  she  has  held  ever  since.  She  is 
a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church  and  the  W. 
C.  T.  U.  at  Leland. 


E.   C.   Howard. 


Graduating  from  public  school  at  the  age  of  13, 
the  youngest  in  his  class,  he  became  at  once  in- 
terested in  hard  work.  About  a  year  later  three 
positions — a  newspaper  route  in  the  morning,  dur- 
ing the  day  with  the  Norwegian  Telegram  Bureau, 
and  a  long  route  in  a  suburb  for  another  news- 
paper in  the  evening — kept  him  out  of  mischief 
from  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  till  about  nine 
in  the  evening.  His  father  protested,  but  the  boy 
kept  on  long  enough  to  lay  aside  enough  of  his 
earnings  to  pay  his  own  way  to  Chicago  when  at 
the  age  of  16. 

He  commenced  his  •  work1  in  Chicago  as  a  groc- 
ery clerk,  continuing  three  years.  Took  then  a 
short  course  in  the  Metropolitan  Business  College 
in  bookkeeping  and  stenography,  and  obtained  a 
position  first  as  stenographer,  then  as  bookkeeper 
in  various  business  houses,  until,  in  the  year  1900, 
he  entered  the  harvester  firm  of  Warder,  Bushnell 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


357 


&  Glessner  Co,  which  firm  in  1902  became  one 
of  the  constituent  companies'  of  the  International 
Harvester  Company  of  America  with  which  he  is- 
still  employed,  having  been  recently  transferred 
from  the  accounting  department  to  its  legal  de- 
partment. 

During  these  years  his  evenings  were  spent  in 
getting  an  education.  First  taking  up  high-school 
studies,  he  then  took  a  law  course  at  the  Illinois 
College  of  Law,  and  graduated  on  May  31,  1905. 
Mr.  Howard  has  received  several  distinctions  in 
his  studies.  He  received  a  certificate  of  honor- 
able mention  :it  the  Metropolitan  Business  Col- 
lege, a  scholarship  prize  in  his  academic  studies, 
and  graduated  with  highest  honors  from  the  law 
school,  also  standing  first  in  his  class  in  the  fresh- 
ma'n  year.  His  graduation  prize  consisted  of  a 
postgraduate  course,  which  led  to  the  degree  LL. 
M.,'  (master  of  laws),  in  May,  1906. 

He  changed  his  surname  from  Haugom  to 
Howard  after  he  came  to  Chicago,  to  conform  to 
that  of  his  brother,  who  had  previously  done  so. 

Mr.  Howard  was  married  in  1903  to  Sigrid  Pet- 
ersen.  They  live  at  519  Lemoyne  street. 


HANS  LUDWIG  HOWARD, 

Attorney,  was  born  in  Christiania,  Norway,  Sept. 
15,  1871,  to  Mathias  Haugom  and  Anne  (born 
Myrhagen).  His  father  was  a  merchant  tailor  in 
Christiania.  Hans  was  confirmed  in  the  Palace 
Chapel  when  he  was  15  years  old,  and  graduated 
from  the  middelskole  in  Christiania  when  he  was 
16  years  old.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  com- 
pelled to  earn  his  own  living.  He  first  secured  a 
position  as  clerk  and  bookkeeper  with  Timm's 
Dampreberbane  (Ropework  Company),  where  he 
worked  for  four  years.  But  the  sportsman's  blood 
was  running  in  his  veins,  and  he  devoted  most  of 
his  spare  time  to  athletics.  He  became  a  fast  foot- 
runner,  and  in  the  year  1891  went  to  Stockholm, 
Sweden,  where  he  captured  the  championship  for 
Scandinavia  in  a  mile  race,  running  it  in  4  min- 
utes 48  seconds.  He  received  the  Dickson  cup 
from  King  Oscar  II. 

In  the  year  1892  he  came  to  America  to  ?ee  the 
World's  Fair,  but  as  that  had  been  postponed  un- 
til 1893  he  spent  most  of  His  money,  and  had  to 
take  a  position  as  a  clerk  in  a  grocery  store  in 
order  to  support  himself  and  earn  enough  to  re- 
turn to  Norway.  He  was  taken  down  with  typhoid 
fever  in  the  fall  of  1893,  and  after  getting  out  of 


bed  he  went  to  Decorah,  Iowa,  where  his  mother's 
sister  lived,  to  recuperate  from  his  sickness. 
While  there  he  worked  his  way  through  Brecken- 
ridge's  College,  graduating  in  1895.  By  this  time 
he  had  earned  enough  money  through  footracing 
and  other  athletics  to  return  to  his  fatherland, 
where  his  father  was  still  living.  Consequently 
he  crossed  the  ocean,  intending  to  stay  perma- 
nently in  Norway,  but  conditions  had  changed 
there,  and  he  returned  to  Chicago  after  a  three 
months'  visit.  In  partnership  with  Harvey  Arne- 
son  he  started  a  grocery  at  238  W.  Erie  street. 
He  soon  sold  his  interest  in  the  store  to  his  part- 


H.  L.  Howard. 


ner  and  took  a  business  course  at  the  Metropoli- 
tan Business  College.  After  graduating  from  this 
course  he  took  a  position  as  stenographer  and 
bookkeeper  with  Weil-Maxwell  Co.,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1900.  While  working  in  this  posi- 
tion he  became  interested  in  legal  learning  and 
concluded  that  he  wanted  to  become  a  lawyer. 
He  therefore  commenced  to  study  law  evenings 
at  the  Illinois  College  of  Law,  and  in  order  to 
have  work  that  would  be  in  the  line  of  his  study 
he  accepted  a  position  as  correspondent  in  the 
legal  department  of  the  Cable  Company,  piano 


358 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


manufacturers,  where  he  worked  for  two  years. 
Our  subject  graduated  from  the  Illinois  College 
of  Law  in  1903  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.,  and 
from  the  same  college  in  1904 ,  as  LL.  M. 
While  a  student  at  this  college  he  received  the 
prize  for  the  highest  scholarship  in  both  the  jun- 
ior and  senior  classes.  He  is  .now  a  lecturer  in 
law  at  the  institution  from  which  he  graduated, 
and  is  professor  of  common  law.  Mr.  Howard  is 
at  the  present  time  attorney  for  the  Fidelity  and 
Casualty  Company  of  New  York,  with  offices  at 
618  New  York  Life  building,  Chicago. 

Mr.  Howard  married  Miss  Ida  Britton,  daughter 
of  Albert  and  Christine  Britton,  of  North  Cape. 
Wis.,  on  April  25,  1897.  They  have  three  children, 
namely:  Agnes  Christine,  born  Aug.  28,  1898; 
Florence  Edith,  born  June  20,  1900;  Albert  Mar- 
shall, born  Dec.  25,  1901.  Mr.  Howard's  mother 
died  in  Norway  in  1886.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Norwegian  Old  People's  Home  Society,  and  the 
Logan  Square  Norwegian  Baptist  Church,  of 
which  he  was  Sunday-school  superintendent  in 
1905.  The  family  resides  at  1553  Drake  avenue. 


ANDREW  HUMMELAND 

Was  born  at  Stavanger,  Norway,  on  March  18, 
1873,  his  parents  being  Captain  Endre  Humme- 
land  and  Marie  (nee  Aarsvold).  His  parents  dy- 
ing in  his  early  childhood,  he  became  a  member 
of  the  family  of  an  uncle,  B.  Bergesen,  Jr.,  a 
wholesale  merchant  at  Stavanger.  He  received 
his  early  education  in  the  higher  public  school, 
better  known  to  all  Stavanger  people  as  the 
Kongsgaard  School,  where  he  made  an  excellent 
record.  At  the  age  of  15  he  migrated  to  the 
United  States,  arriving  at  Eau  Claire,  Wis.,  in  the 
summer  of  1888.  Ambitious  to  become  proficient 
in  the  English  language,  he  at  once  entered  the 
public  schools  there. 

Coming  to  Chicago  in  the  spring  of  1899,  he 
secured  employment  in  the  office  of  Willard  & 
Evans,  a  prominent  corporation  law  firm.  His 
progress  was  rapid.  He  took  up  shorthand  and 
advanced  successively  from  office  boy  to  stenog- 
rapher, law  clerk  and  managing  clerk  of  the  firm. 
Working  during  the  day,  depending  upon  his  own 
resources  and  paying  his  own  way,  he  pursued  his 
further  educational  courses  in  the  evening.  He 
took  up  the  study  of  the  law,  entered  the  North- 


western University  Law  School,  graduated  in  1893 
with  special  honor  from  the  Kent  College  of  Law 
at  the  age  of  20,  and  for  two  years  thereafter 
pursued  postgraduate  courses  at  the  Chicago  Law 
School.  He  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the  Su- 
preme Court  of  Illinois  upon  arriving  of  age  in 
1894.  He  continued  his  connection  with  the  firm 
mentioned,  in  the  capacity  of  managing  clerk  and 
associate,  until  he  established  his  own  office  in 
1901.  Since  then  he  has  practiced  his  profession 
in  Chicago,  establishing  an  extensive  practice, 
especially  in  the  organization  of,  and  as  counsel 


Andrew  Hummeland. 


for,  corporate  enterprises.  During  the  great  team- 
sters' strike  of  1905,  he  acted  as  prosecuting  at- 
torney for  the  United  States  Express  Company, 
one  of  the  principal  parties  to  the  strike. 

Mr.  Humme!and  has  taken  an  active  part  in  the 
work  of  Norwegian  organizations.  During  the 
years  1902  to  1906  he  was  a  delegate  to  the  Nor- 
wegian National  League  from  the  Norwegian 
Quartette  Club,  and  became  a  leading  member.  In 
1904  he  was  elected  president  of  the  league,  and 
was  unanimously  re-elected  in  1905.  He  has  re- 
peatedly been  a  speaker  on  national  and  social 
occasions. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


Mr.  Hummeiand  was  married  on  April  2,  1903, 
to  Julie  Marie 'Ellefsen,  a  daughter  of  Bernt  J.  H. 
Ellefsen,  a  well  known  old  settler,  formerly  drug- 
gist, now  manager  of  the  American  Trust  Safety 
Vaults.  A  son,  Jarl  Ellefsen  Hummeiand,  was 
born  to  them  on  Sept.  3,  1905.  Mr.  Hummeland's 
home  is  at  1078  Lawrence  Avenue. 


JACOB    RODE-JACOBSEN 

Was  born  in  Morondava,  Madagaskar,  Dec.  17, 
1877,  his  parents  being  Rev.  D.  O.  Jacobsen,  of 
the  Norwegian  Missionary  Society,  Norway,  and 
his  wife  Christine  Rode-Jacobsen. 

Mr.  Jacobsen  received  his  first  educational 
training  in  Madagaskar.  At  the  age  of  13  he  was 
sent  home  to  Stavanger,  Norway,  where  he  fin- 
ished his  literary  education. 


INGA  HELEN  IMBRITT, 

Daughter    of    Captain     Harry    and   Aletta    (born 
Hellekson)   Imbritt,  was  born  in  Chicago,  March 


Inga    Helen    Imbritt. 


15,  1869.  She  was  educated  in  the  city  schools 
and  later  took  up  the  work  of  a  professional 
nurse,  to  which  calling  she  devoted  several  years. 
Afterward  she  studied  dentistry  in  the  dental 
department  of  the  University  of  Illinois  and 
graduated  in  1901  with  the  degree  of  D.  D.  S. 
Dr.  Imbritt  then  opened  an  office  and  has  since 
practiced  with  success.  Her  office  is  at  1232  N. 
California  a>  '-me. 


Prof.  J.  R.  Jacobsen. 


At  an  early  age  he  had  shown  his  inclination  to 
become  a  musician  fand  at  17  he  went  to  Chris- 
tiania,  where  he  entered  the  Royal  Conservatory 
of  Music  at  the  head  of  which  is  the  well  known 
Professor  Lindeman.  Mr.  Jacobsen  graduated 
from  there  in  1897. 

Eager  to  acquire  a  more  comprehensive  musi- 
cal education  he  went  to  Berlin,  Germany,  where 
he  studied  composition,  counterpoint  and  piano 
for  such  masters  as  the  famous  Ludvig  Bussler, 
Harriers-Wippern  and  Hans  Pfitzner. 

In  the  summer  of  1898  he  came  to  Chicago 
where  he  resided  until  in  1901  when  he  returned 
to  Norway  to  take  a  post  graduate  course.  At 
this  period  he  wrote  several  compositions  which 


360 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


were  .published  and  most  favorably  commented 
upon  by  such  musical  critics  as  Otto  Winter- 
Hjelm,  Hans  Lystad,  and  others. 

In  1903  he  returned  to  America  and  settled  in 
Chicago,  where  he  teaches  his  art  to  a  large  cir- 
cle of  pupils.  He  also  holds  the  position  of  or- 
ganist in  Christ  Norwegian-  Lutheran  Church. 


CARL   MARINIUS  JACOBSON, 

The  chief  waterworks  crib-keeper  at  the  two-mile 
crib,  was  born  in  Drammen,  Norway,  May  12, 
1858.  His  parents  were  Olaus  and  Ingeborg 
Jacobson,  his  father  being  a  sailor  in  Norway. 


C.  M.  Jacobson. 

Our  subject  had  the  advantage  of  what  the  com- 
mon schools  afforded,  together  with  some  even- 
ing lessons,  but  as  soon  as  he  was  confirmed  in 
St.  Agnes  Lutheran  Church  he  went  to  sea,  when 
only  15  years  old.  He  sailed  mostly  on  the  Baltic 
and  North  Seas,  during  the  summers,  and  attended 
navigation  schools  in  the  winter.  He  passed  the 


navigation  examination  in  1878,  and  then  sailed 
as  second  mate  and  mate  until  1882,  when  he 
came  to  America  to  visit  his  parents,  who  had 
migrated  to  this  country  two  years  before.  They 
had  settled  at  Manitowoc,  Wis.  He  remained 
with  his  parents  for  three  years  at  Manitowoc, 
when  his  father  moved  to  Wittenborg,  Wis.,  and 
took  up  eighty  acres  of  land.  Carl  remained  with 
him  four  years  longer. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Lena  Tollefson,  daugh- 
ter of  Iver  and  Marit  Tollefson,  of  Manitowoc, 
Wis.,  on  Nov.  30,  1889.  They  have  two  sons  — 
Walton  Norman,  born  Sept.  14,  1890,  and  George 
Oliver,  born  Aug.  20,  1892. 

In  1889  he  located  in  Chicago.  Here  he  se- 
cured an  interest  in  the  schooner  Truman  Mass 
and  sailed  it  as  its  captain  for  ten  years.  He 
sold  his  interest  in  it  in  1899,  when  he  was  ap- 
pointed assistant  cribkeeper  at  the  Chicago  ave- 
nue water-works  crib.  He  is  now  a  civil-service 
appointee  as  keeper  at  the  two-mile  crib,  having 
held  this  position  since  1902. 

His  father  died  on  his  farm  in  1903;  his  mother 
is  still  living. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  is  a  member  of 
Lodge  No.  610,  Union  Park,  A.  F.  and  A.  M., 
York  Chapter  No.  148,  the  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  a 
member  of  the  county  democracy. 

The  family  has  just  moved  into  their  own  new 
home  at  1031  N.  Spaulding  avenue. 


ERIC  A.  JACOBSON, 

The  Merchant  at  Lisbon,  111.,  was  born  in  Dyre, 
near  Troms0,  Norway,  April  23,  1845.  His  par- 
ents were  Jacob  and  Hanna  (Reinholt)  Ericson. 
Our  subject  attended  the  common  school  and 
night  school  at  Troms0.  He  was  then  appren- 
ticed to  learn  the  shoemaker  trade,  which  he 
completed  in  Norway. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Ingeliv  Reistad  in 
Romsdalen,  near  Molde,  Norway,  Aug.  11,  1872, 
which  was  a  Sunday,  and  on  the  next  day  they 
left  for  America,  considering  it  their  wedding 
trip.  They  came  via  New  York,  Chicago  and 
Morris,  arriving  in  Lisbon  on  Dec.  31.  Here 
he  started  a  shoeshop,  which  he  conducted  until 
1886.  He  then  started  a  general  store  and  oper- 
ated it  alone  until  1893,  when  he  took  in  Mr.  Ed 
Osmonson  as  a  partner  who  the  following  year 
sold  his  interest  to  Ole  Ness,  and  the  firm  name 
was  changed  to  Jacobson,  Ness  &  Co. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


361 


Mr.  Jacobson  was  a  member  of  the  republican 
county  central  committee  in  1888  and  took  an 
active  part  in  the  presidential  election  of  that 
year. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jacobson  have  had  five  children 
—  Jacob  Bernhard,  born  in  1873;  Emma,  1875; 


E.  A.  Jacobson  and  Wife. 


Belle,  1878;  Franklin  Porter,  1886;  Inez  Carolina, 
in  1891.  Inez  died  when  four  years  old.  Emma 
married  Charles  Craig,  who  later  died.  Belle  is 
married  to  James  Condon;  they  are  now  living 
in  Kansas.  The  family  are  members  of  the  South 
Church  in  Lisbon  and  reside  in  their  own  home. 


English  and  American  ships.  Two  years  he  was 
employed  in  the  U.  S.  revenue  service.  Here  he 
found  time  to  begin  his  preparation  for  college 
and  later  entered  the  Academy  of  East  Green- 
which,  R.  I.,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1879. 
The  following  year  he  entered  Yale  College, 
where  he  graduated  in  1884.  He  then  entered 
the  Theological  Seminary  in  New  Haven  to 
study  for  the  ministry.  About  this  time  Chi- 
cago Theological  Seminary  opened  its  foreign 
departments  and  Mr.  Jernberg  was  invited  to 
come  to  Chicago  to  give  instruction  in  these, 
while  he  completed  his  own  theological  studies 


Prof.  R.  A.  Jernberg. 


REINERT  AUGUST  JERNBERG, 

Was  born  at  Fredrikshald,  Norway,  and  was 
educated  in  the  Latin  schools  of  Sarpsborg  and 
Fredrikstad  until  about  sixteen  years  of  age, 
when,  according  to  the  usual  custom  in  the  coast 
towns  of  Norway,  he  went  to  sea  and  spent  five 
years  of  his  life  before  the  mast  in  Norwegian, 


in  the  American  course  of  the  same  institution. 
This  offer  he  accepted  and  graduated  from  Chi- 
cago Theological  Seminary  in  1887.  For  ten 
years  he  continued  as  an  instructor  in  the  Dan- 
ish-Norwegian department  until  in  1895  he  was 
inaugurated  professor  of  biblical  and  practical 
theology  in  the  professorship  then  established 
by  an  endowment  from  Mrs.  D.  K.  Pierson  of 
Chicago.  In  addition  to  his  work  as  an  instruc- 
tor Mr.  Jernberg  also  served  two  American 
churches  in  Chicago  as  their  pastor  for  some 
time. 


362 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


In  1890  the  religious  weekly  paper  "Evange- 
listen"  was  started  in  connection  with  the  mis- 
sionary work  among  the  Danes  and  Norwegians 
in  America,  and  Prof.  Jernberg  was  for  ten  years 
its  editor  and  business  manager.  This  responsi- 
bility he  surrendered  to  a  publishing  society  in 
1899,  and  the  paper  has  grown  to  strength-  and 
influence  under  the  new  management.  For  further 
information  about  this  work  see  the  article  on 
Congregationalism  in  another  part  of  this  volume. 

Prof.  Jernberg  was  married  in  1887  to  Sarah 
Emily  Libby  of  Boston,  Mass.  They  have  two 
children,  Prudence  Emilv  and  Arthur  Reinert, 
who  are  both  attending  school. 


in  1883  went  to  Faribault,  Minn,  as  office  manager 
of  a  large  grain  and  elevator  company.  Upon 
the  death  of  the  principal  partner,  the  business 
went  into  other  hands,  and  Mr.  Jersin  was  ap- 
pointed deputy  clerk  of  the  District  Court,  and 
clerk  of  the  Probate  Court. 

In  1890  he  went  to  Aberdeen,  S.  D.,  to  take 
charge  of  the  office  of  the  general  agency  for 
the  Deering  Harvester  Company,  and  later  moved 
with  the  office  to  Mitchell,  S.  D.  In  1893  he  was 
made  first  assistant  credit-man  at  the  company's 
general  office  in  Chicago,  which  position  he  left  in 
1900,  broken  in  health  from  overwork.  After  a 


JOHAN    SECKMANN    FLEISCHER   JERSIN 

Is  a  son  of  Sjzfren  Schjelderup  Jersin,  whose 
father,  the  Rev.  Andreas  Undal  Jersin,  for  many 
years  was  minister  (sognepraest)  in  Os  and  Samn- 
anger,  near  Bergen,  and  his  wife  Gustava  Fred- 
rikke,  a  daughter  of  "Proprietor"  Johan  Seck- 
mann  Fleischer,  Lekve,  Voss,  where  he  was  born 
Feb.  17,  1857. 

His  father  first  was  a  merchant  at  Evanger, 
Voss,  afterwards  at  Mosterhavn,  midway  be- 
tween Bergen  and  Stavanger,  where  he  also  held 
the  office  of  postmaster.  Later  he  was  appointed 
keeper  of  Slotter0  lighthouse,  a  few  miles  south 
of  Bergen,  one  of  the  largest  on  the  coast,  and 
here  the  subject  of  our  sketch  grew  up,  on  a 
small  island  surrounded  by  the  sometimes  calm 
and  smiling,  but  often  roaring  and  tempestuous, 
North  Sea. 

His  first  education  was  received  through  private 
tutors  at  home.  At  the  age  of  twelve  he  and 
his  younger  brother  Andreas, — who  has  served 
several  terms  as  county  judge  of  Richland  county, 
— were  sent  to  Bergen  where  they  attended 
Tank's  middleskole. 

In  1876  John  Jersin  entered  the  employ  of  the 
publishing  house  of  his  uncle  Fredrik  Beyer.  A 
severe  attack  of  bronchitis  forced  him,  three  years 
later,  to  return  home.  In  a  free  and  roaming  life 
on  sea  and  land  he  soon  regained  his  health  and 
assisted  his  father  until  in  1881,  when  he  emigrated 
to  America,  under  engagement  with  Thoreson  & 
Siverts,  who  conducted  a  large  general  mer- 
chandise store  at  Northfield,  Minn.  Both  partners 
entering  into  banking,  Mr.  Jersin  attended  to 
the  closing  out  of  their  mercantile  business,  and 


John  Jersin. 


few  months'  rest  he  accepted  the  position  as 
manager  of  Paul  O.  Stensland  &  Co.'s  real  estate 
and  insurance  office,  from  which  he  resigned  in 
1905  to  go  into  the  same  line  of  business  on  his 
own  account. 

In  1899  he  married  Miss  Rena  Anda,  only 
daughter  of  Ole  and  Serena  Anda,  born  Kloster. 
They  have  no  children  of  their  own,  but  have 
taken  and  are  educating  his  sister's  three  orphan 
children.  Their  home  is  in  Norwood  Park,  Chi- 
cago. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


363 


i  John  Jersin  has  been  very  active  in  church 
ind  benevolent  work.  From  1896  to  1904  he  was 
liairman  of  the  board  of  trustees  for  Zion  Nor- 
(vegian  Evangelical  Lutheran  congregation,  and 
vith  the  pastor,  Rev.  Meyer,  was  largely  instru- 
nental  in  erecting  the  new  and  beautiful  church 
t  the  corner  of  Potomac  and  Artesian  avenues. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  committee  which 
ramed  the  constitution  and  by-laws  for  the  Nor- 
.vegian  Old  People's  Home  Society,  and  its  sec- 
etary  for  a  number  of  years.  The  Society  had 
lothing  to  start  with,  not  even  the  good  will  of 
majority  of  the  people.  By  his  tireless,  per- 
istent  and  intelligent  work  during  the  first  strug- 
g  years,  and  the  hundreds  of  newspaper  ar- 
icles  through  which  he  constantly  advocated  the 
ause  of  the  home,  its  splendid  success  can  in  a 
reat  measure  be  attributed  to  him,  and  to  its 
enerable  president.  Dr.  N.  T.  Quales. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran 
Deaconess  Society,  the  Norwegian  Children's 
ionic  Society,  and  the  singing  society  "Bjjzirg- 


Musical    College)    and    Verna   Alice   Jevne.     The 
family  are  members  of  the   First   Congregational 


CHARLES   MORITZ   JEVNE 

Was  born  at  Hamar,  Norway,  Feb.  12,  1851.  His 
arents  were  Hans  and  Martha  Jevne.  He  was 
ducated  in  the  public  and  high  schools  (Borger 
skole)  of  Hamar  and  graduated  in  1866  at  the 
age  of  15.  The  same  year,  in  company  with  his 
brother,  Hans  Jevne,  now  of  Los  Angeles,  Cal., 
he  migrated  to  America,  arriving  in  Chicago  on 
Oct.  18,  1866.  He  immediately  entered  the  store 
of  his  brother  Christian,  now  C.  Jevne  &  Co.. 
as  bookkeeper.  In  1879  he  engaged  in  the  retail 
grocery  business  for  himself,  having  stores  both 
in  Chicago  and  St.  Paul.  For  the  last  fourteen 
years,  however,  he  has  confined  himself  exclu- 
sively to  the  tea  and  coffee  business  at  386-88 
Milwaukee  avenue. 

On  May  18,  1873,  he  was  married  to  Anna 
Olena  Johnson,  who  was  b.orn  in  Chicago,  of 
Norwegian  parents,  in  1854.  Her  parents  were 
«arly  settlers  in  Chicago  and  charter  members 
of  the  first  Norwegian  Lutheran  church  organ- 
ized. Mrs.  Jevne  died  Sept.  7,  1905.  They  had 
six  children,  one  of  which,  Harvey  Morilz,  died 
in  infancy.  The  living  children  are  Rev.  C.  Ar- 
thur Jevne,  Eveline  M.  (a  teacher  in  the  Chicago 
schools),  Amos  G.  (associated  with  his  father 
in  business),  Grace  O.  (a  student  at  the  Chicago 


C.  M.  Jevne. 


Church,   Washington   boulevard   and   Ann   street, 
and  reside  at  667  N.  Hoyne  avenue. 


MRS.   CLARA  JEVNE 

Was  born  in  Birie,  near  Mj0sen,  Norway,  May 
26,  1849,  her  parents  being  Andreas  and  Nina 
Maria  Kluge,  both  deceased. 

Mrs.  Jevne  came  to  America  in  1868,  two  years 
after  her  father.  Her  mother  having  died  previ- 
ously, her  father  had  remarried  in  Norway.  An- 
dreas Kluge  settled  in  Humboldt  county,  Iowa, 
where  his  widow  and  several  children  are  still 
living. 

In  1870  Miss  Clara  Kluge  was  married  to 
Christian  Jevne.  of  Chicago.  Four  children  were 
born  to  them — Henry  Marquis,  Alma  Martha. 
Clara  Caspara  and  a  boy  that  died  when  six 


364 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


months  old.  Clara  married  Oscar  Haugan,  a  son 
of  president  Helge  A.  Haugan  of  the  State  Bank 
of  Chicago,  in  1900.  Mrs.  Jevne  is  a  member  of 
the  Vala  Club,  the  Lutheran  Women's  League 
and  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church,  corner 
Roscoe  and  Osgood  streets.  She  is  a  liberal 
contributor  to  different  cfiarities  and  with  her 
daughter  (Alma)  resides  at  her  pleasant  home  at 
640  La  Salle  avenue. 


Mrs.  Clara  Jevne. 

Mr.  Christian  Jevne  died  March  17,  1898.  His 
biography  and  portrait  appear  on  another  page 
of  this  volume. 

Mr.  Henry  Jevne  was  married  July  19,  1906,  to 
Miss  Virginia  Henneberger,  of  New  Rochelle, 
N.  Y.  They  reside  at  Portland,  Oregon. 


HANS  JEVNE 

Was  born  in  Hamar,  Norway,  Feb.  28,  1849.  He 
attended  the  Latin  school  there,  but  left  for  the 
United  States  when  17  years  old,  joining  here 
his  brother,  C.  Jevne,  in  1866. 


In  1872  he  married  Miss  Mina  Cox  (Amer- 
ican), and  they  have  three  children  living.  The 
oldest  son,  J.  A.,  is  now  associated  with  him  in 
business  in  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  where  his  oldest 
daughter  also  lives,  having  married  a  prominent 
banker  of  that  place. 

Mr.  Jevne  went  to  California  in  1882,  starting 
a  small  grocery.  He  has  grown  up,  so  to  speak, 
with  the  town,  has  prospered,  and  owns  now  one 
of  the  largest  as  well  as  the  best  equipped  stores 
in  the  country.  He  is  a  director  of  the  First  Na- 
tional Bank  and  the  Southern  California  Savings 
Bank,  of  Los  Angeles.  Mr.  Jevne  has  seen  Los 


Hans  Jevne. 


Angeles  grow  from  a  village  to  the  second  larg- 
est city  on  the  Pacific  coast,  and  has  been  active 
in  its  chamber  of  commerce  and  all  enterprises 
tending  toward  the  growth  and  upbuilding  of 
the  city. 


SdREN  JOHANSEN 

Was   born   in   Trugstad,   Norway,   Sept.   20,   1849. 
His  father  was   a   hauling  contractor  in   Christi- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


365 


jania,   and   died   Jan.    12,   1887;     his     mother    died 
March  17,  1884. 

j  At  the  age  of  14  Soren  went  to  Christiania, 
Iwhere  he  entered  the  Isacson  machine  shop  to 
'learn  the  machinist  trade,  without  pay.  At  the 
lage  of  17  he  entered  the  J.  &  A.  Jensen  &  Dahl 
machine  shop  to  finish  learning  his  trade.  In 
1871  he  was.  sent  to  Clarafors  Woodpulp  Mill 
Company,  Varmland,  Sweden,  to  erect  machin- 
ery, and  while  there  he  married  Miss  Louise 
Ellstrom,  of  the  same  place.  In  1874  he  returned 
to  Christiania  and  was  made  assistant  master 


Soren  Johansen. 


mechanic  by  J.  &  A.  Jensen  &  Dahl;  but  later 
was  sent  out  to  erect  machinery  in  Skien,  Fred- 
rikshald,  Lomsdalen  Ronsfjoren,  Kongsvinger, 
Moss;  and  Sorknass  in  Aamot,  Drjzibak,  etc. 

In  1879  he  left  Norway  for  America  and  set- 
tled in  Chicago,  where  he  was  employed  by 
Mason  &  Co.,  Excelsior  Iron  Works,  until  1885. 
Then  he  was  employed  by  Eraser  &  Chalmers 
as  gang  boss  or  foreman,  making  engines  and 
air  compressors. 

In   1886   he  was   sent   to   Mexico  to   erect  ma- 


chinery for  the  United  Mexican  Mining  Com- 
pany, Guanajuata,  where  he  resided  with  his 
family  until  1893,  when  Mr.  Johansen  and  family 
returned  to  Chicago.  In  the  same  year  he  was 
chosen  master  mechanic  for  the  Costa  Rica  and 
Pacific  Gold  Mining  Company,  in  Central  Amer- 
ica; but  in  1895  returned  to  Chicago,  and  in  the 
same  year  went  to  Monserrat  Consolidated  Min- 
ing Company,  Yuscaran,  Honduras,  C.  A.,  as 
master  mechanic.  He  also  served  the  New  York 
&  Honduras  Rosario  Mining  Company  in  the 
same  capacity.  In  1903  Mr.  Johansen  resigned 
and  returned  <c  Chicago  and  invested  his  money 
in  real  estate;  and  after  two  years'  rest  started 
as  real  estate  broker,  with  office  at  848  Armitage 
avenue,  corner  of  Humboldt  boulevard. 

Mr.  Johansen  is  an  unassuming  man  and  lover 
of  a  quiet  life.  Is  a  member  and  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Immanuel  Lutheran  Church, 
corner  of  Maplewood  avenue  and  Cherry  place. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johansen  have  four  children  — 
Conrad  Johansen,  chief  mechanic  for  the  Limon 
Company,  Nicaragua,  C.  A.,  and  Adolph  Johan- 
sen, assistant  in  charge  of  the  general  order  de- 
partment of  the  Allis-Chalmers  Company,  Mil- 
waukee, Wis.  They  also  have  two  daughters  — 
Nathalia  and  Minnie  Mabel  —  living  with  their 
parents  at  176  Humboldt  boulevard. 


EDWARD  JOHANSON, 

The  well-known  cigar  manufacturer,  was  born  in 
Christiania,  Norway,  March  22,  1834.  He  com- 
menced to  work  in  the  tobacco  business  when 
8  years  old  and  has  followed  the  same  line  ever 
since.  When  18  years  old  he  went  to  Denmark, 
but  after  a  short  stay  returned  to  Norway. 

He  was  married  to  Caroline  Severine  K01seth, 
Aug.  7,  1855,  in  Norway.  They  emigrated  to 
America  in  1868,  coming  direct  to  Chicago.  He 
started  in  the  cigar  business  at  113  W.  Washing- 
ton street,  in  1870,  but  after  the  great  fire  he 
sold  his  interests  on  the  West  Side  and  moved 
to  State  and  Polk  streets.  This  business  he  af- 
terward sold  to  his  son,  and  in  1883  started  busi- 
ness in  Auburn  Park,  where  he  is  located  now. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johanson  were  blessed  with  ten 
children,  five  of  them  now  living.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  the  family 
attends  the  Lutheran  Church. 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Edward  Johanson. 


REV.  ALFRED  OTTO  JOHNSON 

Was  born  May  12,  1871,  in  Zumboota,  Goodhue 
county,  Minnesota.  His  parents,  Hans  Johnson 
(Fr0islie)  from  S0ndre  Lands  parish,  Norway, 
at  that  time. a  merchant,  and  his  mother  Guro 
Strand  from  Hallingdal,  Norway,  are  still  living. 


Mrs.  Edw.  Johanson. 


Rev.  A.  O.  Johnson. 


In  1874  his  parents  moved  to  Red  Wing,  Minn., 
the  county  seat  of  Goodhue  county  where  his 
father  had  been  elected  clerk  of  the  county  court, 
in  which  capacity  he  served  twelve  years.  Here 
our  subject  received  his  education  in  the  public 
schools  of  the  city  and  in  the  parochial  school  of 
Trinity  Church,  where  he  was  confirmed  July  5,  ; 
1885.  In  the  fall  of  1885  he  was  inrolled  as  a 
student  at  Luther  College,  Decorah,  Iowa,  enter- 
ing the  second  class.  In  1891  he  was  graduated 
and  in  the  fall  entered  upon  the  study  of  theo- 
lovy  at  Luther  Seminary,  then  located  at  Rob- 
binsdale,  Minn. 

On  the  22nd  of  Feb.  1894  he  received  a  call 
as  temporary  pastor  of  Spring  Prairie  and  other 
congregations  in  Dane  Co.,  Wis.,  while  their 
pastor  Rev.  C.  K.  Preus  was  temporarily  serv- 
ing Our  Savior's  Church  in  Chicago. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


367 


On  March  1.  he  passed  examination,  was 
graduated  and  ordained  at  Red  Wing,  Minn.,  by 
the  Rt.  Rev.  K.  Bjerge  on  the  llth  of  March 
and  was  installed  at  Spring  Prairie  on  March 
15th. 

On  March  15,  1895,  he  received  a  call  from 
Our  Savior's  Church  in  Chicago,  111.  He  imme- 
diately accepted  the  call  and  came  to  Chicago 
June  14,  1895,  was  installed  the  following  Sun- 
day, June  Ifi,  and  has  served  the  congregation 
since.  On  June  11,  1895,  just  previous  to  taking 
charge  of  the  congregation  -in  Chicago,  he  was 
married  to  Buntina  Marie  Olson,  born  and  raised 
in  Red  Wing,  a  daughter  of  Peter  Olson  Nor- 
land, deceased,  and  Helene  Hvidhammer,  both 
of  Trondhjcm.  Of  this  marriage  five  children 
were  born:  Paul  Gerhard,  April  19,  1896;  Bern- 
hard  Alfred,  April  25,  1898;  Harold  Edward,  Oct. 
9,  1902;  Helen  Marie,  Sept.  12,  1904,  and  Clara 
Ovidia,  Dec.  19,  1906. 

During  the  first  ten  years  of  his  pastorate  he 
lived  in  the  parsonage,  226  N.  May  street,  ad- 
joining the  church,  but  in  the  fall  of  1905  Mrs. 
Johnson's  health  became  impaired  so  that  a 
change  became  necessary.  Assuming  that  the 
congregation  would  consider  it  necessary  that 
the  pastor  live  near  the  church,  Rev.  Johnson 
deemed  it  advisable  to  offer  his  resignation, 
which  was  done  in  December  1905.  The  board 
of  deacons  together  with  the  board  of  trustees, 
however,  immediately  requested  the  pastor  to 
withdraw  his  resignation  and  see,  if  it  were  not 
possible  to  find  a  home  in  a  less  populated  dis- 
trict and  serve  the  congregation  as  before.  This 
request  was  again  made  at  the  following  congre- 
gational meeting.  The.  resignation  was  with- 
drawn, and  the  pastor  moved  with  his  family  to 
2203  N.  Monticello  Ave.  (in  Irving  Park),  where 
he  now  lives,  maintaining  a  study  in  the  old 
parsonage,  226  N.  May  street,  where  he  is  to  be 
found  forenoons  and  evenings. 


now  living  in  Nebraska  —  moved  to  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Norway,  La  Salle  county,  111.,  and 
was-  tliere  remarried,  to  Mr.  Peter  Ormson,  with 
whom 'she  had  two  children, -twins,  of  whom  the 
son  'is  livirtg,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Norway, 
111.  -  The  other  twin,  a  daughter,  died  when  6 
years  old.  Mrs.  Johnson  was  10  years  old  when 
her  mother  died. 

After  having  attended  the  district  school  un- 
til 12  'years  of  age  she  had  to  go  out  and  work 
for  her  own  support  among  Americans,  receiv- 
ing only'50  cents  per  week,  with  which  munifi- 
cent salary  she  had  to  buy  her  own  clothes  and 


Mrs.   A.   H.   Johnson. 


MRS.  ANDREW  H.  JOHNSON 

Was  born  in  Telemarken,  Norway,  Jan.  27,  1841. 
Her  father  was  Ole  Baker  (Backa),  a  farmer, 
and  her  mother  Carrie  Stenb^n.  Her  parents 
migrated  to  America  when  she  was  only  one 
year  and  a  half  old,  and  settled  in  Muskego, 
Wis.  Her  father  died  there  one  year  after  their 
arrival.  Her  mother  then  with  her  two  children 
—  Mrs.  Johnson  and  her  brother,  Ole  Baker, 


shoes.  She  had,  however,  kind  relatives  living 
there,  cousins  and  aunts,  with  whom  she  could 
make  'her  home. 

At  the  early  age  of  16J/J  years  she  was  mar- 
ried to  'Mr.  Andrew  H.  Johnson,  Avho  was  born 
near  Stavanger,  Norway,  and'  at  the  time  of 
their  marriage  about  27  years  of  age.  He  rented 
a  farm  in  La  Salle  county,  'moved  later  to  a 
rented  farm  in  Kendall  county,  and  finally  bought 
a  farm  near'  the  site  of  the  present  town  of  Lee, 
in  De  Kalb  county. 

Eight  children  were  born  to  them,  of  whom 
one  girl  died  in  infancy  and  seven  are  living. 


368 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


They  are:  Henry  William,  banker,  ex-judge; 
Caroline  (Carrie),  widow  of  John  Hovda,  post- 
mistress at  Leland,  111.;  Melinde,  married  to  Mr. 
Varland,  of  Seneca,  111.;  Ole  has  bou'ght  their 
homestead  near  Lee,  III;  James  E.,  dealer  in 
grain  and  Stock,  Lee,  111.;  Emma  Julia,  married 
to  Ole  Bucken  and  lives  three  miles  north  of 
Rochelle,  111.;  Erin  Cyrus,  a  farmer  in  Iowa.  All 
of  Mrs.  Johnson's  children  have  children,  so  she 
is  at  the  present  writing  the  happy  grandmother 
of  thirty-eight  grandchildren. 

Mrs.  Johnson,  who  is  still  hale  and  hearty  and 
much  brighter  than  many  not  half  her  age,  is 
spending  her  declining  years  in  her  own  nice 
residence  near  Lee,  surrounded  by  some  of  her 
grandchildren,  with  whom  she  with  her  lively 
temperament  is  in  sympathy. 


ANDREW  P.  JOHNSON, 

President  and  organizer  of  the  Johnson  Chair 
Company,  was  born  at  Voss,  Norway,  Nov.  22, 
1835.  His  parents  were  John  and  Emily  (born 
Vinge  Gjerager)  Johnson.  He  came  to  America 
with  his  parents  in  1850,  settling  on  a  farm  in 
Boone  county,  Illinois,  near  Beloit,  Wis.  Here 
our  subject  worked  on  his  father's  farm  and  at- 
tended the  public  school  until  twenty  years  old. 
He  then  went  to  Beloit  to  learn  the  trade  of  a 
carpenter,  and  remained  there  until  1861,  when 
he  came  to  Chicago.  The  next  year  he  was  em- 
ployed by  the  federal  government  and  was  as- 
signed to  the  construction  corps  in  the  army,  in 
which  capacity  he  served  until  the  end  of  the 
war,  having  worked  at  Nashville,  Chattanooga, 
Bridgeport  and  other  places.  Returning  to  Chi- 
cago after  the  war,  he  took  up  his  carpenter  work 
again  as  a  contractor  and  builder. 

In  1868  he  went  into  partnership  with  Messrs. 
F.  Herhold  and  A.  Borgmeier  for  the  manufacture 
of  chairs,  the  firm  name  being  Herold,  Johnson 
&  Borgmeier.  He  later  bought  out  Mr.  Her- 
hold's  interest,  and  in  1877  took  in  his  brother, 
Nels  Johnson,  the  name  of  the  firm  being  A.  P. 
Johnson  &  Co.  In  1883  they  incorporated  under 
the  laws  of  the  state  of  Illinois  as  the  Johnson 
Chair  Company,  of  which  our  subject  has  been 
president,  Nels  Johnson,  secretary  and  A.  Borg- 
meier treasurer.  Mr.  Borgmeier  died  in  1905  arid 
Joseph  F.  Johnson,  our  subject's  oldest  son,  was 


elected  treasurer  of  the  company.  For  further 
reference  to  the  growth  and  development  of  the 
Johnson  Chair  Company  we  refer  our  readers  to 
an  article  under  another  heading  in  this  history. 
Mr.  Johnson  was  the  organizer  of  the  Mt. 
Olive  Cemetery  Association,  has  been  a  director 
of  the  State  Bank  of  Chicago  since  it  was  or- 
ganized in  1891,  he  is  president  of  the  Wicker 
Park  Safety  Deposit  Vault  Company,  and  a  di- 
rector of  the  Asbestos  Sad  Iron  Company,  of 
Canal  Dover,  Ohio.  He  has  always  been  a? 
stanch  republican,  and  represented  his  ward,  the 
Fourteenth,  in  the  city  council  in  1889-91. 


A.  P.  Johnson. 


Mr.  Johnson  married  Martha  Magnussen  Sattre 
in  1871.  Five  children  were  born  to  them, 
namely:  Joseph  F.,  Anna  E.,  Arthur  L.,  Benja- 
min O.  and  Ruth  Isabelle.  He  is  one  of  the 
founders  of  the  Norwegian  Old  People's  Home 
and  was  its  president  for  two  years.  He  was 
also  among  the  first  to  help  build  and  maintain 
the  Tabitha  Hospital  and  the  Deaconess  Home 
and  Hospital,  having  served  on  the  buildina  com- 
mittee of  both.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Wicker 
Park  English  Lutheran  Church  and  chairman  of 
the  board  of  trustees.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
A.  O.  U.  W. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


369 


Mr.  Johnson  is  a  quiet,  consistent  and  faithful 
Christian  gentleman,  and  in  all  his  walks  in  life 
has  been  upright  in  his  dealings,  kind  and  con- 
siderate of  the  welfare  of  others,  and  is  loved 

land  respected  by  all  who  know  him.     The  fam- 

'ily  resides  at  695  N.  Robey  street. 


the  old  country.     He  has  continued  in  that  busi- 
ness. 

On  May  7,  1884,  he  was  married  to  Inga  E. 
Hanson.  They  have  three  children,  Frank,  19 
years;  Beulah,  17,  Archer,  13.  Mr.  Johnson  is  a 
supporter  of  the  Norwegian  Old  People's  Home 
and  the  Lutheran  Children's  Home,  ii,  a  member 
of  the  Royal  League,  and  attends  the  English 
Lutheran  Church.  The  family  resides  at  632 
N.  Hoyne  avenue. 


ANTON  JOHNSON 

Was  born  near  Christiania,  Norway,  Feb.  4,  1854, 
a  son  of  John  and  Ellen  Olson.  He  attended 
school  in  the  old  country  and  remained  there 
until  he  was  18  years  old. 


Anton  Johnson. 


In  1872  he  came  to  America,  his  parents  hav- 
ing preceded  him  the  year  before.  His  first 
three  years  in  America  were  spent  on  a  farm 
about  forty  miles  west  of  Chicago.  In  1875  he 
left  the  farm  and  started  the  business  of  manu- 
facturing clothing  in  Chicago,  in  company  with 
an  older  brother,  who  had  learned  his  trade  in 


ALLEN    (ERLAND)   JOHNSON 

Was  born  at  Ytter  Sogn,  in  Viks  prestegjeld, 
Norway,  April  7,  1837.  His  father  was  Joe  John- 
son, whose  business  it  was  to  carry  mail  by  boat 


Allen  Johnson. 


between  different  places,  and  his  mother  was 
Anna  Erlands.  Mr.  Johnson  went  to  the  country 
school  for  his  education  and  was  confirmed  at 
the  age  of  14  in  Vik.  He  then  worked  on  farms 


870 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


until  he  was  19  years  of  age,  when  he  concluded 
to  migrate  to  America. 

He  landed  from  a  sailing  vessel  at  Quebec  in 
1856.  From  there  he  came  to  Chicago,  where  he 
worked  in  a  lumber  yard  for  nearly  three  months 
in  order  to  save  up  enough  money  to  pay  for  his 
transportation  across  the  ocean.  Being  a  poor 
lad,  he  had  to  borrow  the  sum  from  friends  to 
pay  his  passage.  An  American  picked  up  Mr. 
Johnson  and  two  other  brawny  Norwegian  boys 
and  induced  them  to  go  out  and  work  on  his  farm 
in  Lee  county,  south  of  Dixon.  Here  Johnson 
remained  only  two  months,  as  he  became  home- 
sick living  among  strangers,  and  returned  to  Chi- 
cago. He  remained  in  Chicago  another  two 
months,  and  then,  not  feeling  well,  was  advised 
by  a  doctor  to  go  into  the  country.  He  then 
went  to  Willow  Creek  township,  where  he  worked 
on  farms  two  years;  then  he  worked  a  farm  on 
shares  about  three  years,  when  he  had  saved 
enough  money  to  buy  eighty  acres  of  land.  He 
now  cultivated  his  own  ground,  which,  however, 
he  sold  after  ten  years  and  bought  a  farm  of 
160  acres,  where  he  has  been  living  since. 

In  1870  he  was  married  to  Miss  Inger  Olsdat- 
ter  Winterton,  with  whom  he  has  had  three  chil- 
dren: Joe,  Anna  and  Bertholine. 

The  family  belongs  to  the  church  of  the  Luth- 
eran Norwegian  Synod. 


REV.  CHARLES  J.  JOHNSON, 

Pastor  of  the  Norwegian-Danish  Methodist 
Church  at  Evanston,  111.,  was  born  to  John  and 
Johanna  Johnson  in  Christiansund,  Norway, 
April  11,  1873.  When  about  one  year  old  his 
parents  moved  to  Trondhjem,  and  in  1878,  believ- 
ing that  America  offered  better  opportunity  for 
their  children,  they  emigrated  and  came  to  Chi- 
cago, arriving  in  October. 

Charles  received  his  preliminary  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  Chicago  and  later  learned 
the  printer's  trade,  intending  to  follow  that  as 
his  chief  work  in  life.  But  one  day,  early  in  1891, 
the  voice  of  conscience  or  the  call  of  God  came 
to  him  very  distinctly:  he  was  to  preach  the 
Word.  In  order  to  prepare  himself  for  this 
calling  he  attended  the  Norwegian-Danish  The- 
ological Seminary  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  at  Evanston,  and  was  creditably  gradu- 
ated under  the  able  instructions  of  Rev.  Dr.  N. 
E.  Simonsen.  During  his  senior  year  at  the 


seminary  he  organized  the  North  Avenue  Meth- 
odist Mission,  now  called  the  Emmanus  Church. 
His  next  appointment  was  to  Norway,  111.,  where 
he  served  the  church  for  one  year.  During  his 
pastorate  there  he  was  elected  president  of  the 
Chicago  District  Epworth  League  of  the  Nor- 
wegian-Danish Conference,  to  which  position  he 
was  twice  re-elected.  After  leaving  the  Norway 
Congregation  he  was  for  two  years  pastor  of  the 
Kenosha  (Wis.)  Church,  where  he  built  a  beauti- 
ful house  of  worship.  Apart  from  his  pastoral 
duties  at  Park  Side  (Chicago),  which  was  his 
next  appointment  after  leaving  Kenosha,  he  corn- 


Rev.  C.  J.  Johnson. 


pleted  the  four-year  philosophical  course  at  the 
academy  of  the  Northwestern  University,  and 
was  graduated  therefrom  in  1901.  During  the 
last  five  years  he  has  held  the  pastorate  of  the 
Evanston  Norwegian-Danish  Methodist  Congre- 
gation. During  this  period  he  also  completed  a 
four-year  scientific  course  at  the  college  of  liberal 
arts  at  the  Northwestern  University  and  was 
graduated  with  the  degree  of  bachelor  of  science. 
While  a  student  he  was  the  winner  of  many  hon- 
ors for  excellence  in  the  art  of  oratory  and  in 
debate.  Both  in  the  academy  and  in  the  college 
of  liberal  arts  of  Northwestern  University  he 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


371 


;  carried  off  the  first  prizes  for  superior  public 
-peaking.  His  subject  in  the  latter  contest  was 
"Nansen's  Dash  for  the  Pole."  As  a  debater  he 
has  also  won  marked  distinction. 

In  August,  1901,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Es- 
ther Marie  Crook,  of  Racine,  Wis.  They  have 
two  children  —  Charles,  4  years;  Henry,  1  year. 
The  family  resides  in  Evanston. 


Co.,  in  1876.  Since  the  death  of  her  husband  in 
1891  Mrs.  Johnson  has  made  her  home  with  her 
son-in-law,  in  Evanston. 


MRS.  CORNELIA  JOHNSON, 

Widow   of    Andrew    Magnus   Johnson,    was   born 
in  Farsund,  Norway,  March  24,  1833. 

She  came  to  America  in  1848,  traveling  by 
canal  to  Buffalo,  by  lake  steamer  to  Milwaukee, 
and  from  there  went  to  Koshkonong,  Dane 
county,  Wisconsin. 


Mrs.    Cornelia  Johnson. 


Mrs.  Johnson  was  married  in  1851.  She  has 
been  a  resident  of  Chicago  and  suburbs  for  thir- 
ty-five years.  Her  daughter,  Eda  Louise,  an  only 
child,  married  Otto  C.  Ericson,  of  C.  Jevne  & 


MRS.  ELINE  THEODORA  JOHNSON, 

The  widow  of  Captain  William  Johnson,  the  well 
known  lake  captain  and  vessel  owner,  was  born 
in  Troms0,  Norway,  Aug.  15,  1845.  Her  parents 


Mrs.  Eline  T.  Johnson. 


were  Edward  Adolph  Shoemaker,  a  sea  captain, 
and  Petrine  .Elizabeth  Thompson,  the  latter  of 
Sandviken,  near  Salten.  They  are  both  dead; 
Captain  Shoemaker  in  1903  and  his  wife,  whom 
he  survived  nearly  thirty  years,  in  1873. 

Miss  Eline  Theodora  Shoemaker  was  married 
to  Captain  Johnson  Sept.  3,  1872.  They  have  had 
five  children:  four  daughters  and  one  son,  of 
whom  three  daughters  are  still  living.  Clara 
Amalia  was  born  Nov.  18,  1873.  She  was  mar- 
ried July  21,  3897,  to  Jens  J.  Meldahl,  the  well 


372 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


known  architect.  They  have  two  children:  Dag- 
ny  Louise,  born  April  20,  1899,  and  Waldemar  J., 
Nov.  15,  1904.  The  second  daughter  Olga  The- 
resa was  born  March  20,  1878.  She  was  mar- 
ried Oct.  17,  1906,  to  Charles  Edgar  Walles,  an 
insurance  man  ot  Chicago.  ,The  third  daughter, 
Alice  Eline  Theodora,  was  born  Au'g.  20,  1880, 
and  is  living  with  her  mother.  The  only  son, 
William  Owen,  was  born  May  29,  1883,  and  died 
when  only  a  few  months  old.  The  last  daughter, 
Dagny  Florence,  was  born  Feb.  13,  1887,  and 
died  Feb.  4,  1893. 

Mrs.  Johnson  has  been  very  active  in  benev- 
olent, charitable  and  church  work.  She  is  a 
member  of  the  Norwegian  Old  People's  Home 
Society,  has  been  on  the  board  of  directors  of 
the  Tabitha  Hospital  for  nine  successive  terms, 
organizer  and  president  of  the  Chicago  School 
Children's  Aid  Society  for  ten  years,  member  of 
Vala,  a  member  of  Aurora  Borealis  (a  literary 
society  older  than  Vala),  belongs  to  the  North- 
west Culture  Club,  has  been  a  member  of  the 
Lutheran  Woman's  League  for  about  five  years, 
and  is  a  member  of  St.  Paul's  Lutheran  Church. 
Mrs.  Johnson  resides  in  her  own  substantial  and 
comfortable  home  at  666  N.  Hoyne  avenue,  near 
Wicker  Park. 

Captain  Johnson  was  a  well  known  resident 
of  Chicago,  and  thou'gh  he  landed  here  as  a  poor 
sailor  boy,  he  acquired  through  his  indomitable 
energy  an  honorable  place  among  his  fellow  men, 
and  through  legitimate  channels  of  business  a 
high  position  in  the  financial  world.  In  1878 
Mrs.  Johnson,  in  company  with  her  husband  and 
oldest  daughter,  visited  the  Paris  exposition  and 
spent  five  months  traveling  in  Europe.  Captain 
Johnson  died  in  1902.  His  sketch  appears  in  an- 
other part  of  this  book. 


Here  Mrs.  Rasmussen  died  in  1866;  her  husband 
died  in  Chicago,  in  1898. 

In  1866,  Miss  Hedvig  Rasmussen  was  mar- 
ried to  Mr.  Ole  Jacobson,  who  died  in  1878.  They 
had  two  sons  and  three  daughters:  One  son  died 
in  infancy.  The  other,  Robert  Jacobson,  mar- 
ried Miss  Maggie  Rogde,  of  Lee,  111.;  they  have 
two  sons.  Margit  Jacobson  married  Charles 
Ostrom,  of  Chicago;  they  have  one  daughter, 
Margit,  2  years  of  age.  Anna  Jacobson  was  mar- 
ried to  Ernest  Gamble,  Fox  Lake,  Wis.;  they 
have  one  son,  James,  and  one  daughter,  Margit. 


Mrs.  Hedvig  Johnson. 


MRS.  HEDVIG  JOHNSON 

Was  born  at  Bergen,  Norway,  Oct.  28,  1847.  Her 
father  was  Rasmus  Rasmussen,  a  cooper,  and 
her  mother  Helga  Jacobson,  who  with  their  fam- 
ily of  five  daughters  came  to  America  in  the  sail- 
ing vessel  Rung  Karl,  Captain  Svanoe,  in  1864. 
Mr.  Rasmussen  was  a  very  religious  man  and 
here  became  a  lay  preacher  and  for  several  years 
had  charge  of  the  congregation  (church  and 
school  work  and  confirmations,  etc.)  at  Lee,  111. 


One   daughter,   Hedvig   Olivia,    was    married    to 
Matt.  Larson.     She  died  in  1891. 

In  1881  Mrs.  Jacobson  was  married  to  August 
J.  Johnson,  partner  of  her  former  husband.  Mr. 
Johnson  was  a  native  of  Sweden.  He  had  been 
married,  and  had  two  sons  and  a  daughter:  Hans 
P.  Johnson  married  Inga  Nelson,  of  Chicago; 
they  have  four  children  —  Florence,  Hobart,  Ma- 
rie and  Peter.  Anton  J.  Johnson  married  Carrie 
Gernhard;  they  have  six  children  —  Ruth,  Har- 
vey, Helen,  Caroline,  Anton  and  Dorothy.  Dag- 
nv  J-  Johnson  married  Edward  Enerson;  she 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


373 


died  in  1894,  leaving  one  son,  Joseph  E.,  11  years 
of  age. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson  had  two  daughters: 
Jennie  Olga,  born  in  1882;  Athie  Helen  died  in 
infancy.  Mr.  Johnson  died  in  1891. 

The  A.  J.  Johnson  &  Sons  factory  — in  which 
fine  dining-room  furniture  (such  as  sideboards, 
bookcases,  etc.)  is  made  —  is  now  operated  by 
Mr.  Johnson's  sons  by  his  first  wife,  though  Mrs. 
Johnson  still  retains  an  interest. 

Mrs.  Johnson,  with  her  daughter  Jenny,  lives 
in  her  own  residence  at  196  Evergreen  avenue, 
Chicago.  Mrs.  Johnson  is  a  member  of  the  Nor- 
wegian Trinity  Church,  corner  of  Noble  and 
Huron  streets. 


JUDGE  HENRY  W.  JOHNSON. 

Hon.  Henry  W.  Johnson,  of  Ottawa,  111.,  was 
born  in  Miller  township,  La  Salle  county,  Illinois, 
of  Norwegian  parents,  on  Dec.  10,  1858.  He  was 
reared  on  a  farm  in  northern  Illinois,  and  edu- 
cated in  the  public  schools  and  Jennings  Semi- 
nary, Aurora,  and  the  Northwestern  University, 
Evanston,  111. 

At  the  general  election  in  1888  he  was  elected 
clerk  of  the  circuit  court  of  La  Salle  county,  on 
the  republican  ticket,  by  a  plurality  of  one  vote, 
the  county  going  democratic  that  year  by  several 
hundred  votes,  Mr.  Johnson  being  one  of  two 
republicans  elected  in  that  county  that  year.  This 
demonstrated  his  favor  with  the  people,  who  have 
never  failed  to  sustain  him  at  each  and  every  op- 
portunity since. 

In  1890  he  was  admitted  by  the  supreme  court 
of  Illinois  to  practice  law,  and  shortly  thereafter 
engaged  in  the  active  practice  of  his  chosen  pro- 
fession at  Ottawa,  Illinois,  and  soon  became  very 
successful  as  a  lawyer.  In  1894  his  party,  recog- 
nizing his  strength  and  availability  as  a  candidate, 
nominated  him  for  the  office  of  county  judge 
against  the  incumbent  of  the  office,  who  was  con- 
ceded to  be  the  most  popular  democrat  in  the 
county  at  the  time,  but  when  the  votes  were 
counted  Mr.  Johnson  was  found  to  be  elected  by 
a  plurality  of  2,043  votes.  He  was  re-elected  to 
the  same  office  in  1898  by  a  plurality  of  2,547 
votes,  leading  his  ticket,  and  in  1902  he  refused 
what  would  have  been  an  unanimous  renomination 
to  the  same  office.  His  administration  as  county 
judge  gave  very  general  satisfaction  to  both  the 
bar  and  litigants;  one  may  search  through  the  re- 


ports of  our  courts  of  appeal  in  vain  for  reversals 
of  cases  tried  by  him.  During  the  eight  years  on 
the  bench  he  was  frequently  invited  by  Judge 
Carter  of  Cook  county  to  try  cases  for  him  in 
Chicago. 

Mr.  Johnson  surrendered  his  general  law  prac- 
tice in  1903  to  accept  the  presidency  of  the  Ottawa 
Banking  and  Trust  Company,  Ottawa,  111.,  one 
of  the  growing  and  most  promising  institutions 
of  the  kind  in  the  state  outside  of  Chicago.  He 
is  also  president  of  the  Lee  State  Bank,  Lee,  111., 
and  has  recently  been  elected  president  of  the 
Central  Life  Assurance  Society,  of  Ottawa,  111., 


Judge  H.  W.  Johnson. 


a  growing  and  very  promising  organization.  He 
is  also  vice-president  of  the  supreme  body  of  the 
Fraternal  Mystic  Circle,  of  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and 
holds  the  same  position  with  the  Archaen  Union 
at  Rockford,  111. 

Until  the  fall  of  1906,  when  Mr.  Ole  Benson 
was  elected  sheriff,  Mr.  Johnson  had  been  the 
only  person  of  Scandinavian  antecedents  to  hold 
an  elective  county  office  in  La  Salle  county. 
While  he  is  a  thoroughgoing  American  in  all 
that  pertains  to  true  Americanism,  still  he  shows 
unmistakable  evidence  of  being  a  descendant  from 
the  sturdy  Norse  stock,  and  takes  a  pardonable 


874 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


pride  in  the  rugged  honesty,  industry  and  chival- 
ric  character  of  his  ancestors.  ' 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  has  been  frequently 
mentioned  in  connection  with  positions  of  trust, 
and  efforts  have  been  made  to  confer  additional 
political  honor  upon  him,  but  he  is  not  an  office 
seeker;  he  prefers  instead  the  quiet  enjoyment  of 
home  life.  In  1898  the  way  to  the  Congress  of 
the  United  States  was  open  to  him,  but  he  de- 
clined to  entertain  the  proposition  and  did  what 
he  could  to  prevail  upon  the  incumbent  to  stand 
for  re-election.  Recently  he  has  declined  to  en- 
tertain a  proffered  federal  appointment  of  a  high 
order. 

On  Feb.  19,  1906,  he  was,  however,  without 
solicitation  on  his  part,  appointed  by  Governor 
Deneen  one  of  the  three  members  of  the  inter- 
nal improvement  commission  of  Illinois. 

Mr.  Johnson's  father,  Andrew  H.  Johnson,  mi- 
grated to  this  country  from  near  Stavanger,  Nor- 
way, in  1853,  and  settled  in  northern  Illinois.  His 
mother,  Sarah  Baker,  came  with  her  parents  when 
only  about  1%  years  of  age  from  Tin,  Norway, 
in  about  the  year  1842,  and  first  settled  in  the 
•state  of  Wisconsin. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  united  in  marriage,  Feb.  27, 
1884,  with  Miss  Carrie  Nelson,  whose  sketch  is 
•found  elsewhere.  They  have  two  daughters  liv- 
ing, Herby  and  Nina,  Herby  being  now  a  senior 
in  Cumnock's  School  of  Oratory,  Evanston.  He 
is  a  member  of  a  number  of  fraternal  organiza- 
tions, including  the  Knights  of  Pythias  and  Ma- 
sonic fraternities,  and  various  clubs. 


MRS.  CARRIE  NELSON  JOHNSON. 

Mrs.  Carrie  Nelson  Johnson,  wife  of  Judge  H. 
W.  Johnson,  is  a  native  of  La  Salle  county,  Il- 
linois. She  was  educated  in  the  district  schools, 
in  the  public  schools  at  Sheridan,  and  at  Jen- 
nings Seminary,  Aurora,  111.,  after  which  she  en- 
gaged in  teaching  school  for  a  time. 

Mrs.  Johnson  was  a  daughter  of  the  late  Peter 
C.  Nelson,  who  departed  this  life  at  her  residence 
in  Ottawa,  111.,  on  Dec.  13,  1904,  at  the  ripe  old 
age  of  nearly  75  years.  At  his  death  he  was 
one  of  the  very  oldest,  if  not  the  oldest,  persons 
born  of  Norwegian  parentage  in  America.  His 
parents  (being  the  grandparents  of  Mrs.  John- 
son), Mr.  and  Mrs.  Cornelius  Nelson,  were 
among  the  first  Norwegian  emigrants  to  this 


country  in  the  nineteenth  century.  They  sailed 
out  of  the  harbor  of  Stavanger,  Norway,  on  July 
4,  1825,  our  day  of  independence,  for  America,  in 
company  with  fifty  others,  including  crew,  on  the 
sloop  Restoration,  often  called  the  Norwegian 
Mayflower,  owing  to  the  fact  that  they  sought 
to  avail  themselves  of  this,  the  land  of  the  free, 
where  they  might  worship  their  God  according 
to  the  dictates  of  their  own  conscience.  They 
belonged  to  the  Society  of  Friends,  commonly 
called  Quakers.  This  party,  with  all  on  board, 
after  a  perilous  voyage  of  fourteen  weeks,  en- 
tered New  York  harbor,  their'  craft  being  one 


Mrs.   H.   W.  Johnson. 


of  the  smallest  of  its  kin^  that  ever  crossed  the 
Atlantic  Ocean. 

In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nel- 
son settled  in  Kendall,  on  the  shores  of  Lake 
Ontario,  in  the  northern  part  of  Orleans  county, 
New  York.  This  was  the  first  Norwegian  settle- 
ment in  America  in  the  nineteenth  century.  At 
this  place  Mr.  Peter  C.  Nelson,  Mrs.  Johnson's 
father,  was  born  on  the  20th  of  January,  1830. 
At  this  place,  in  December,  1833,  his  father  died, 
and  thereafter,  in  1836,  the  widow,  Kari,  came 
with  her  family  to  Mission  township,  La  Salle 
county,  Illinois,  and  settled  on  sec.  33,  which 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


375 


at  this  time  is  occupied  by  her  grandson,  Cor- 
nelius Nelson. 

She  built  a  log  house  thereon  shortly  after 
her  arrival  and  made  her  home  there  until  she 
departed  for  "that  bourne  whence  no  traveler 
returns,"  July  24,  1846.  The  original  log  house 
still  stands,  but  has  been  inclosed  and  a  large 
frame  building  has  been  added.  This  is  only  of 
interest  because  of  the  fact  that,  beyond  all 
doubt,  this  is  the  first  farm  selected  and  domi- 
ciled by  a  Norwegian  in  America  west  of  the 
great  lakes. 

Judge  and  Mrs.  Johnson  have  been  residents 
of  Ottawa,  111.,  since  1888,  where  they  and  their 
two  daughters  are  affiliated  with  the  First  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church  of  that  city. 


to  them  on  July  18,  1906.  Mr.  Johnson's  father 
died  many  years  ago,  but  his  mother  is  still  liv- 
ing and  is  expected  to  make  her  home  with  her 


JOHN  A.  JOHNSON, 

The  manufacturer  of  physicians'  and  dental  in- 
struments, at  500  W.  North  avenue,  Chicago,  was 
born  to  Halvor  and  Marie  (nee  Heir)  Johnson, 
of  Christiania,  Norway,  Aug.  12,  1877.  He  at- 
tended school  and  was  confirmed  in  Vor  Frelsers 
Church.  He  was  then  apprenticed  to  Nicolay 
Jacobsen,  of  Christiania,  to  learn  the  trade  of 
an  electrical  instrument  maker.  He.  worked  at 
this  for  five  years,  when,  at  the  age  of  18,  he 
came  to  New  York,  where  he  spent  one  year 
looking  up  opportunities  for  a  future  field  of 
work. 

In  1896  he  returned  to  Christiania,  where  he 
accepted  a  position  with  Wishbeck  &  Meinick, 
extending  his  knowledge  of  the  instrument-mak- 
ing business. 

In  1899  he  came  back  to  this  country,1  going  to 
Deer  Park,  Wis.,  where  he  had  a  married  sister. 
From  there  he  wentr  to  Minneapolis,  but  after 
three  months  came  to  Chicago,  where  he  has  re- 
mained since.  Here  he  secured  work  with  Mason 
&  Co.,  manufacturers  and  dealers  in  dental  sup- 
plies, where  he  worked  for  five  years.  He  then 
started  in  business  for  himself  at  500  W.  North 
avenue,  making  all  kinds  of  electrical  instru- 
ments. He  is  making  a  specialty  of  dental  fur- 
naces for  laboratory  use.  Recently  he  also  se- 
cured a  patent  on  a  vibrator  which  he  put  on 
the  market  some  time  ago. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  married  to  Bertha  Marie 
Evenson,  daughter  of  Edward  and  Carrie  Even- 
son,  of  Chicago,  Nov.  11,  1905.  A  boy  was  born 


J.  A.  Johnson. 


three  children  in  this  country.  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Johnson  attend  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church 
and  reside  in  a  cozy  flat  at  1263  Wabansia  avenue. 


JOHN  W.  JOHNSON. 

John  William  Johnson,  son  of  William  and 
Inger  Overland  Johnson,  was  born  in  the  city  of 
Stavanger,  Norway,  July  2,  1844.  He  attended 
the  public  schools  and  spent  the  early  part  of  his 
life  in  Stavanger;  but  with  ambitions  rising  above 
the  opportunities  offered  him  in  his  native  town, 
it  was  natural  that  the  stories  of  this  wonderful 
land  across  the  seas  should  attract  him,  and  he 
came  to  America  in  the  year  1868,  locating  soon 
after  in  Chicago,  where  he  has  since  resided.  The 
years  just  previous  to  and  following  the  Chicago 


376 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


fire  were  spent  in  the  strenuous  work  of  establish- 
ing a  home  for  himself  and  family,  and  assisting 
in  the  work  of  rebuilding  the  stricken  city. 

During  the  year  1872  he  founded  the  business 
now  conducted  under  the  name  of  the  J.  W.  John- 
son Company,  manufacturers  of  horse  clothing, 
tents,  awnings,  etc.,  one  of  the  largest  and  best 
known  firms  in  this  line  in  Chicago,  and  he  still 
takes  an  active  interest  in  the  business. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  united  in  marriage,  June  6, 
1870,  to  Louisa  Johnson,  whose  birthplace  was 
also  Stavanger,  and  who  came  to  Chicago  a  short 
time  previous  to  their  marriage.  Their  home  is 


J.  W.  Johnson. 


located  at  42  Marion  place,  where  four  children 
have  been  born  to  them,  all  of  whom  are  living. 
The  sons  are  associated  in  'the  business  with  their 
father.  John  W.,  Jr.,  the  oldest,  manager  of  their 
factories,  was  born  Nov.  15,  1871;  married  Dec. 
10,  1897,  to  Mamie  Cecelia  Jones,  and  resides  at 
1485  Drake  avenue.  Lawrence  E.  Johnson  was 
born  Nov.  16,  1876,  and  holds  the  responsible  po- 
sition of  general  manager  of  the  business;  mar- 
ried Aug.  30,  1899,  to  Miss  Olga  Brynildson, 
daughter  of  Herman  Brynildson,  of  Bergen,  Nor- 
way; they  live  at  701  W.  Wrightwood  avenue. 
Arthur  G.,  the  youngest  son,  occupies  a  position 


as  salesman  for  the  firm,  and  resides  at  42  Marion 
place,  where,  with  the  only  daughter,  Rose  Dag- 
mar  Johnson,  they  assist  their  parents  in  making 
the  home  a  modern  example  of  old-time  Nor- 
wegian hospitality  and  good  cheer,  where  their 
innumerable  friends  are  always  assured  a  sincere 
and  hearty  welcome. 

John  W.  Johnson  is  a  republican  in  politics,  but 
while  he  takes  an  active  interest  in  the  political 
progress  of  both  the  United  States  and  Norway, 
he  has  never  aspired  to  any  position  of  either  so- 
cial or  political  prominence;  preferring  rather  to 
devote  his  energies  to  his  private  interest  and  be 
known,  as  he  is  known  and  honored  by  those  who 
know  him  best,  for  his  business  integrity,  his  de- 
votion to  his  family  and  friends,  and  his  quiet, 
unassuming  charitable  work.  The  latter  is  dis- 
pensed wherever  and  whenever  the  need  appeals, 
the'  only  organization  with  which  he  is  identified 
being  the  Norwegian  Old  People's  Home,  to 
which  he  has  always  given  active  and  substantial 
support.  The  family  attend  religious  services  at 
the  Wicker  Park  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 


NELS  JOHNSON, 

Secretary  of  the  Johnson  Chair  Company,  was 
born  at  Voss,  Norway,  Dec.  1,  1843.  His  parents 
were  John  L.  and  Emily  (Vinge  Gjerager)  John- 
son, both  from  Voss. 

He  came  to  America  with  his  parents  in  1850, 
landing  in  New  York,  and  came  west  via  Chi- 
cago, locating  on  a  farm  in  Boone  county,  Illi- 
nois, near  Beloit,  Wis.  Here  Nels  worked  on 
his  father's  farm,  attended  the  public  school,  and 
was  confirmed. 

In  1859  he  came  to  Chicago  and  secured  a 
place  on  the  Chicago  Democrat,  "Long"  John 
Wentworth's  paper,  where  he  worked  until  1861, 
when  the  paper  was  sold  to  the  Chicago  Tribune. 
During  this  time  Mr.  Johnson  was  learning  the 
printer's  trade,  and  went  from  the  Democrat  to 
the  Chicago  Journalt  where  he  became  a  journey- 
man compositor.  He  continued  to  work  at  his 
trade  on  the  Journal  until  1872,  when  he  became 
actively  connected  with  his  brother,  A.  P.  John- 
son, in  the  cfiair  company.  This  qompany,  which 
employes  a  small  army  of  men,  will  be  referred 
to  under  another  head  in  this  history. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


377 


On  Oct.  23,  1873,  he  married  Martha  Findall, 
of  Manitowoc,  Wis.,  daughter  of  Isaac  and  Mar- 
tha Findall.  They  have  had  five  children,  name- 
ly: Walter  J.,  Alma  M.,  Edwin  I.,  Ednal.  and 
Chester  N.  Walter  J.  is  his  father's  assistant 
with  the  Johnson  Chair  Company.  Edna  was 
married  on  Oct.  14,  1906,  to  W.  Ford,  a  real 
estate  man,  in  Chicago. 


Nels  Johnson. 


Mr.  Nels  Johnson  has  been  president  of  the 
Western  Chair  Association,  a  director  of  the 
United  States  Rattan  Company,  treasurer  of  the 
Chicago  Furniture  Association,  and  president  of 
the  Mt.  Olive  Cemetery  Association.  The  family 
are  members  of  the  Holy  Trinity  English  Luth- 
eran Church,  on  La  Salle  avenue,  of  which  Mr. 
Johnson  has  been  a  trustee  for  about  thirty 
years.  The  family  home  is  at  1844  Surf  street, 
Chicago. 


fornia  the  following  year,  where  he  devoted 
eight  years  to  mining.  He  also  spent  one  year 
in  Idaho  and  one  year  in  Montana  in  the  same 
business.  He  then  returned  to  Chicago,  coming 
down  the  Missouri  River  from  Ft.  Benton,  as 
there  were  no  railroads  across  the  plains  at  that 
time. 

In  Chicago  he  followed  building  and  contract- 
ing for  several  years,  and  then  opened  a  general 


L.  H.  Johnson. 


store  at  Millbrook,  111.,  where  he 'remained  for 
four  years.  He  moved  to  Pullman  in  1882,  where 
he  has  since  carried  on  a1  hardware  and  furniture 
store. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  married  to  Miss  Martha  L. 
Knutson,  of  Chicago,  in  1869.  They  have  three 
children  —  two  boys  and  a  girl.  The  family  are 
members  of  the  Holy  Trinity  English  Lutheran 
Church  of  Chicago. 


L.  H.  JOHNSON, 

Of  Pullman,,  was  born  in  Norway,  May  5,  1834. 
He  came  to  America  in  1857  and  went  to   Cali- 


OLE  A.  JOHNSON, 

A  progressive  young  farmer  near  Lee,   111.,  was 
born  in  that  place  Feb.  2,  1866,  his  parents  being 


378 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Andrew  H.  and  Sarah  Baker  Johnson.  Mr. 
Johnson  attended  the  public  schools  at  Lee  and 
afterward  the  Seminary  at  Aurora.  His  father 
died  in  1895,  when  the  subject  of  our  sketch 
bought  the  homestead  and  is  still  operating  the 
farm. 

He   was   married   in   July, 'l891,   to   Miss   Tillie 
Johnson,  of  the  same  place.     They  have  six  chil- 


Ole  A.  Johnson  and  Wife. 


dren,  namely:  Albarn  Irene,  Lela  Jeanette,  Stan- 
ley Curtis,  Oren  Truman,  Freda  Sedell  and  an 
infant  daughter.  Mr.  Johnson  has  been  assessor 
for  the  Norwegian  Synod,  and  also  township  col- 
lector. He  is  a  brother  of  ex-Judge  H.  W. 
Johnson  of  Ottawa,  James  Johnson  of  Lee  and 
Aaron  Johnson  of  Redcliff  (Iowa). 


OLE  JOHNSON, 

Manager  and  cutter  for  the  tailoring  department 
of  Weber's  department  store,  Clark  and  Van 
Buren  streets,  was  born  on  gaarden  Kaastad, 


Vestre  Slidre,  Valders,  Norway,  Dec.  9,  1844. 
His  father  was  John  Johnson,  a  farmer,  and  his 
mother  Sigrid  Olson.  He  attended  the  ambula- 
tory school  until  he  was  confirmed  in  Slidre 
Church,  and  at  the  age  of  15  was  apprenticed  to 
learn  the  tailoring  trade. 

Mr.  Johnson  embarked  on  board  "Harald  Haar- 
fagre"  at  Bergen  and  landed  in  New  York  in 
1872.  From  there  he  came  direct  to  Chicago. 
After  having  worked  at  his  trade  for  different 
merchant  tailors  he  engaged  in  business  for  him- 
self in  1875  opening  a  tailor  shop  on  Grand 


Ole   Johnson. 


avenue,  where  he  continued  for  over  twenty 
years.  He  then  accepted  a  place  as  a  cutter,  and 
since  that  time  has  been  engaged  in  that  work 
exclusively. 

Mr.  Johnson's  mother  died  in  Chicago  in  1883 
but  his  father  at  88  years  of  age  is  still  living 
with  his  children  in  this  city. 

While  in  the  old  country  Mr.  Johnson  served 
five  years  in  the  Norwegian  Army. 

In  1873  Mr.  Johnson  was  married  in  Chicago 
to  Miss  Ragnild  Olsdatter,  a  daughter  of  Ole 
Thomasson  Gr0the.  They  have  had  five  chil- 
dren, three  sons  and  two  daughters,  all  living, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


viz.:  John,  Sophie,  Mathilda,  Oscar  and  George. 
John  is  married  to  Miss  Christine  Josephson,  in 
Chicago,  and  Sophie  to  Mr.  E.  S.  Rowert,  South 
Haven,  Mich.  The  family  are  members  of  Our 
Saviour's  Church  and  reside  at  699  Floirrnoy 
street. 


CAPTAIN    OLAUS    JOHNSON 

Was  born  in  Fredrikshald,  Norway,  May  2,  1833, 
As  a  boy  Olaus  attended  the  parish  schools  and 
was  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran  Church.  He  then 


in  Kattegat,  and  had  many  times  to  suffer  hard- 
ships that  none  but  an  experienced  seaman  can 
appreciate.  He  sailed  on  salt  water  for  about 
thirty  years,  or  until  1872,  when  he  came  to 
Chicago.' 

Upon  his  arrival  here  he  purchased  a  piece  of 
property,  and  by  judicious  buying  and  selling 
soon  found  the  business  profitable,  and  has  con- 
tinued in  the  real  estate  business.  He  has  ac- 
quired a  competency. 

The  Captain  has  been  married  twice,  his  first 
wife  being  Miss  Anna  Anderson,  whom  he  mar- 
ried in  1874.  She  died  in  1885.  In  1886  he  mar- 
ried Mrs.  Anna  Wilson  (nee  Olson).  There  are 
no  children.  He  and  his  wife  are  comfortably 
domiciled  in  their  own  home  at  114  N.  Ashland 
avenue. 


Captain  Olaus  Johnson  and  Wife. 


learned  the  trade  of  custom  tailor,  at  which  he 
worked  until  20  years  old.  At  that  age  he  went 
to  sea  as  a  sailor,  having  previously  at  odd  hours 
studied  both  law  and  mathematics.  Between  the 
sailing  seasons  he  also  studied  mathematics  and 
astronomy  at  the  navigation  school  and  passed 
the  examination  as  mate  and  sea  captain,  having 
taken  all  the  courses  pertaining  thereto.  He 
then  sailed  on  all  the  seas.  He  was  shipwrecked 


PETER  JOHNSON  (SANDVIK), 

Now  living  at  ITclmar,  111.,  was  born  at  Skaane- 
vik,  near  Bergen,  Norway,  Dec.  27,  1825.  His 
parents  were  Johannes  and  Guro  (Kjaeransdat- 
ter)  Peterson.  Mr.  Johnson  worked  and  re- 
mained on  his  father's  farm  until  he  was  24  years 
old,  when  he  came  to  America.  He  landed  in 
New  York  and  came  west  via  Chicago  and  went 
to  Lisbon,  111.  Here  he  hired  out  as  a  farm  hand 
for  three  years  and  then  bought  120  acres  in  Lib- 
erty township.  He  continued  to  work  for  other 
farmers,  however,  for  three  years,  when  he  built 
himself  a  log  cabin  on  his  own  land  and  located 
there  permanently. 

On  Oct.  19,  1854,  he  married  Miss  Betsy  Tho- 
reson,  also  from  Skaanevik,  Norway,  (born  Scot. 
14,  1838),  who  had  come  to  America  with  her 
parents,  Thor  and  Brita  Thoreson.  Rev.  Ras- 
mussen  performed  the  ceremony. 

After  about  fourteen  years  Mr.  Johnson  bought 
120  acres  more,  adjoining  his  own  lands.  His 
holdings  now  consist  of  240  acres  of  highly  cul- 
tivated farm  land. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Johnson  are  the  proud  parents 
of  six  sons  ind  four  daughters,  all  married, 
namely:  John  Lewis,  born  Dec.  24,  1856;  Thor 
Franklin,  Dec.  1,  1858;  Betsy  Melinda,  Jan.  20, 
1861;  Ingeborg  Gurine,  Jan.  6,  1863;  Nels  Olaus, 
Oct.  17,  1864;  Peter  Albert,  April  21,  1866;  Anna 
Maria,  March  31,  1868;  Charles  Olie,  Jan.  31, 
1870;  Emma  Josephine,  May  10,  1876;  Henry  Eli- 
as,  Dec.  22,  1879.  The  children  are  all  living, 
and  Mr.  Johnson  is  the  happy  grandfather  of 


380 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


twenty-eight  bright  Americans.  One  of  his  sons, 
Charles  Olie,  is  now  running  the  farm,  the  old 
couple  having  retired  several  years  ago,  having 
built  themselves  a  comfortable  home  near  the 
church  at  Helmar. 


Jacobsdatter.  Perry,  their  oldest  son,  is  a  senior 
in  the  high  school.  The  family  attend  the  Con- 
gregational Church  and  Sunday  school,  and  re- 
s'ide  in  their  own  home  at  119  S.  Lake  street, 
Aurora. 


Peter  Johnson  and  Wife. 


Mr.  Johnson  has  always  been  a  liberal  con- 
tributor to  charitable  institutions  when  called 
upon,  as  well  as  to  the  Pleasant  View  Luther 
College  at  Ottawa.  The  family  all  belong  to  the 
Lutheran  Church.  Our  subject  has  always  been 
a  reliable  republican,  but  has  never  sought  polit- 
ical office. 


PETER  ALBERT  JOHNSON, 

Of  Aurora,  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Helmar, 
111.,  April  21,  1866.  His  parents  are  Peter  John- 
son (Sandvik)  and  Betsy  Thoreson,  both  living 
at  Helmar.  Our  subject  attended  the  public 
school  and  the  Northern  Indiana  Normal  School 
at  Valparaiso,  Ind.  Returning  from  school,  he 
worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  1892,  when  he 
engaged  in  the  coal  business  in  Aurora,  buying 
out  O.  M.  Olson. 

On  Jan.  7,  1889,  he  married  Miss  Lena  M.  Ol- 
son (Holty),  born  July  15,  1869,  of  Newark,  111. 
They  have  three  children  — Perry,  who  was  born 
Jan.  15,  1891;  Oscar  Guy,  Oct.  31,  1893;  The- 
odora Blanche,  Nov.  27,  1895.  Mrs.  Johnson's 
parents  were  Nels  Olson  Holty  and  Thorbj^r 


Peter   A.   Johnson. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


381 


PEDER  JOHNSON, 

The  manufacturer  of  kitchen  furniture,  at  87-89 
1  W.  Erie  street,  Chicago,  was  born  in  Krager0, 
Norway,  Jan.  39,  1860.  His  parents  were  Jens 
and  Kristine  Johnson.  He  attended  the  public 
school  and  also  took  drawing  lessons  in  a  tech- 
nical school  at  Kragero",  where  he  was  con- 
firmed. He  then  secured  a  position  as  ap- 
prentice with  a  cabinet  maker  and  worked  for 
four  years.  After  having  learned  the  trade  he 
continued  to  work  until  1882,  when  he  emigrated 
to  America. 


Peder  Johnson. 


Coming  direct  to  Chicago,  he  immediately 
went  to  work  for  the  Kimball  Piano  Company, 
where  he  remained  for  three  years.  He  then 
engaged  in  business  for  himself  at  his  present 
location,  making  a  line  of  kitchen  furniture  ex- 
clusively. He  has  been  very  successful,  having 
had  standing  orders  enabling  him  to  run  his 
factory  at  its  full  capacity  continuously. 

He  was  married  to  Amelia,  daughter  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Andrew  Johnson,  of  Chicago,  June  27, 
1888.  They  have  seven  children,  all  girls  and  all 
living,  namely:  Clara,  Grace,  Jennie,  Alice,  Es- 
ther, Evelyn  and  Florence.  Mr.  Johnson's 


mother  died  in  1900;  his  father  is  still  living  at 
the  old  home  in  Norway.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  Our  Saviour's  Lutheran  Church,  of  which 
Mr.  Johnson  has  been  superintendent  of  the  Sun- 
day school  and  an  active  member  for  many  years. 
The  family  resides  at  1883  Kamerling  avenue. 


THORVALD  JOHNSON, 

President  and  treasurer  of  the  T.  Johnson  Co., 
manufacturers  of  cooperage  and  dealers  in  coop- 
ers' stock,  206  North  Carpenter  street,  and  Thir- 
ty-Eight and  Morgan  streets,  the  well  known 
cooper,  familiarly  known  as  Cooper  Johnson,  was 
born  in  Enebak  prestegjeld,  Norway,  Jan.  24, 
1851.  His  parents  were  Johan  Peter  and  Anna 
Maria  (Hansen)  Johnson.  Mr.  Johnson  remained 
at  home  attending  school  until  he  was  confirmed. 
At  15  years  of  age  he  was  apprenticed  to  learn 
the  trade  of  a  cooper  with  a  firm  in  Christiania. 
After  completing  his  apprenticeship  and  master- 
ing his  trade  he  came  to  America  and  Chicago  in 
1871.  He  soon  found  work  at  his  trade.  Five 
years  later,  in  1877,  he  started  in  the  business  in 
a  small  way  for  himself,  his  first  location  being 
on  Austin  avenue  near  Jefferson  street.  On  April 
8,  of  the  same  year  he  was  married  to  Hulda 
Abrahamson,  who  died  ten  years  later,  leaving 
him  four  children:  Walter  Owen,  Lulu  Anna, 
Ada  Oliva  and  Hattie  Theodora. 

His  business  had  grown  during  these  years  and 
needing  larger  quarters  he  moved  to  the  corner 
of  Ohio  and  Carpenter  streets  and  later  located 
a  larger  factory  at  Thirty-eight  and  Morgan 
streets,  and  is  now  operating  both  plants,  em- 
ploying steadily  over  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  men.  During  all  these  years  he  has  never 
been  troubled  by  strikes  or  discontent  among  his 
help. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  married  again  July  12,  1890, 
to  Mrs.  Anna  Risetter  of  Lee,  111.  They  reside 
at  1283  Humboldt  boulevard. 

Mr.  Johnson  once  ran  for  alderman  of  the  sev- 
enteenth ward  as  an  independent  republican.  It 
is  generally  conceded  that  he  was  elected  .by  a 
large  majority  but  he  never  took  his  seat.  He 
secured  all  the  votes  in  his  own  precinct  but  17 
regardless  of  nationality  or  party  affiliation. 

One  of  the  most  beneficial  things  Mr.  Johnson 
has  done  for  the  public  was  in  helping  to  elimi- 
nate the  manufacture  of  prison  goods  coming  in 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


competition  with  free  labor.  In  about  1876  mod- 
ern machinery  was  installed  in  the  penal  institu- 
tion at  Joliet,  for  the  manufacture  of  barrels  at 
a  maximum  cost  of  fifty  cents  per  day  for  labor, 
so  that  those  using  free  labor  were  practically 
forced  to  the  wall.  In  1892  a  convention  of  man- 
ufacturers of  cooperage  throughout  the  state  was 
held  in  Chicago  to  take  vigorous  action  against 
this  evil.  A  committee  was  appointed,  of  which 
Mr.  Johnson  was  a  member,  to  bring  this  matter 
before  the  governor  of  the  state,  with  the  object 
of  enforcing  an  amendment  to  the  constitution  of 


Thorvald  Johnson. 


the  state  prohibiting  the  letting  of  prisoners  to 
contractors.  Repeated  efforts  were  made  but 
with  very  unsatisfactory  results.  However,  they 
succeeded  in  reducing  the  evil  under  Governor 
Altgeld's  administration  and  finally  abolished  it 
during  Governor  Yates"  term. 

When  the  new  Security  Bank  of  Chicago    was 
irted  in   1906,  Mr.  Johnson  became   one  of  its 
directors,  which  position  he  is  still  holding. 


TORRIS  JOHNSON, 

Of  Newark,  111.,  was  born  in  Skonevik  preste- 
gjeld,  Bergens  stift,  Norway,  Sept.  5,  1837.  His 
parents  were  Johannes  and  Elizabeth  Torrison; 
both  died  while  Torris  was  a  child.  •  He  received 
his  first  education  of  a  private  teacher. 

At  the  age  of  11  years  he  came  to  America  with 
another  brother  and  a  sister,  in  the  care  of  their 
grandfather,  Torris  Torrison.  They  landed  in 
Chicago  and  went  to  Mr.  Johnson's  uncle,  Hal- 
stein  Torrison,  who  lived  in  Calumet,  about 
twenty  miles  south  of  Chicago  and  three  miles 
west  of  Hammond,  Ind.  Here  Johnson  remained 
for  three  years  and  then  went  to  Kendall  county 
with  his -older  brother,  and  was  confirmed  there 
by  Rev.  Ole  Andrewson.  He  then  worked  on 
farms  in  that  vicinity. 

When  the  war  broke  out  he  enlisted  as  a 
private  on  Aug.  27,  1861.  The  company  in  which 
Mr.  Johnson  enlisted  was  commanded  by  Captain 
Porter  Olson.  He  participated  in  two  battles  — 
at  Pea  Ridge,  Ark.  and  Perryville,  Ky. 

At  Perryville  he  was  wounded  in  the  right  leg, 
the   bullet   entering  below  the   knee   and   passing 
entirely    through    the    limb,    shattering    both    the 
bones.     He  had  to  remain  on  the  battlefield  until 
he  was  taken  to   Louisville,  about   seventy  miles 
away.     In   the    hospital    the    surgeon   wanted   to 
amputate  his  leg,  but  Mr.  Johnson  objected,  and  I 
it  was  bandaged,  after  being  set  and  given  proper  1 
attention.      He   remained  in   the    hospital   for   six  | 
months    and    then    came    to    Chicago,   where    he  I 
went  to  Dr.   Brainerd,  who  cut  the  wound  open  1 
and   extracted    some    loose   bits   of   bone   and   re- 
dressed it.     After  the  last  operation  Mr.  Johnson  I 
became   so  sick  that  his  attendants  despaired  of  I 
his   life.     His   good  and   sound   constitution   and  i 
strong  will  power  pulled  him  through,  however.  1 

Shortlv  after   his   enlistment   Mr.   Johnson   was 
made  a  corporal,  and  before  the  battle  of  Perry- 
ville   he    was    promoted    to    sergeant.     The    first  1 
person  to  find  the  wounded  man  on  the  battlefield    ; 
was  Captain  Porter  Olson.     He  was  ridinjj  over   I 
the  field,  and  coming  up  to  where   Mr.  Johnson   j 
lay,   said,   "Are   you    wounded,    Torris?"      When 
Torris    answered    "Yes,"    the    Captain    said    in    a 
jocular  way,  "They  are  shooting  very  carelessly 
here."       When  the  wound  was  healed  Mr.  John- 
son returned  io  Newark,  where  he  has  remained 
ever  since. 

He  was  married  on  Feb.  16,  1865,  to  Miss 
Elizabeth  Ryerson,  who  was  born  in  Stavanger, 
Norway.  They  have  had  six  children,  three  sons 
and  three  daughters,  all  living  but  the  oldest  son. 
Two  sons  and  one  daughter  are  married.  The 
two  youngest  daughters,  Hattie  and  Carrie,  are 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


383 


at  home  with  their  father.  Mrs.  Johnson  died 
in  1901.  After  his  marriage  Mr.  Johnson  at  first 
rented  a  farm,  but  in  1868  he  bought  140  acres  in 
Big  Grove  township  which  he  cultivated  until 
1892,  when  he  rented  it  out  and  retired  from 


Torris  Johnson. 


active  work.  At  the  age  of  70  years  lie  is  still 
hale  and  hearty,  passing  his  declining  years  in 
his  own  cozy  home  with  his  daughters  in  New- 
ark. The  family  are  members  of  the  United 
Lutheran  Church. 


dying  in  1902.  His  mother,  Gene  Sherdalen 
Johnston,  who  is  still  living,  spends  most  of  her 
time  visiting  with  the  children.  His  father  was 
married  twice  and  had  five  children  with  the 
first  wife  and  eight  with  the  second.  The  chil- 
dren all  lived  until  maturity,  the  first  one  to  pass 
away  being  the  oldest  son,  Julius  G.,  who  died 
when  39  years  old.  One  sister,  Maria,  died  when 
34  years  old.  The  other  eleven  are  all  living 
and  in  good  health. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  attended  the  public 
school  and  was  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran  Church 
at  Lisbon,  by  Rev.  P.  A.  Rasmussen.  After  his 
confirmation  he  went  with  his  father  to  learn  the 


C.   F.  Johnston. 


CHARLES  FREDERICK  JOHNSTON, 

Of  Newark,  111.,  was  born  in  Big  Grove,  Kendall 
county,  111.,  Aug.  6,  1867.  His  father,  Joe  Johns- 
ton, was  born  in  Gudbrandsdalen,  Norway,  and 
came  to  America  in  1864.  He  stopped  for  a 
year  or  so  in  Chicago  and  then  went  to  Kendall 
county,  where  he  passed  the  rest  of  his  days, 


trade  of  a  painter  and  paper  hanger,  which  his 
father  had  mastered  in  the  old  country.  After 
learning  the  trade  Mr.  Johnston  engaged  in  the 
business  on  his  own  account,  and  continued  in 
it  for  about  eighteen  years.  He  saved  his  money, 
and  during  this  period  accumulated  some  prop- 
erty, including  a  farm  in  Canada.  Looking  af- 
ter his  properties,  turning  a  real  estate  deal  oc- 
casionally, and  looking  after  insurance  and  one 
thing  and  another,  he  keeps  his  time  occupied.  He 
has  often  acted  as  special  constable,  and  was 


884 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


some  years  ago  elected  constable  without  know- 
ing it  until  he  was  handed  a  notice  by  the  town 
clerk  to  qualify  for  the  office.  He  is  still  hold- 
ing this  office. 

Mr.  Johnston  was  married  on  May  7,  1901,  to 
Miss  Clara  O.  McNett,  who  was  born  in  Mis- 
sion township,  La  Salle  county,  Oct.  28,  1882. 
They  have  two  children  —  La  Verne  Eugene, 
born  Jan.  22,  1903,  and  Kennet  McNett  Johnston, 
Nov.  26,  1905. 


HANNAH  A.  KALLEM, 

The  well  known  professional  nurse,  was  born  in 
Haugesund,  Norway,  Aug.  18,  1865.  With  her 
parents,  Samuel  and  Anne  Serena  (born  Nedre- 
b0e)  Kallem,  she  came  to  America  in  1867. 


away  in  infancy;  O.  W.  Kallem  died  on  Oct.  5th, 
1895;  Andrew  S.,  July  17,  1904;  Gu'stav  E.  Kal- 
lem, still  living  on  the  old  homestead.  Her 
mother  died  shortly  after  arriving  in  this  coun- 
try, on  Sept.  20,  1867,  and  her  father  on  Sept. 
23,  1903. 

Miss  Kallem  is  a  graduate  nurse.  She  gradu- 
ated from  the  City  and  County  Hospital,  St.  Paul, 
Minn.,  in  November,  1894.  Since  that  time  she 
has  been  doing  private  nursing  in  Chicago,  ex- 
cepting for  seven  months  during  the  Spanish 
War,  when  she  was  in  a  government  hospital  in 
the  South.  In  recognition  of  their  services  a  re- 
ception and  banquet  at  the  Palmer  House  were, 
tendered  to  all  of  the  Chicago  nurses  by  the  Na- 
tional Emergency  Association. 

Miss  Kallem  is  a  member  of  St.  Paul's  Nor- 
wegian Lutheran  Church,  the  Norumbega  Ladies' 
Society  and  the  Order  of  Spanish  American  War 
Nurses.  She  also  belongs  to  the  Children's  Home- 
finding  Society.  Miss  Kallem  resides  at  1994 
Kenmore  avenue. 

In  1906  Miss  Kallem  went  to  the  Philippine  Is- 
lands to  practice  as  a  nurse. 


REV.  HAROLD  BERG  KILDAHL 

Was  born  the  13th  of  March,  1865,  in  Hundset, 
Beitstaden,  Northern  Trondhjems  amt,  Norway. 
His  parents  are  Johan  Kildahl  and  Necolina  Kil- 
dahl (nee  Buvarp). 

In  1866  the  family  came  to  America,  settling  in 
Goodhue  county,  Minnesota,  and  later  in  North- 
field,  Minn.,  where  the  subject  of  our  sketch  at- 
tended the  public  schools  until  he  was  14  years 
old.  In  1882  he  moved  with  the  family  to  North 
Dakota,  locating  near  Maza.  As  soon  as  he  was 
of  age  he  filed  on  half  a  section  of  government 
land.  This  he  farmed  until  1888,  when  he  saw 
his  way  to  satisfy  his  longing  for  a  higher  edu- 
cation. He  rented  his  farm  and  entered  St.  Olaf 
College,  Northfield,  Minn.,  from  which  he  gradu- 
ated in  1895.  The  next  three  years  he  studied 

Hannah  A.   Kallem.  theology  at   the   United    Church   Seminary,   then 

located   at   Franklin   avenue   and   26th   street,    E. 
Minneapolis.     He  was  ordained  to  the  ministry 
They    first    went    to  Grundy  county,  but  four      in   1898.     His  first  charge  was  a  country  parish 


years  later  moved  to  and  settled  on  a  farm  near 
Lisbon,  Kendall  county.  Miss  Kallem  had  one 
sister  and  three  brothers,  —  the  sister  passed 


near  Moorhead,  Minn.  In  1900  he  accepted  the 
call  to  Covenant  English  Lutheran  Church, 
corner  of  Iowa  and  N.  Robey  streets,  Chicago. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


385 


He  served  this  church  until  Nov.  1,  1902,  when  he 
took  the  position  of  rector  of  the  Norwegian 
Lutheran  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital,  Had- 
don  avenue  and  Leavitt  street. 


Rev.  H.  B.  Kildahl. 


In  1898  he  was  married  to  Miss  Carrie  E.  Ol- 
son, of  Taylor,  Wis.,  whose  parents,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  George  Olson,  were  residents  of  Chicago 
from  1869  to  1887.  Four  children  have  been  born 
to  them  —  Caleb  Johan,  Nicolena  Clara,  George 
Olen  and  Phoebe  Dorothy.  Rev.  Kildahl's  home 
is  at  729  W.  Wrightwood  avenue. 


oldest  son,  Christian  O.  Kindley,  who  had  come 
to  America  previously,  was  a  merchant  in  Chi- 
cago, but  died  in  1886  from  a  runaway  accident. 
The  youngest  son,  John,  is  a  pharmacist  in  La 
Crosse,  Wis. 

The  subject  of  this  sketch  came  to  America 
in  August,  1878,  and  went  to  his  brother's,  at 
221  Grand  avenue,  Chicago.  Mr.  Kindley  comes 
of  a  tailor  family,  both  on  his  father's  and  moth- 
er's side.  He  learned  his  trade  in  his  father's 
shop,  and  learned  it  thoroughly.  The  day  af- 
ter arriving  in  Chicago  he  went  to  work  for  H. 
B.  Mathews,  at  82  Dearborn  street,  opposite  his 
present  location.  In  1886  he  started  in  business 


B.  O.  Kindley. 


BERNT  O.  KINDLEY, 

Merchant  tailor,  with  offices  at  825-27  Unity 
Building,  was  born  in  Ringsaker,  Norway,  Dec. 
30,  1857.  His  parents  were  Ole  and  Maria  (Ras- 
mussen)  Kindlihagen,  of  Ringsaker.  There  were 
five  children  in  the  family;  of  whom  one  son  and 
one  daughter  are  still  living  in  Norway.  The 


for  himself,  with  Mr.  Christian  Pedersen  as  a 
partner,  the  firm  name  being  Kindley  &  Peder- 
sen. This  partnership  continued  for  fourteen 
years,  when  Mr.  Pedersen  died.  Then  Mr.  Kind- 
ley  associated  himself  with  Daniel  Bue,  from 
Hardanger,  Norway,  under  the  firm  name  of 
Kindley  &  Bue,  which  firm  still  exists,  occupying 
the  same  offices.  Our  subject  is  a  member  of 
Thorvaldsen's  Lodge,  No.  41,  K.  of  P.,  of  which 
he  was  cashier  for  twelve  years. 

Mr.  Kindley  visited  his  father,  who  is  still  liv- 
ing on  the  old  farm  in  Norway,  in  1906,  accom- 


386 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


panied  by  his  brother  Tohn  and  his  family,  from 
La  Crosse,  Wis.  The  old  father  took  advantage 
of  the  occasion  of  the  visit  to  sell  his  farm  to 
his  son  Mathias  Sjaaheim  who  is  living  on  the 
farm.  Sjaaheim  is  the  name  of  the  farm,  and  it 
has  remained  undivided  in'the  family  for  many 
generations.  Not  an  inch  of  land  has  been  sold 
from  it,  but  small  tracts  have  been  added,  until 
it  is  now  a  large  farm,  highly  cultivated  and  al- 
together noted  as  a  model  farm  in  that  part  of 
Norway.  Mr.  Kindley  is  unmarried  and  resides 
at  221  Grand  avenue,  formerly  his  brother's 
home. 


HALVOR   KITTLESON   AND   WIFE. 

Mr.  Halvor  Kittleson  (Hove)  was  born  in  Tin 
prestegjeld,  Hovins  sogn,  Norway,  April  6,  1836. 


farmed  in  that  vicinity  for  two  years  and  in  1863 
moved  to  De  Kalb  county,  where  they  bought 
some  land  and  are  still  living.  The  oldest  daugh- 
ter is  engaged  in  business,  but  the  other  chil- 
dren are  married  and  live  on  farms  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  their  parents.  Mr.  Kittleson  owns 
several  farms  in  De  Kalb  county.  He  prides 
himself  on  being  a  stalwart  republican. 

The    whole     family    belong    to     the    Lutheran 
Church  of  the  Hauge  Synod. 


KLING  BROTHERS. 

We  present  herewith  the  portraits  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  firm  of  Kling  Bros. —  Daniel  Antony 
and  Einar  Magnus  Kling, — artists,  interior  dec- 
orators and  painters,  with  office  and  studio  at 
1018  N.  Kedzie  avenue. 


Halvor  Kittleson  and  Wife. 


He  was  reared  on  his  father's  farm,  where  he  se- 
cured the  advantages  of  a  common  school  edu- 
cation, although  his  father  died  while  Halvor  was 
a  small  boy. 

He  married,  in  Norway,  Gunne  (Julie)  Helge- 
stad,  and  they  have  four  children:  Henry,  Cory, 
Isabelle  and- Julie.  The  family  came  to  America 
in  1860,  coming  via  Quebec,  Detroit,  Milwaukee 
and  Chicago  and  going  direct  to  Leland.  They 


Daniel  Antony  Kling. 

They  are  sons  of  Jeremias  and  Marie  (nee 
Kuhnle)  Kling,  of  Bergen,  Norway,  where  they 
were  both  born,  Daniel  on  July  20,  1860,  and  Ei- 
nar on  Nov.  19,  1868.  Their  father  was  a  paint- 
ing contractor  in  Bergen,  where  both  the  boys 
learned  the  trade. 

Daniel,   after   having   spent   several   years   with 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


387 


his  father,  was  sent  to  Bremen,  Germany,  where 

|he  was    apprenticed    for  three  and  a   half  years 

with  Mr.  Brutnmer,  at  Hohenpfad,  No  5  E.   After 

having  finished  his  apprenticeship  he  was  awarded 


stantial    residences    in    Alabama,  Tennessee  and 
Georgia. 

In  1892  the  brothers  came  to  Chicago,  having 
confidence  that  this  would  be  a  good  field.    They 


D.  A.  Kling. 


E.  M.  Kling. 


the  first  prize  by  the  Deutschen  Malerinnung  for 
decorating.  In  1881-82  he  went  to  Munich,  Ba- 
varia, and  studied  in  the  royal  art  and  indus- 
trial school.  He  then  returned  to  Norway. 


Einar  Magnus  Kling. 

His  brother  Einar,  who  is  eight  years  younger, 
had  worked  in  his  father's  shop  during  this  time, 
and  upon  his  brother's  return  from  Germany 
got  the  advantage  of  his  special'study  abroad. 

Daniel  came  to  New  York  in  1886  and  imme- 
diately found  work  with  Fischer,  Schroeder,  & 
Co.,  Broadway  and  Fourty-second  street,  the 
largest  interior  decorating  firm  in  New  York, 
with  branch  office  in  Atlanta,  Ga.,  for  the  south- 
ern states.  In  1888  Einar  came  to  New  York 
also,  and  secured  work  with  the  same  firm.  Af- 
terward Daniel  was  sent  to  Atlanta  to  superin- 
tend the  decorating  of  several  churches  and  sub- 


engaged  in  the  interior  decorating  business  for 
themselves,  under  the  name  of  Kling  Bros.,  and' 
are  now  located  at  1018  N.  Kedzie  avenue.  They 
are  both  capable  artists,  as  their  designs  and! 
completed  work,  will  amply  testify.  Their  par- 
ents both  died  in  Norway. 


ENDRE  KLOSTER, 

The  well  known  confectioner  and  baker  at  241 
W.  Erie  street,  was  born  in  Christiansand  stift, 
Bakken,  Norway,  on  July  7,  1821,  his  parents 
being  Ole  and  Martha  Kloster.  In  1826  the  fam- 
ily moved  to  Udsten  Kloster,  an  ancient  mon- 
astery, and  in  1831  to  Stavanger,  where  Endre 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


was  apprenticed  to  learn  and  master  the  con- 
fectioner and  baker's  trade.  After  mastering  his 
trade  he  worked  part  of  his  time  as  foreman  and 
a  part  in  the  baking  business  of  his  own,  until 
May  4,  1861,  when  with  his  wife  and  six  children 
he  left  for  Gaspe,  Canada,  -on  the  Iris,  a  sailing 
vessel,  Captain  Gloppestad,  from  Bergen,  in  com- 
mand. They  left  Norway  from  Stavanger,  and 
after  a  voyage  of  seven  weeks  and  two  days  ar- 
rived at  their  destination  on  June  25,  1861.  They 
remained  there  for  about  two  years,  engaged  in 
fishing. 


Endre  Kloster. 

They  then  left  for  the  United  States,  arriving 
in  Chicago  on  Aug.  8,  1863.  In  the  fall  of  the 
same  year  he  began  work  in  Thompsen  &  Tem- 
pleton's  cracker  bakery,  and  remained  there  until 
1880,  when  he  opened  a  bakery  of  his  own  at  the 
place  where  he  is  now  located  and  continues  in 
active  charge  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  86  years. 

He  was  married  to  Anne  Benthine  Ledaal  on 
July  4,  1844.  The  union  was  blessed  with  thir- 
teen children,  six  of  whom  are  living,  namely: 
Mrs.  W.  Potter,  Bertha,  Olava,  Anna  B.,  Endre 
and  Theodore  Kloster.  His  devoted  wife  passed 
away  at  the  age  of  77  years,  on  Jan.  26,  1891. 
The  family  belongs  to  Our  Saviour's  Norwegian 
Lutheran  Church  of  Chicago. 


ANDREW  M.  KLOVE, 

Of  Leland,  111.,  is  a  native  of  the  place,  having 
been  born  there  on  the  12th  of  September,  1859, 
his  father,  Andrew  A.,  and  mother,  Randvei 
(Grover)  Klove,  having  emigrated  from  Norway. 
Mr.  Klove  was  married  to  Miss  Hannah  L. 
Mosey,  on  Oct.  8,  1885.  They  have  four  boys— i 
Fremont,  Howard,  Leroy  and  Allan  —  all  living. 
Mr.  Klove  is  one  of  the  substantial  business  men 


A.  M.  Klove. 

of  Leland,  being  vice-president  of  the  Farmers 
&  Merchants'  State  Bank;  mayor,  or,  as  it  is 
termed,  president  of  the  village  board  of  trustees; 
had  been  trustee  for  many  years  previously;  for 
many  years  secretary  of  the  school  board;  trustee 
of  the  Deaconess  Hospital  at  Chicago;  trustee 
of  the  Pleasant  View  Luther  College,  and  su- 
perintendent of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Sunday 
school  for  over  twelve  years.  He  was  elected 
supervisor  in  1906. 


NOAH  GROVER  KLOVE, 

Of  Leland,   111.,  is  a  native  of  the  town,   having 
been  born  there   on   Dec.   13,   1882.     His  parents 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


were    Andrew   A.    and    Randvei    (Grover)    Klove, 
farmers. 

Our  subject  attended  the  Leland  public  and 
high  schools,  Pleasant  View  Luther  College, 
Beloit  Academy,  and  took  a  scientific  course  at 
the  Northwestern  University.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Sigma  Alpha  Epsilon  college  fraternity. 
His  youth,  until  22  years  of  age,  was  spent  in 


Noah  Klove. 


school,  excepting  for  six  months,  at  16  years  of 
age,  when  he  worked  in  an  office  in  Chicago. 
He  engaged  in  active  business  in  1904  as  editor 
and  publisher  of  the  Leland  Times,  and  also  as 
a  wholesale  dealer  in  calendars.  He  owns  160 
acres  of  land  in  sec.  8  in  Adams  township,  La 
Salle  county.  His  father  died  Dec.  7,  1899,  at  the 
age  of  71. 


by  Rev.  Kjelstrup.  Together  with  his  uncle 
Herman  Breien,  he  went  to  Drammen  the  same 
year,  and  for  two  years  he  attended  the  agricult- 
ural school  at  Lier.  Then  he  became  manager 
of  his  uncle's  farm,  Thorrud  in  Skauger,  near 
Drammen,  till  1865,  when  he  emigrated  to 
America  and  settled  near  Decorah,  la.,  where  he 
awailed  himself  of  the  opportunity  to  attend  an 
English  free  school  the  first  year. 

On  Nov.  27,  1866,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Susan  T.  Fosse  of  Locust,  la.  The  same  year 
they  decided  to  consecrate  their  time  and  their 
life  to  the  work  in  the  Lord's  wineyard  and 
joined  the  Methodist  church  at  Locust. 


REV.  ASLE   KNUDSEN 

Was  born  Jan.  19,  1844,  at  Aal  parish  in  Halling- 
dal,  Norway,  and  confirmed  in  1860  in  Aal  church 


Rev.  Asle  Knudsen. 


Knudsen  had  been  awakened  in  Norway  while 
he  was  17  years  old,  but  never  was  set  free  in 
Christ,  until  he  came  to  this  country  during  the 
work  and  wise  guidance  of  Rev.  Arne  Johnson. 
In  the  fall  of  1872  Knudsen  was  appointed  pas- 
tor of  the  churches  at  Grand  Meadow  and  Plain 
View,  Minn.,  and  after  two  years  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  Washington  Prairie  and  Locust,  la., 
where  he  remained  four  years.  From  1880  to 
1883  he  served  the  church  at  Newburg,  Minn., 
and  was  then  appointed  to  First  Church,  St. 


390 


A  HISTORY  CF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Paul,  where  he  remained  one  year  until  in  1884 
he  was  appointed  presiding  elder  of  St.  Paul  dis- 
trict. During  the  six  years  in  which  he  super- 
intended this  district  he  organized  many  new 
societies,  dedicated  many  new  churches  and  ex- 
perienced many  hardships  in  his  long  travelings 
through  this  widespread  field. 

In  the  fall  of  1890  he  was  appointed  presiding 
elder  over  the  Red  River  Valley  district  and 
served  this  frontier  field  in  the  wild  west  for 
six  years.  When  his  time  was  up  he  preferred 
to  take  an  appointment  to  Eidsvold,  a  small 
church  in  the  vicinity  of  Minneapolis,  instead  of 
getting  a  larger  church,  and  since  that  time  he 
has  served  churches  in  Minneapolis  and  vicinity 
until  in  the  fall  of  1906  when  he  was  appointed 
presiding  elder  af  the  Chicago  district.  His 
two  last  appointments  were  Minneapolis  First 
Church  for  five  years  and  North  Minneapolis 
Church  two  years.  He  had  just  completed  a 
fine  church  building  when  he  was  called  to  the 
presiding  eldership  for  a  third  time.  He  had 
great  success  in  both  churches  in  Minneapolis 
as  well  as  in  all  his  other  work  and  has  been  an 
efficient  member  of  many  committees,  etc.  His 
earnest  preaching,  wise  leadership  and  humble 
and  pleasant  conversation  has  won  him  many 
friends.  Chicago  district,  of  which  he  is  now 
presiding  elder,  includes  Northern  Illinois,  Mich- 
igan and  the  larger  part  of  Wisconsin.  Conse- 
quently most  of  his  time  is  spent  in  travelling 
and  visiting  all  the  churches  four  times  a  year. 

Knudsen  has  five  children  living,  four  daugh- 
ters and  one  son,  who  is  also  a  minister,  a  highly 
educated  man  who  has  for  several  years  been  a 
theological  professor  at  different  theological 
schools  of  the  Methodist  Church,  and  at  present 
occupies  the  chair  of  Hebrew  at  Boston  School 
of  Theology.  Three  of  the  daughters  are  mar- 
ried and  live  in  Minneapolis,  and  one  is  with 
her  parents  at  their  residence  at  1226  Humboldt 
boulevard,  Chicago. 


and  was  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran  Church  at 
Vossevangen.  She  came  to  America  in  Septem- 
ber, 1843,  having  left  Voss  on  May  2,  and  Bergen 
on  May  12.  They  landed  in  New  York  and  made 
their  way  westward  via  the  canal  to  Albany. 

The  next  year,  Jan.  12,  1844,  she  was  married 
to  Lars  Knutson  (Dykesten)  in  Thorbj^rn  R0the's 
house,  which  stood  on  what  was  then  called  the 
Point,  by  Rev.  Flavel  Bascum,  of  the  First  Pres- 
byterian Church.  The  union  resulted  in  three 
children,  two  of  whom  died  in  infancy;  one 
daughter,  Martha  Louise  Knutson,  now  living  in 
Pullman,  was  born  Nov.  25,  1846,  and  married 


Mrs.  Randvei  Knutson. 


MRS.  RANDVEI  KNUTSON, 

One  of  the  oldest  Scandinavian  citizens  of  Chi- 
cago, was  born  in  Voss,  Norway,  Feb.  8,  1813, 
hence  is  over  94  years  old.  She  is  a  daughter  of 
Anders  and  Martha  (Ludvo,  Rjrfthe)  Knutson, 
farmers  in  Voss.  She  attended  private  schools 


Louis  H.  Johnson,  May  5,  1869.  Her  husband, 
Lars  Knutson,  died  during  the  cholera  epidemic 
in  1849.  Her  father  died  in  1861,  80  years  old 
and  her  mother  1n  1875,  84  years  old.  The  fam- 
ily were  members  of  Paul  Anderson's  church,  be- 
ing of  the  first  to  enroll  themselves.  Occasion- 
ally Mrs.  Knutson  now  attends  the  Holy  Trinity 
Church,  on  La  Salle  avenue.  She  makes  her 
home  with  her  daughter  and  son-in-law,  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Louis  H.  Johnson,  at  235  Watt  avenue, 
Pullman,  III. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


391 


CHARLES   SEVERN   KNUDSON, 

Son  of  Olaf  and  Wilhelmina  Knudson,  was  born 
in  Chicago,  May  17,  1882.  He  spent  three  years 
of  his  youth  in  Norway  with  his  parents. 

His  career  as  an  attorney-at-law  was  hewed  out 
in  this  city.  After  completing  the  course  offered 
by  the  public  schools  he  graduated  from  the 
John  Marshall  Law  School  as  a  bachelor  of  laws 
in  1898.  He  immediately  secured  a  clerkship  with 
the  law  firm  of  Cratty,  Jarvis  &  Cleveland, 
where  he  has  remained.  Recently  the  name  of 
the  firm  was  changed  to  Cratty  Bros.,  Jarvis  & 


M.  C.  KNUDSON, 

President  of  the  Enterprise  Transfer  Company, 
at  No.  7  N.  Canal  street,  is  a  native  of  Chicago. 
He  was  born  on  March  28,  1863,  his  parents,  An- 
drew Gjelseth  and  Stina  (born  Negaard)  Knud- 
son, having  both  emigrated  from  Norway.  Mr. 
Knudson  began  life's  work  when  12  years  old  as 
an  office  boy  in  a  law  office,  and  a  year  later  en- 
tered the  employ  of  the  Western  Union  Tele- 
graph Company  as  a  messenger  and  remained 
for  four  years.  He  then  engaged  in  the  wood- 
working business  under  the  firm  name  of  Wig- 


C.  S.  Knudson. 


M.  C.  Knudson. 


Sample,    and    Mr.    Knudson    was    admitted    as    a 
member  of  the  firm. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  is  a  member  of  the 
Marquette  Club;  of  Monticello  Lodge  No.  847, 
I.  O.  O.  F.;  Order  of  Mutual  Protection,  Temple 
Lodge  No.  191,  of  which  he  is  president;  and  the 
Independent  Order  of  Foresters,  Court  Republic. 
Mr.  Knudson  is  an  enthusiastic  republican,  and 
having  been  born  on  the  Norwegian  independ- 
ence day,  May  17,  he  prides  himself  on  the  day 
of  his  birth  and  the  party  of  his  allegiance.  He 
belongs  to  the  Lutheran  Church  and  lives  with 
his  parents  at  743  N.  Forty-second  avenue. 


gins  &  Knudson.  Mr.  Wiggins  sold  his  interest 
to  James  Gudgeon  and  the  name  was  changed 
to  Knudson  &  Gudgeon.  After  five  years  he 
sold  out  to  his  partner  and  started  the  Enterprise 
Transfer  Company,  of  which  Mr.  Knudson  was 
the  proprietor  until  a  short  time  ago,  when  the 
company  was  incorporated.  He  is  now  president. 
Mr.  Knudson  was  married  to  Mary  Louise  Ris- 
berg,  July  17,  1886.  They  have  five  children  — 
Edith  C.,  Magnus  C.,  Andrew  C.,  Victor  E.  and 
Elsie  E.  Knudson.  Mr.  Knudson  served  as  alder- 
man from  the  Seventeenth  Ward  for  two  years, 
1897-98.  He  served  as  secretary  and  treasurer 


A  HISTORY  OK  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


for  the  Home  Council,  O.  C.  F.;  is  a  member  of 
Prairie  State  Council  No.  912,  Royal  Arcanum; 
was  chairman  and  treasurer  of  the  Seventeenth 
Ward  Club,  and  a  member  of  the  board  of  direc- 
tors of  the  Illinois  Live  S|ock  Insurance  Com- 
pany. The  family  belong  to  the  Lutheran  Church, 
and  reside  at  191  N.  Morgan  street. 


DR.  THEODORE  JAMES  KNUDSON 

was  born  on  a  farm  near  Springfield,  Illinois,  his 
father  and  mother,  Ole  and  Bertha  Knudson, 
having  settled  on  this  farm  over  50  years  ago,  and 


In  1892  he  began  his  medical  career  by  entering 
the  medical  department  of  the  Northwestern 
University,  graduating  in  1895. 

Having  received  an  appointment  as  interne  at 
St.  Luke's  Hospital,  Chicago,  he  served  two  years 
there  to  better  fit  himself  for  his  life  work,  and 
since  that  time  he  has  practiced  medicine  in  Chi- 
cago. 

For  the  last  6  years  Dr.  Knudson  has  been  con- 
nected with  the  surgical  department  of  St.  Luke's 
Hospital  and  for  seven  years  has  been  Chief 
Surgeon  to  the  South  Side  Elevated  Railway  Co. 

For  four  years  he  was  instructor  in  anatomy  at 
the  Northwestern  University  Medical  School. 

He  has  taken  up  the  specialty  of  surgery,  and 
has  been  eminently  successful. 

In  1900  Dr.  Knudson  married  Miss  Rebecca 
Wason,  of  Delphi,  Indiana.  They  have  one  son, 
Paul  Chester  Knudson. 


Dr.  T.  J.  Knudson. 


there  the  whole  family  were  reared.  There  are 
eight  children  in  the  family,  Theodore  James 
being  the  youngest.  His  preliminary  education  in 
the  country  school  was  continued  at  the  Illinois 
Wesleyan  University  at  Bloomington,  and  at  the 
Northwestern  University. 


OLAUS  KRABOL 

Was  born  in  Vestre  Gausdal,  Aug.   2,  1859.    His 
father  was  Ole  Johnson  Krab01,  and  his  mother] 
Rande   Olsen.     His   early   life   was    spent   in   the 
country,  but  in  1875  he  went  to  Christiania,  where 
he  was  apprenticed  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  cabi-  , 
netmaker. 

He  came  to  the  United  States  in  1879  and  se-  j 
cured   employment   with   A.    H.   Andrews   &   Co., 
of  Chicago,  at  his  trade.     He  worked  at  this  for  j 
two   years,   when   he   was   given   the   position   of 
traveling  man  for  the  same  firm,  fitting  up  bank 
and  public  offices,  such  as  courthouses  and  post- 
offices. 

In  1886  he  was  offered  and  accepted  the  su- 
periniendency  of  a  large  wood-working  establish- 
ment in  Helena,  Mont.,  where  he  remained  un- 
til 1893. 

He  then  returned  to  Chicago,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  the  real  estate  business,  the  building 
of  large  apartment  houses,  and  also  interested 
himself  in  manufacturing.  He  was  for  a  number 
of  years  secretary  and  treasurer  of  the  National 
Mirror  Works,  but  retired  from  this  in  1894, 
when  the  factory  was  moved  to  Rockford,  111. 

Mr.  Krabol  was  married  on  Dec.  31,  1888,  to 
Annie  Olsen.  They  have  had  three  children,  two 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


393 


Bow  living  —  Hjordis  and  Signey.      Mr.   Krabol       25,  1874.     They  have  four  children.     Mr.  Lahlum 
is  a  member  of  the  Royal   League.     The   family      visited     Norway    in     1905    and   enjoyed    the    trip 


Olaus  Krabol  and  Family. 


attend   the   Lutheran   Church  and  reside   at   1379 
N.  Spaulding  avenue,  Chicago. 


hugely.       The     family     resides   at   255    Humboldt 

boulevard. 

s-r, 


EDWIN   SEVERIN   ANDERSON   LAHLUM, 

The  well  known  lawyer  and  real  estate  man,  was 
born  in  Bergen,  Norway,  June  11,  1845.  His  par- 
ents were  Peter  Anderson  and  Bertha  Christine 
(Reinertson)  Lahlum.  After  attending  the  com- 
mon schools  in  Norway  he  served  in  the  mer- 
chant marine  for  some  time  before  coming  to 
America. 

Upon  arrival  here  in  1862  he  enlisted  as  a  ma- 
rine in  the  United  States  Navy  and  served  for 
four  years.  He  then  came  to  Chicago.  In  1872 
he  was  appointed  a  police  officer  and  remained 
with  the  department  until  1885.  He  was  then 
appointed  a  justice  of  the  peace  at  Jefferson, 
Cook  county,  which  office  he  held  for  years. 
Since  that  time  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  law 
and  real  estate  business,  his  office  being  at  1110 
N.  California  avenue.  Mr.  Lahlum  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  Order  and  has  been  a  commander 
in  the  Grand  Army  of  the  Republic.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  Trinity  branch  of  the  Norwegian 
Old  People's  Home  Society. 

He  was  married  to  Eveline  M.  Olsen,  on  Sept. 


E.  S.  A.  Lahlum. 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


OLE  C.  LAND, 

The  jeweler  at  344  Milwaukee  avenue,  Chicago, 
was  born  in  Bamle,  near  Brevik,  Norway,  Jan.  4, 
1840.  He  learned  the  trade  of  a  watchmaker  at 
Brevik  and  was  for  a  few  years  in  Christiania, 
and  worked  at  his  trade  in  Kongsvinger  for 
about  four  years. 

He  came  to  America  and  Chicago  in  1866, 
where  he  has  resided  since.  He  worked  at  his 
trade  for  the  first  five  years,  but  in  1871  he  started 
a  business  of  his  own  in  Kinzie  street.  In  1873 
he  moved  to  229  Milwaukee  avenue,  where  he  re- 


JAMES  LANGLAND. 

James  Langland  was  born  at  North  Cape,  Ra- 
cine county,  Wis.,  Jan.  26,  1855,  son  of  Knud  and 
Anna  Langland;  moved  with  parents  to  Chicago 
in  the  fall  of  1868;  attended  public  school  in  the 
old  town  of  Lake  View,  and  subsequently  the . 
University  of  Chicago,  graduating  in  1877.  He 
studied  law  at  the  Union  College  of  Law,  but 
entered  the  newspaper  profession  in  the  fall  of 
1877  as  a  reporter  on  the  Chicago  Daily  News; 
was  night  editor  of  the  Morning  News  shortly 
after  that  paper  was  started  in  1881,  and  after- 


Ole   C.  Land. 


James  Langland. 


mained  until  1894,  when  he  moved  to  his  present 
commodious  quarters  at  344  Milwaukee  avenue. 

Mr.  Land  was  married  to  Olene  Syvorson, 
from  Nordreland,  Norway,  in  1872.  They  were 
blessed  with  four  children,  of  whom  only  one, 
a  son,  Arnt  N.  Land,  is  living.  The  son  is  an 
optician  and  is  engaged  in  the  business  with  his 
father.  Mrs.  Land  died  in  1882.  Mr.  Land  is  a 
member  and  supporter  of  the  Tabitha  Hospital, 
the  Deaconess  Hospital,  Old  People's  and 
Children's  homes. 


ward  represented  it  in  Washington  and  New 
York  as  correspondent.  Worked  on  the  Mil- 
waukee Sentinel  as  telegraph  editor  and  book 
reviewer  from  1885  to  1889;  then  returned  to  the 
Chicago  Daily  News  as  editorial  secretarj'  and 
librarian.  Was  sent  to  Cuba  as  correspondent 
in  the  Spanish-American  War  in  1898  and  to 
Panama  in  the  winter  of  1903-4,  when  war  was 
expected  with  Colombia.  He  has  been  compiler 
of  the  Daily  News  Almanac  and  Year-Book  since 
1901;  and  is  a  member  of  the  press  clubs  of  Chi- 
cago and  Milwaukee. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


395 


HANS  LARSEN 

Was  born  in  Gjjzivlg,  Norway,  Jan.  28,  1846.  His 
parents  were  Lars  and  Oline  Magnussen.  He 
attended  the  common  schools  and  was  confirmed 
in  Gj0vigs  Church.  Here  he  learned  the  trade 
•of  a  tailor. 

Mr.  Larsen  came  to  Chicago  in  1866,  where  he 
has  remained  since,  following  the  same  trade. 

He  was  married  in  1868  to  Gundhild  Knudsen, 
from  Valders,  Norway.  She  died  Jan.  10,  1890, 
leaving  him  eleven  children,  namely:  Olga  Gu- 
rine,  born  in  1869;  Karl  Ludvig,  1871;  Anna  Ma- 


Hans  Larsen. 


Tie,  1873;  Laura  Camilla,  1875  ;  Half  dan  Oscar, 
1877;  Fredrik,  1879;  Henrik  Gerhardt,  1882;  Ar- 
thur Bj0rn,  1884;  Dagmar,  1886;  James,  1888; 
Leonard  Foster,  1889.  Of  the  children  Olga  Gu- 
rine  married  Iver  Halvorsen;  Anna  Marie  mar- 
ried Thomas  Stangeland;  Arthur  Bjjzlrn  is  mar- 
ried to  Mabel  Max;  Henrik  to  Stofa  Davidson. 

In  1892  Mr.  Larsen  married  Martha  Johnson, 
•daughter  of  Sven  and  Kerstin  Johnson,  of  Hal- 
land's  \xn. 

His  mother  died  in  Norway  in  1855  and  his 
father  in  his  son's  home  in  Chicago  in  1887. 


Mr.  Larsen  has  been  a  consistent  worker  in 
the  cau'se  of  temperance  for  the  last  thirty  years, 
having  held  all  the  offices  in  the  lodges  of  which 
he  has  been  a  member,  and  was  on  his  twenty- 
fifth  anniversary  as  such  accorded  a  reception  and 
banquet  and  given  a  gold  medal  as  a  memento 
of  the  occasion. 

In  October,  1882,  Mr.  Larsen  joined  the  literary 
society  Minerva,  where  the  temperance  people 
held  the  "balance  of  power,"  and  which  had  al- 
ways been  of  a  religious  character.  Under  the 
influence  of  Mr.  Larsen's  unprejudiced  and  liberal 
views,  as  well  as  his  liberal  sacrifice  of  time  and 
money  for  the  cause,  the  society  soon  found  it- 
self upon  a  higher  plane  of  activity,  where  the 
spirit  of  free  thought  and  investigation  made  it 
renowned  as  a  power  for  mental  and  ethical  prog- 
ress. Mr.  Larsen  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian 
Old  People's  Home  Society. 


DR.  RALPH  LUDWIG  LARSEN 

Is  a  native  of  Chicago,  having  been  born  in  this 
city  of  Norwegian  parents,  Martin  and  Betsey 
Larsen,  March  4,  1877. 


Dr.  R.  L.  Larsen. 


800 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


His  parents  came  to  this  country  in  1861 — at 
the  outbreak  of  the  Civil  Wai — his  father  serv- 
ing throughout  the  entire  period  of  the  Rebel- 
lion, being  wounded  at  the  Battle  of  Stone  River, 
Ga.,  and  laid  up  at  the  camp  hospital  for  three 
months  with  concussion  of  the  brain.  His 
father  was  one  of  the  first  to  enlist  from  the 
state  of  Illinois,  being  mustered  in  with  the 
First  Illinois  Light  Artillery,  and  seeing  serv- 
ice in  some  of  the  fiercest  engagements  during 
the  Civil  War. 

Dr.  Larsen  is  a  graduate  of  Rush  Medical  Col- 
lege, having  earned  the  degree  of  doctor  of 
medicine,  and  at  the  time  of  his  gradu'ation  car- 
ried off  the  highest  honors  in  anatomic  sur- 
gery— the  Arthur  Dean  Bevan  prize  (a  valuable 
library  set  of  books).  During  his  course  of 
four  years  at  Rush,  he  entered  upon  a  series 
of  competitive  contests  along  scientific  and  lit- 
erary lines,  and  received  the  degree  of  doctor 
of  philosophy,  together  with  an  appointment 
of  honorary  alumnus  of  the  University  of  Ala- 
bama. 

He  was  for  one  year  hospital  surgeon  with  the 
Illinois  Steel  Company  at  South  Chicago,  where 
he  received  extensive  training  in  mill-injury  work. 
The  Illinois  Steel  Company  is  one  of  the  larg- 
est corporations  in  the  country,  being  a  part  of 
the  United  States  Steel  Corporation.  The  Chi- 
cago, Lake  Shore  and  Eastern  Railroad  and  the 
Elgin,  Joliet  and  Eastern  Railroad  have  about 
fifty  miles  of  track  entirely  within  the  walls  of 
the  South  Chicago  plant,  which  covers  an  area 
of  three  square  miles.  Here  the  average  daily 
number  of  accidents  is  fifteen,  some  being  of  the 
worst  kinds  imaginable.  The  company  has  its 
o.wn  private  hospital — within  the  grounds — of 
thirty-five  beds,  which  are  nearly  always  oc- 
cupied, and  two  resident  surgeons,  who  act 
for  the  chief  surgeon. 

After  serving  his  time  there  he  remained  for 
nearly  a  year  at  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Tabitha 
Hospital  in  Chicago,  where  his  training  con- 
sisted largely  of  general  medicine  and  surgery. 

Leaving  this  institution,  he  became  assistant  to 
Dr.  W.  P.  Verity— one  of  the  largest  general 
practitioners  in  the  Middle  West,  and  a  surgeon 
of  no  little  repute — and  when  he  had  served  in 
this  capacity  for  one  year  he  decided  to  launch 
out  for  himself. 

During  the  succeeding  year  he  held  the  posi- 
tion of  assistant  professorship  in  orthopedic  sur- 
gery at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
— medical  department  of  the  University  of  Il- 
linois— but  reluctantly  gave  up  that  position  to 
devote  his  entire  attention  to  his  private  practice. 

Because   of   his   experience   while   surgeon    for 


the  Illinois  Steel  Company,  his  ambition  nat- 
urally was  directed  to  the  class  of  work  in  which 
he  was  there  engaged,  and  when  he  was  fairly 
along  in  his  work  he  put  into  execution  the  idea 
which  he  had  fostered  for  years — the  estab- 
lishment of  an  emergency  hospital  for  render- 
ing first  aid  to  the  injured — and  accordingly  set 
up  such  an  institution  at  the  corner  of  Chicago 
and  Milton  avenues,  in  a  factory  district,  where 
accidents  are  of  daily  occurrence.  An  institution 
of  this  character  has  a  great  future,  and  no 
doubt  will  prove  a  success,  with  such  a  head 
as  Dr.  Larsen,  who  is  as  impetuous  as  he  is 
ambitious.  He  has  been  acting  alone  in  this 
matter,  accepting  no  assistance  from  any  source, 
relying  wholly  upon  his  own  tireless  efforts, 
having  refused  several  offers  from  philanthropic 
sources.  His  modesty  causes  him  to  defer  such 
action;  he  prefers. to  struggle  along  alone  for  a 
time: 

In  his  present  capacity  he  is  local  surgeon  for 
eight  or  ten  liability  assurance  corporations  and 
some  fifty  or  more  manufacturing  concerns. 

Dr.  Larsen  has  done  a  good  deal  of  vivisecting 
work,  and  a  few  years  ago,  while  working  in 
the  laboratories  of  Dr.  Nicholas  Senn's  hos- 
pital—  St.  Joseph's  —  materially  assisted  in  per- 
fecting an  intricate  appliance  to  be  used  in  kid- 
ney operations. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Medical  So- 
ciety, the  Illinois  State  Medical  Society  and  the 
Amercian  Medical  Association.  He  is  a  frequent 
contributor  of  practical  articles  to  medical  jour- 
nals, more  especially  to  the  Journal  of  the 
American  Medical  Association  and  the  New  York 
and  Philadelphia  medical  journals.  He  contrib- 
utes -to  hospitals  and  other  charities,  and  is  a 
member  of  the  Lutheran  Church 

In  the  sutnmers  of  1894,  and  1897,  accompanied 
by  his  mother,  he  made  a  three  and  four  months' 
trip,  respectively,  through  the  "Land  of  the  Mid- 
night Sun,"  and  while  up  in  the  mountains  and 
fjords,  had  many  perilous  adventures.  He  has 
been  a,s  far  north— beyond  the  Arctic  Circle — 
as  Spitzbergen  Islands  and  North  Cape.  While 
on  these  sojourns  he  kept  data  of  his  travels 
and  on  his  return  entertained  his  friends  with- 
many  interesting  talks. 


AEOLPH   LARSON. 

Adolph   Larson,  alderman    from    the    Twenty- 
eighth  Ward,  is  a  son   of  Martin  and   Elizabeth- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


397 


(Johnson)  Larson,  born  at  Fredrikshald,  Nor- 
way, Sept.  15,  1856.  His  early  life  was  spent  in 
Fredrikshald,  where  he  attended  the  common 
school  and  learned  the  machinist's  trade,  after 
which  he  attended  Horten's  Technical  School  and 
graduated  in  1875.  Then  he  went  to  Christiania, 
where  he  was  employed  as  machinist  and  also 
attended  the  royal  school  of  drawing. 

In  the  spring  of  1880  he  emigrated  and  came 
to  Chicago,  where  he  worked  as  machinist  and 
engineer  until  1884,  when  he  in  partnership  with 
an  American  builder  formed  the  firm  of  Larson 


Adolph  Larson. 


&  Hyde,  -contractors  and  builders.  After  two 
years,  the  partnership  was  dissolved  and  Larson 
continued  alone  in  the  business  until  1902,  when 
he  was  elected  alderman.  Mr.  Larson  is  now 
serving  his  second  term,  and  while  in  the  city 
council  he  has  served  on  several  of  the  most  im- 
portant committees. 

He  is  president  of  .the  Norwegian-American 
Copper  Mining  and  Smelting  Company,  but  while 
Mr.  Larson  always  has  been  considered  a  good 
business  man  and  ready  to  take  a  hand  in  public 
affairs,  it  is  in  church  and  charity  work  that  he 
has  been  most  prominent.  As  one  of  the  found- 


ers of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Deaconess  So- 
ciety and  its  president  from  its  organization  to 
date,  he  has  done  as  much  or  more  than  any 
other  man  to  bring  that  work  and  the  Dea- 
coness Hospital  to  what  it  is  today,  in  Chicago. 

Mr.  Larson  has  been  a  Sunday  school  superin- 
tendent for  twenty  years  and  deacon  and  presi- 
dent of  the  board  of  trustees  for  many  years. 
The  United  Norwegian  Church  of  America,  of 
which  Larson  is  a  member,  has  also  acknowl- 
edged his  ability  by  electing  him  a  member  of  the 
board  of  home  and  foreign  missions  and  upon 
other  important  committees. 

Mr.  Larson  married  Marie  Albeck,  Oct.  12, 
1877.  They  have  had  four  children,  three  of 
whom  are  living — A.  Larson,  Jr.,  who  is  engaged 
in  the  real  estate  and  insurance  business  at  1684 
Milwaukee  avenue,  and  two  daughters — -Dagmar 
and  Mabel — who  reside  with  their  parents  at  1170 
N.  Maplewood  avenue. 


LARS  LARSON  (NESS), 

The  first  settler  on  government  land  at  Helmar, 
111.,  was  born  June  10,  1825,  on  the  farm  Ness  in 
Skaanevik,  near  the  city  of  Bergen.  His  parents 
were  John  and  Julia  Larson.  His  father  died 
when  Lars  was  8  years  old,  but  his  mother  came 
to  America  with  our  subject  in  1847.  She  died 
at  Lisbon,  111.,  the  same  year. 

Lars  got  as  much  of  an  education  as  was 
available  at  that  time  in  the  old  country.  It  did  not 
amount  to  much.  At  first  Larson  and  his  sister 
Annie,  born  in  1830,  hired  out  to  work  for  others 
around  Lisbon,  but'  in  the  fall  of  1851  he  bought 
160  acres  of  government  land  at  $1.25  per  acre, 
being  a  quarter  of  sec.  36  in  River  Fox  township, 
on  which  he  is  still  living.  This  land  is  now 
fully  worth  a  hundred  times  the  original  price. 

In  1851  Mr.  Larson  was  married  to  Miss  Mary 
Hendricksen,  born  in  1826,  and  from  the  same 
place  in  Norway,  she  having  come  to  America 
with  the  same  party  as  her  future  husband.  Her 
parents  remained  in  the  old  country,  but  she  was 
accompanied  by  three  brothers  and  two  sisters. 
The  young  couple  were  united  in  holy  wedlock 
by  the  well  known  Rev.  Ole  Andrewson.  This 
marital  union  has  been  blessed  with  seven  chil- 
dren, three  sons  —  Lars,  Henry  and  Louis  —  and 
four  daughters  —  Sarah,  Lina,  Mary  and  Rachel. 


398 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


All  are  living  except  Sarah,  who  died  when  24 
years  old.  She  had  been  married  a  few  years 
at  her  demise.  The  others  are  all  married,  ex- 
cept the  oldest  son,  Lars,  and  the  youngest 
daughter,  Mary,  who  are  living  at  the  old  home, 
Lars  running  the  farm. 

The  children,  as  a  matter  of  course,  were  all 
brought  up  in  the  Lutheran  faith.  Mr.  Larson 
has  contributed  to  the  building  of  both  the  old 
and  new  church  at  Helmar  and  is  an  active 
member.  He  has  held  the  office  of  road  commis- 
sioner, but  has  never  sought  political  prefer- 
ment, always  having  been  a  loyal  republican. 

He  has  visited  his  mother  country  twice,  first 
in  1873  and  again  in  1887,  when  he  visited  the 
Storthing  and  also  the  silver  mines  at  Kongs- 
vinger  and  Kongsberg. 


remained  on  his  father's  farm  until  16,  attending 
the  public  schools.  He  graduated  from  Jennings' 
Seminary,  in  Aurora,  in  1891,  after  which  he  se- 
cured a  position  with  a  wholesale  lumber  firm  in 
Chicago.  He  has  been  connected  with  the  board 
of  education  since  September,  1894  —  first  as 
secretary  to  the  superintendent  of  schools,  then 
as  assistant  superintendent  of  evening  schools, 
and  in  December,  1900,  by  competitive  civil- 
service  examination  he  won  the  position  of  sec- 
retary of  the  board,  which  he  still  holds.  At 
the  time  of  his  appointment  he  was  the  young- 
est man  in  the  country  holding  so  responsible  an 
office. 

He  married  May  Woodruff  Wildman,  Aug.  4, 
1897.  They  have  two  children  —  a  boy  and  a 
girl.  The  family  attends  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  and  resides  at  1825  E.  Roscoe  street.  Mr. 
Larson  is  a  Mason,  a  member  of  Garden  City 
Lodge. 


LEWIS  ELMER  LARSON, 

Secretary  of  the  board  of  education,  was  born  at 
Leland,  111.,  Nov.  2,  1874.     His  parents,  Jacob  C. 


OMMUND  LARSON, 


L.  E.  Larson. 

and  Elizabeth   (Peterson)   Larson,  moved  to  De 
Kalb  county,  when  he  was  3  years  old.     Here  he 


The  well  known  manufacturer  of  structural  iron 
of  various  kinds,  at  300  W.  Erie  Street,  was  born 
at  Gjerdevig,  Fjeldberg's  prestegjeld,  Norway, 
Jan.  10,  1848,  to  Lars  and  Kari  (Sigvser)  Larson. 

Mr.  Larson  was  educated  in  the  common 
school  of  his  parish  and  confirmed  in  0re  church. 

When  13  years  of  age,  he  went  to  sea  on  a 
sailing  vessel  as  a  cabin  boy,  and  in  various  ca- 
pacities he  followed  the  occupation  of  a  sailor 
for  25  years  visiting  almost  every  country  on  the 
globe. 

In  July,  1887,  he  came  to  America  to  settle, 
landing  at  Philadelphia,  from  where  he  went 
direct  to  Chicago  and  has  been  a  resident  of  this 
city  ever  since.  Here  he  sailed  the  first  year  on 
the  Great  Lakes,  and  then  engaged  in  business, 
contracting  for  structural  iron  and  steel  works. 

Mr.  Larson  was  joined  in  a  wedlock  to  Miss 
Jorgine  Torgerson  of  Stavanger,  Norway,  April 
31,  1868.  She  died  in  1885.  Later  on  he  married 
Miss  Ellida  Christiansen. 

With  his  second  wife  Mr.  Larson  has  had  two 
children:  one  son,  Lawrence,  born  Aug.  13,  1888, 
and  one  daughter,  Gunda,  born  June  18,  1890. 

Mr.  Larson's  parents  have  both  departed  from 
this  life,  but  Mrs.  Larson's  parents  are  still  both 
living  in  Norway. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


399 


He  is  a  member  of  Lodge  1079,  Knights  and 
Ladies  of  Honor,  and  has  been  its  treasurer  for 
about  14  years. 


JOHN  OSCAR  LAUGMAN, 

Professor  at  the  Pleasant  View  Luther  College  at 
Ottawa,  111.,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Mission,  La 
Salle  county,  111.,  on  July  24,  1873.  In  his  15th 


J.  O.  Laugman. 


year  he  left  home  to  attend  school  at  Witten- 
berg, Wis.,  where  he  worked  for  his  board  and 
room  at  the  Indian  Mission  the  first  year.  Later 
he  was  able  to  pay  his  way.  He  has  always  ad- 
hered to  the  belief  that  work  is  ennobling  and 
uplifting  in  whatever  station,  as  long  as  it  is 
honorable.  In  the  fall  of  1890,  being  too  young 
to  obtain  a  teacher's  certificate  in  Illinois,  he 
went  to  Goodhue  county,  Minnesota,  near 
Kenyon,  to  teach.  Owing  to  the  illness  of  his 
brother  he  decided  in  1892  not  to  go  back  to 


Minnesota,  but  instead  to  accept  a  position  to 
teach  in  Grundy  county.  Until'  1895  he  spent  his 
time  teaching  in  Grundy  and  Kendall  counties, 
and  in  attending  school  at  Valparaiso,  Ind. 

Feeling  the  need  of  higher  education  he  now 
decided  to  enter  Illinois  University,  which  he 
attended  for  two  years  but  at  the  end  of  that 
time  his  money  gave  out  and  he  was  compelled 
to  spend  a  year  earning  more  money.  In  the 
fall  of  1898  he  again  went  back  to  the  Univer- 
sity and  managed  to  remain  until  he  graduated 
in  June  of  1900,  receiving  the  degree  of  B.  S. 
He  now  accepted  a  position  in  the  Urbana  High 
School  and  at  the  close  of  the  school  year,  1900- 
01,  accepted  a  position  in  the  Champaign  High 
School,  remained  there  one  year  and  then  went 
back  to  Urbana,  where  he  remained  until  1905. 
The  principalship  of  the  High  School  was  of- 
fered him  in  the  fall  of  1903  and  this  position 
he  held  until  June,  1905.  In  May  he  resigned 
to  come  to  Pleasant  View  Luther  College  at 
Ottawa,  as  teacher  of  science. 

He  was  married  to  Nellie  Anderson  of  Net- 
tle Creek,  111.,  June  28,  1900.  They  have  had 
three  children,  two  of  whom,  Marguerite  and 
Eveline,  are  still  living. 

The  family  attends  the  Lutheran  Church.  The 
Urbana  Courier,  in  speaking  of  Mr.  Laugman's 
resignation,  published  the  following  pleasant  lo- 
cal:— - 

"To  say  that  Mr.  Laugman  is  idolized  by  his 
pupils  wou'ld  be  putting  it  a  little  strong,  but 
he  is  much  admired  by  all,  both  in  and  out  of 
the  school-room,  as  an  instructor  and  as  a  man." 


CAPTAIN  S0REN  PETER  LAWRENCE 

Was  born  at  Krager0,  Norway,  Sept.  28,  182L 
Like  most  men  from  his  native  town,  he  tried  his 
fortune  as  a  sailor  before  the  mast,  and  as  such 
visited  the  United  States  as  early  as  1842.  He  fin- 
ally concluded  to  make  this  promising  country  his 
permanent  home,  and  certainly  never  regretted 
it,  as  his  success  as  a  lake  captain  was  most 
decided.  He  settled  in  Chicago  in  October,  1849. 
It  did  not  take  him  long  to  sail  his  own  ves- 
sel, and  by  and  by  he  added  more  vessels  to  his 
flotilla.  As  a  commander  he  was  well  known 
among  shippers  and  lake  navigators.  His  ves- 
sels generally  carried  grain  from  Chicago  to  Buf- 


400 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS   OF   ILLINOIS 


Capt.  S.  P.  Lawrence. 


falo,  or  lumber  on  the  upper  lakes.  His  first 
vessel  was  Industry,  and  he  finally  owned  seven 
more  of  which  we  know  the  names:  John  S. 
Wallers,  Sacramento,  Mary  B.  Hale,  Dreadnaught 
(lost  on  Lake  Superior),  W.  S.  Willard,  (lost 
on  Lake  Michigan)  and  Black  Mary.  He  had 
one  more,  but  we  have  not  been  able  to  find 
its  name.  Captain  Lawrence  did  not  confine  his 
activities  to  the  Great  Lakes,  but  invested  his 
profits  also  in  Chicago  real  estate,  and  besides 
had  a  property  in  Michigan  City.  His  first  prop- 
erty, bought  in  1855,  was  the  lot  at  the  north- 


Mrs.  Annie  Lawrence. 


Mrs.  Williams,  nee  Lawrence. 


east  corner  of  Chicago  avenue  and  Orleans 
street,  which  he  improved  with  buildings,  and 
which  his  widow  still  holds.  He  next  built  a 
comfortable  residence  at  1492  Wellington  ave- 
nue, where  his  family  was  reared  and  where  he 
finally  departed  this  life  on  April  25th,  1891. 

On  Dec.  23,  1853  he  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Annie  Dorothea  Lockrem,  who  was  born 
in  Vang,  Valders,  Norway,  Dec.  31,  1833.  Her 
parents  were  Iver  C.  and  Gertrud  (Rude) 
Lockrem.  She  came  to  this  country  with  her 
parents  in  1849,  reaching  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  July 
25.  They  later  went  to  Rice  county,  Minn. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


401 


Together  with  her  uncle,  Andrew  Rude,  she  came 
to  Chicago,  Oct.  29,  1850,  and  here  she  met  her  fu- 
ture husband,  Captain  Lawrence.  To  them  were 
born  eight  children,  of  whom  the  two  first  died 
in  infancy:  Anna  Marie,  died  Oct.  21,  1854,  and 
Anna  Marie  (given  the  same  name)  died  June 
9,  1855.  Gertrud  Levina,  born  July  29,  1856,  is 
married  to  R.  S.  Williams,  an  Englishman,  with 
whom  she  has  had  three  children.  They  reside 
in  Minneapolis,  Minn.  Adolph  Peter,  whose 
sketch  appears  in  this  volume,  was  born  May 
24,  1859.  He  is  an  artist  and  had  a  photographic 


of  land  in  Maywood.  Mrs.  Lawrence,  who  is 
a  business  woman  of  far  more  than  ordinary 
ability,  sold  this  land  and  invested  the  money 
in  improved  property  in  Sheridan  Park,  near  the 
Wilson  Avenue  Station.  She  also  in  1903  sold 
the  old  homestead  on  Wellington  avenue,  where 
she  had  resided  for  thirty-six  years,  to  the  Chi- 
cago Union  Hospital,  and  bought  a  fine  new 
residence  at  915  Chase  avenue,  Rogers  Park.  She 
also  owns  a  fine  p;cce  of  property  on  N.  Clark 
street,  south  of  Oakdale  avenue.  Hale  and 
hearty  at  the  well  advanced  age  of  73  years, 


Arthur   Lawrence. 


Dr.  Ivy  Lawrence. 


studio  on  Clybourn  avenue,  near  Division  street, 
until  1906,  when  he  sold  out  and  went  into  the 
real  estate  business.  Clara  Josephine  was  born  in 
1861  and  died  in  1887.  Arthur  Alexander  was 
born  February  18,  1864;  he  lives  in  New  York 
city  and  is  engaged  in  the  dry  goods  business. 
Edward  Louis  died  in  1868,  when  only  three  days 
old.  Ivy  Garfield  Lawrence  was  born  on  May  13, 
1877;  he  is  a  doctor  of  dental  surgery  with  an 
office  at  Evanston  avenue  and  Clark  street  and 
resides  with  his  mother. 

At    his    death    Captain    Lawrence    left    among 
other  valuable  real  estate  holdings,  a  large  tract 


she  still  takes  care  of  all  her  real  estate  hold- 
ings, making  out  the  leases,  looking  after  the  re- 
pairs, buying  the  coal  for  the  apartment  build- 
ings, paying  the  taxes,  and  collecting  the  rents. 
She  could  easily  pass  for  a  woman  of  53  years. 
Her  splendid  memory  and  bright  mental  facul- 
ties make  it  a  pleasure  to  have  an  interview  with 
her.  If  a  contemplated  real  estate  deal  goes 
through,  the  Norwegian  Old  People's  Home  will 
certainly  have  good  reason  for  rejoicing  in  the 
very  near  future.  If  not,  the  home  is  not  for- 
gotten in  her  will  and  testament. 

It   is    remarkable    how    many    ministers    of   the 


402 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


gospel  Mrs.  Lawrence's  family  has  produced. 
One  branch  alone  has  furnished  four  preachers. 
It  may  be  mentioned  that  all  Lockrems  are 
more  or  less  related.  On  the  captain's  side  there 
are  also  several  ministers  by  the  name  of  Dyvik, 
that  being  the  name  of  the  place  from  which  that 
family  hailed. 


ADOLPH   PETER  LAWRENCE, 

Son   of   Captain   S.    P.    and   Anna   D.    Lawrence, 
among  the  oldest  Norwegian  settlers  of  Chicago, 


jected  after  one  season's  absence.  Instead  he 
engaged  in  the  photograph  business  in  1887  and 
followed  that  until  1906,  when  he  left  it  for  the' 
real  estate  business. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Adella  I.  Landgraf, 
daughter  of  Anthony  and  Millie  Landgraf,  on 
Apr.  27,  1898.  They  have  one  daughter,  Adella 
Dorothy  Millie,  born  March  13,  1899.  Mr.  Law- 
rence is  a  member  of  Lake  View  Lodge,'  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.;  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  and  the  Order  of 
Foresters.  He  served  for  two  years  in  the  First 
Regiment  of  the  Illinois  National  Guard.  The 
family  resides  at  1136  Milwaukee  avenue. 


A.  P.  Lawrence. 


was  born  in  Chicago,  May  24,  1859.  He  attended 
the  public  schools,  the  Lake  View  High  School, 
and  took  a  course  in  the  Metropolitan  Business 
College.  He  was  confirmed  in  the  Holy  Trinity 
Lutheran  Church,  on  La  Salle  avenue.  His 
father,  who  was  a  large  vessel  swner,  and  a 
captain  on  the  lakes,  wished  his  son  to  follow 
in  his  footsteps,  but  others  of  the  family  ob- 


VICTOR  F.  LAWSON 

Was  born  in  Chicago,  on  the  North  Side,  in  a 
house  that  stood  on  Superior  street,  Sept.  9,  1850. 
In  those  days  the  North  Side  was  a  place  where 
every  householder  had  his  own  sidewalk  level, 
and  the  ups  and  downs  of  life  were  many.  He 
was  a  pupil  in  the  Ogden  School  on  Chestnut 
street,  between  Dearborn  avenue  and  N.  State 
street;  and  in  1869  was  graduated  from  the  old 
Chicago  High  School  on  the  West  Side.  For  a 
year  and  a  half  young  Lawson  attended  Phillips 
Academy,  at  Andover,  Mass.,  intending  to  enter 
Harvard  University.  On  leaving  Andover  he 
went  to  Cambridge  for  examination,  although  his 
eyesight  was  very  poor;  but  before  his  time  came 
to  begin  study  in  the  university  he  was  com- 
pelled on  a  doctor's  advice  to  abandon  the  pro- 
ject. A  few  months  before  the  great  fire  of  1871 
he  returned  home. 

Mr.  Lawson's  father,  Iver  Lawson,  who  came 
from  Voss,  Norway,  and  settled  in  Chicago  about 
1840,  was  a  man  of  high  order  of  intelligence,  as 
well  as  of  thrift  and  industry;  and  when  he 
passed  away,  in  1873,  he  left  valuable  property, 
including  the  building  at  No.  123  Fifth  avenue, 
where  the  Daily  News  had  its  first  little  10  by  12 
office,  when  it  was  founded  by  Melville  E.  Stone, 
Percy  Meggy  and  William  E.  Dougherty.  The 
paper  first  appeared  Dec.  25,  1875,  as  a  1-cent 
evening  paper,  the  combined  capital  at  its  com- 
mand being  about  $5,000.  In  settling  up  his  fath- 
er's estate  young  Lawson  found  that  he  had  left 
an  interest  in  the  Daily  Skandinaven,  a  paper 
which  was  then  a  tenant  of  the  same  building. 
For  two  years  the  young  man  was  engaged  in 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


403 


looking  after  his  interest  in  this  journal,  and  this 
gave  him  a  taste  of  newspaper  life  and  work. 

The  Daily  News  had  been  struggling  for  a  foot- 
hold about  six  months  when  young  Lawson 
bought  it  and  made  a  contract  with  Mr.  Stone  to 
remain  as  editor. 

The  presses  were  run  by  power  furnished  by  the 
Skandinaven.  The  first  boom  of  consequence  ex- 
perienced by  the  new  evening  sheet  was  when, 
in  the  summer  of  1876,  it  got  on  the  street  in  ad- 
vance of  everything — even  Western  Union  bul- 
letins— with  the  news  of  the  nomination  of  R.  B. 
Hayes  for  president.  The  attention  ot,  the  read- 
ing public  began  now  to  be  attracted  to  the 
paper. 

In  its  early  years  the  Daily  News  was  not  a 
member  of  the  Western  Associated  Press,  but 
depended  on  special  service.  Just  before  the 
Turco-Russian  War  the  Daily  News  accused 
the  old  Evening  Post,  published  by  Messrs.  Me 
Mullen,  of  stealing  its  special  dispatches  from 
the  seat  of  the  troubles.  In  order  to  fasten 
the  charge  on  the  rival  sheet,  a  hoax-dispatch, 
ostensibly  from  Bulgaria  and  pretending  to 
give  a  war-cry  in  the  Slavonic  tongue,  was 
published.  The  words  of  the  so-called  cry  were:_ 
"Erus  siht  laets  lliw  snellum  cm  eht."  The 
Post  promptly  cribbed  the  alleged  dispatch  and 
was  caught  in  the  trap.  The  following  day  the 
Daily  News  published  the  key  to  the  transla- 
tion of  the  "war-cry,"  and  this  was  to  read  the 
words  backward.  "The  McMullens  will  steal 
this  sure." 

About  a  year  after  his  purchase  of  the  paper 
Mr.  Lawson  sold  back  to  Mr.  Stone  a  third  in- 
terest, and  the  latter  still  remained  an  editor, 
contributing  largely  to  make  the  Daily  News 
what  it  is  today,  until  May,  1888,  when  he  again 
sold  out  to  Mr.  Lawson  and  retired  permanently 
from  the  newspaper  business. 

The  great  demand  for  news  during  the  excite- 
ment of  the  labor  riots  of  1877  helped  the  new 
penny  paper  amazingly,  hourly  editions  being 
issued.  In  1878  the  Post  suspended  and  Messrs. 
Lawson  and  Stone  bought  the  assets,  including 
the  Associated  Press  franchise,  for  $16,000. 
March  21,  1881,  a  2-cent  morning  edition  of  the 
Daily  News  was  started.  The  name  Daily  News 
was  retained  for  the  evening  paper,  and  the  morn- 
ing issue  was  called  the  Chicago  Record.  The 
latter  finally  was  merged  with  the  Herald  and 
the  Times  and  also  acquired  the  fine  and  modern 
Herald  building  on  Washington  street,  from 
which  the  Chicago  Record-Herald  is  issued. 

The  Daily  News  establishment  is  what  may  be 


called  a  gold  mine,  and  is  probably  the  best  pay- 
ing newspaper  property  in  Chicago  to-day. 

By  what  has  happened  lately  attention  has 
again  been  forcibly  called  to  National  Postal 
Savings  Banks.  In  every  country  where  they 
have  been  instituted  they  have  proved  a  financial 
success.  It  will  be  of  everlasting-  credit  to  Mr. 
Lawson  that  he,  through  his  influential  paper 
and  otherwise,  has  prepared  the  ground  in  this 
country  for  such  banks,  which  certainly  are  bound 
to  come  as  the  only  safe  means  to  protect  in- 
dustrious and  frugal  people  against  conscience- 
less rascals  and  financial  pirates,  operating  their 
selfish  and  insidious  schemes  as  "bankers,"  or 
even  "state  banks,"  supposedly  under  the  control 
of  state  examiners. 

Of  no  less  merit  have  been  Mr.  Lawson's  ef- 
forts to  sweep  out  the  rottenness  of  local  and 
state  politics.  In  this  respect  he  is  an  acknowl- 
edged power  for  the  good  of  his  native  state  and 
city,  and  it  is  only  to  be  hoped  that  his  health 
will  permit  him  to  continue  the  good  work  he 
has  auspiciously  inaugurated. 

In  the  educational  work  of  his  native  city  Mr. 
Lawson  has  always  taken  great  interest.  The 
Victor  F.  Lawson  medals  are  eagerly  sought  by 
the  graduates  of  the  public  schools,  and  the  board 
of  education  has  honored  Mr.  Lawson  by  naming 
the  grammar  school  at  the  corner  of  S.  Homan 
avenue  and  W.  Thirteenth  street  the  "Victor  F. 
Lawson  School." 

In  the  reorganization  of  that  great  agency  for 
gathering  and  distributing  news,  the  Associated 
Press,  he  was  very  active  and  was  elected  to  its 
most  important  office  as  chairman  of  the  execu- 
tive committee. 

Mr.  Lawson  has  traveled  extensively  in  Europe 
and  elsewhere.  He  has  offices  in  St.  Petersburg, 
Berlin,  Paris  and  London,  at  which  traveling 
Chicago  people  generally  register  their  names. 

Besides  his  large  holdings  of  real  estate  in 
Chicago  he  has  a  beautiful  summer  home  at 
Green  Lake,  Wis.,  with  about  700  acres  of 
ground. 

Mr.  Lawson  was  married  in  1880  to  Miss  Jes- 
sie Bradley,  daughter  of  Hon.  William  H.  Brad- 
ley, clerk  of  the  United  States  district  court. 
Their  residence  is  at  No.  317  La  Salle  avenue. 
They  have  no  children. 

Mr.  Lawson  has  been  president  of  the  Associ- 
ated Press.  He  has  been  interested  in  many 
philanthropic  enterprises  and  charities,  among 
which  the  most  prominent  is  the  Daily  News 
Fresh  Air  Fund,  which  maintains  the  Lincoln 
Park  Sanitarium  for  sick  babies. 

He   is    a   prominent   member   of   the   following 


404 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


clubs:  Chicago,  Union  League,  Commercial.  Fel- 
lowship. Onwentsia,  Union,  University,  South 
Shore,  County,  Athletic,  Mid-Day  and  Press 
(life  member),  although  he  does  not  spend  much 
.time  in  social  affairs. 


MRS.  HILLEBORG  LEE, 

Of  Capron,  111.,  was  born  at  Seljord,  Telemar- 
ken,  Norway,  Nov.  10,  1822.  Her  father  was 
Kittel  Bronaas;  her  mother  Gunhild  Lawrence. 
They  lived  on  a  farm  in  Norway. 


Mrs.  Hilleborg  Lee. 


In  1841  Miss  Kittelsdatter,  at  the  age  of  19, 
was  married  to  Mr.  J0rgen  Hoiesen  Lastigaar- 
den,  changed  for  convenience  in  this  country  to, 
plain  George  Lee.  The  couple  had  nine  children, 
five  sons  and  four  daughters,  all  born  in  Nor- 
way. One  son  died  in  infancy. 

The  family,  consisting  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lee 
and  five  children,  came  to  America  in  1868,  arriv- 


ing at  Quebec  June  12.  Mr.  Lee  kept  a  very 
interesting  diary  of  the  passage  across  the  At- 
lantic, relating  graphically  how  the  passengers 
were  terrified  by  a  storm  that  tried  their  good 
sailing  vessel  Amelia.  One  son.  Charles,  had 
emigrated  before  his  parents,  and  another.  Chris- 
topher, a  sailor,  came  later.  The  family  came  to 
Chicago  and  were  received  by  Jens  Olson  Kaasa, 
a  well  known  resident  of  W.  Erie  street.  They 
remained  there  until  the  fall  of  the  same  year 
during  which  .time  one  daughter  died,  when  they 
went  West  and  located  at  Capron,  where  they 
have  lived  since.  Mr.  Lee  died  April  10,  1884,  at 
the  age  of  70  years,  having  been  a  successful 
farmer.  Mrs.  Lee  now  lives  with  her  daughter. 
Mrs.  Charles  Anderson,  who  is  also  a  widow, 
her  husband  havinpr  died  in  1900.  The  old  lady 
is  still  hale  and  hearty  at  the  great  age  of  84 
years.  Of  her  nine  children  only  four  are  living 
—  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  namely:  Mrs. 
Charles  Anderson,  at  Capron;  Mrs.  Charles  Bent- 
zen,  wife  of  an  officer  of  the  Chicago  fire  de- 
partment; Ben  (Bj0rn)  lives  in  Chicago;  Henry 
Lee  lives  in  Nebraska, 


OSCAR  JOHAN  LEE, 

The  electric  and  terreometric  engineer,  con- 
nected with  the  Electric  Metal-Locating  Com- 
pany of  Chicago,  was  born  at  0stlie,  near  Fred- 
riksstad,  Norway,  Feb.  20,  1869,  his  parents  be- 
ing Julius  Olsen  and  Karen  (Andersen)  0stlie. 
His  early  life  was  passed  in  the  country.  He 
passed  through  the  amt  school  in  Borge  sogn, 
near  Fredriksstad,  Norway,  and  afterward  worked 
as  bookkeeper  at  Mourn  Sawmill,  near  Fredriks- 
stad, until  19  years  old,  when  he  left  for  Amer- 
ica. 

After  locating  in  Chicago  he  studied  electrical 
work  while  acting  as  shipping  clerk  for  Wood- 
bury  &  Co.,  in  1895-96.  In  1897  he  went  to  work 
for  the  Cosmo  Electric  Company,  Chicago;  was 
made  foreman  in  1898  and  manager  in  1899.  In 
1900  he  accepted  a  position  as  chief  electric  and 
terreometric  engineer  for  the  Electric  Metal- 
Locating  Company  of  Chicago.  He  is  the  patentee 
of  two  improvements  on  the  electric  metal-locat- 
ing instrument,  which  operates  on  scientific  prin- 
ciples and  has  proven  its  value  by  successful  dem- 
onstrations and  actual  work  in  the  mining  field. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


405 


He  has  also  invented  a  danger  and  telephone 
signal  for  railroads,  its  object  being  absolutely 
to  prevent  all  collisions. 

The  signals  can  be  operated  electrically  by 
station  agents  or  by  men  in  charge  of  the  sys- 
tem; and  the  telephone  attachment  in  connec- 
tion with  it  is  intended  for  use  in  telephoning 
from  intermediate  points  between  stations  and  to 
serve  as  a  valuable  instrument  and  especially  ap- 


O.  J.  Lee. 

preciated  where  there  is  a  great  distance  between 
the  railroad  stations.  An  electric  worker,  his  in- 
ventions and  patents  are  all  in  that  line,  he  hav- 
ing many  telephone  improvements  to  his  credit. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Augusta  Olsen,  of 
Chicago,  May  17,  1900.  They  have  one  daughter, 
Florence  Catherine,  born  in  Chicago,  July  20, 
1902.  The  family  resides  at  1555  Monticello  ave- 
nue, Chicago. 


Hans  Lehmann,  was  a  merchant  in  Bergen  and 
Sogn,  Norway.  Karl  graduated  from  Middel- 
skolen  in  Bergen  and  afterward  spent  five  years 
at  the  polytechnic  institute  in  Zurich,  Switzer- 
land, applying  himself  especially  to  engineering 
and  mathematics,  and  traveled  extensively  in 
France,  Italy  and  Germany  during  vacations. 
Was  also  assistant  on  the  Indo-European  meas- 
urements of  degrees.  At  the  age  of  21  he  re- 
turned to  Bergen  and  gave  private  instruction  in 
mathematics. 

In   1882    he   came   to   America.     As   the   times- 
were  very   hard  for  engineers,  and  for  newcom- 


KARL  LUDVIG  LEHMANN, 

The  well  known  engineer,  was  born  in  Skjol- 
den,   Sogn,    Norway,    May    6,    1860.      His    father, 


K.  L.  Lehmann. 


ers  especially,  he  secured  a  position  with  the 
Cunard  Line  as  clerk  and  interpreter,  at  the  same 
time  teaching  a  few  private  classes.  From  1887 
to  1890  he  was  assistant  to  the  bridge  engineer 
of  the  city  of  St.  Paul,  superintending  the  con- 
struction of  the  high  bridge  and  the  Wabasha 
street  cantilever  bridge,  both  across  the  Missis- 
sippi River,  the  former  being  half  a  mile  long. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Civil  Engineers'  Society 
of  St  Paul. 

Returning  to  Chicago,  he  opened  an  office  for 
himself  as  civil   engineer  and  architect.     During 


406 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


the  construction  of  the  World's  Fair  he  was  em- 
ployed by  the  engineering  departments  on  most 
of  the  buildings,  designing  among  others  the 
iron  work  of  the  Electrical  Building;  the  struct- 
ural part,  with  long  trusses,  of  the  Forestry 
Building,  built  without  the  use  of  iron.  In  his 
private  capacity  Mr.  Lehmann  designed  the  pro- 
posed 600-foot  World's  Fair  tower,  of  which  only 
the  foundation  was  built,  time  being  too  short  to 
complete  it.  He  has  several  patents  on  tower 
constructions.  The  Tattersalls,  on  Fourteenth 
street,  was  built  by  him.  He  also  designed  and 
calculated  elevated  railways  and  drawbridges,  and 
was  the  consulting  engineer  for  two  fireproofing 
companies  during  1896;  also  contractor  for  iron 
erection  in  buildings. 

In  the  summer  of  1897  he  went  to  Dawson  City, 
Klondike,  where  he  remained  for  two  years,  for 
a  time  chief  engineer  for  a  tramroad;  later  for 
waterworks;  he  was  also  interested  in  mining  and 
river  transportation,  and  got  a  patent  on  his  self- 
propelling  river  boat. 

Returning  to  Chicago,  he  continued  his  former 
business,  making  a  specialty  of  designing  iron- 
work for  bridges  and  buildings.  In  1900  he  was 
employed  as  chief  designer  of  bascule  bridges  by 
the  city  of  Chicago,  the  Clybourn  place  bridge 
being  the  first  of  its  kind  in  this  country.  In 
1902  he  went  into  partnership  with  the  city  engi- 
neer, the  firm's  name  being  Ericson  &  Lehmann. 
In  1903  he  took  a  four  months'  trip  to  Norway; 
and  after  returning  continued  his  business  alone, 
designing  the  Oshkosh  drawbridge,  the  ironwork 
for  a  number  of  buildings,  and  lately  the  Michi- 
gan avenue  bridge,  the  longest  bascule  bridge 
in  the  world.  Besides  work  already  mentioned 
he  is  often  consulted  on  mining  and  other  ma- 
chinery, electric  equipments,  etc. 


waukee,  where  he  died  in  1894.  Thor's  mother, 
Anne  Laurine  Loberg  (nee  Sand),  is  now  living 
in  Milwaukee  with  another  son  and  three  daugh- 
ters. 

Mr.  Loberg  graduated  from  the  public  schools 
in  Skien,  Norway,  in  1883,  and  afterward  clerked 
in  the  harbor  master's  office  in  the  same  place, 
until  1888,  when  he  came  to  America  and  located 
in  Milwaukee.  Here  he  secured  work  as  clerk 
with  the  Milwaukee  Harvester  Company,  hold- 
ing different  positions — timekeeper,  stock  clerk, 
shipping  clerk,  auditor,  traveler  and  foreign  cor- 
respondent. When  the  International  Harvester 


T.  H.  Loberg. 


THOR  HAGBARTH  LOBERG, 

Assistant  to  the  manager  for  the  foreign  sales 
department  of  the  International  Harvester  Com- 
pany of  America,  with  headquarters  in  Chicago, 
was  born  in  Skien,  Norway,  March  6,  1869.  His 
father,  Lars  Thorsen  Loberg,  visited  America  in 
1871-'74  and  assisted  in  erecting  the  old  exposi- 
tion building  on  the  Lake  Front,  after  which  he 
returned  to  Norway.  In  1892  he  came  to  America 
again,  bringing  his  family,  and  located  in  Mil- 


Company  absorbed  the  Milwaukee  i  concern  Mr. 
Loberg  was  included  in  the  transfer  and  later 
sent  to  the  main  office  in  Chicago,  at  7  Monroe 
street.  His  knowledge  of  the  English  language 
was  acquired  by  home  study  and  observation,  and 
his  present  responsible  position,  that  of  assistant 
to  the  sales  manager  for  foreign  countries,  is 
due  entirely  to  hard  work  and  energy. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Delia  Haagensen,  in 
Milwaukee,  Jan.  9,  1901.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren—  Mildred  Julia  Laurine,  5  years,  and  Law- 
rence Haakon,  Zl/2  years  old.  Mr.  Loberg  and 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


407 


family  belong  to  the  Norwegian-Danish  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  at  Evanston,  where  he 
frequently  fills  the  pulpit.  They  reside  in  their 
own  beautiful  home,  just  completed,  at  2123  Ma- 
ple avenue,  Evanston. 


MARTIN  LOSBY 

Was  born  in  Christiania,  Norway,  April  7,  1849. 
His   parents    were    Peter    Ferdinand   and    Bertha 


Martin  Lobsy. 


Karina  Losby.  His  work  in  life  began  early;  he 
•commenced  feeding  a  job  press  in  a  printing  of- 
fice before  he  was  10  years  old.  He  worked  in 
the  pressroom  until  1863,  when  he  was  confirmed. 
He  was  then  apprenticed  to  Mr.  Frey,  the  hatter, 
in  Christiania,  and  completed  his  trade  in  1869. 
Mr.  Losby  came  to  America  and  located  in  Chi- 
cago in  1869,  and  worked  at  anything  he  could 
find  to  do,  mostly  for  the  C.  &  N.  W.  R.  R. 


There  was  no  soft  or  stiff  hat  factory  in  Chicago 
at  that  time,  so  he  went  East  in  1873,  working  as 
a  journeyman  hatter  in  many  of  the  principal  hat 
factories  there,  and  returned  to  Chicago  an  Oct. 
13,  1875.  Here  he  established  a  hat  factory  at 
206  (old  number)  Milwaukee  avenue,  near  Erie 
street.  Later  he  moved  to  209  W.  Indiana  street, 
now  Grand  avenue,  where  he  was  located  for 
over  twenty  years.  He  then  moved  to  his  pres- 
ent location  at  1018  W.  Madison  street.  Mr. 
Losby  is  on  record  in  the  hat  trade  as  the  pioneer 
soft  and  stiff  hat  maker  in  Chicago,  or  west  of 
New  York.  He  prides  himself  on  his  union  work- 
ing card,  which  bears  the  date  of  Oct.  13,  1875. 

He  was  one  of  the  first  to  help  organize  Nor- 
maendenes  Sangforening,  in  1870,  and  has  been 
a  member  of  it  since.  He  has  several  times  been 
its  president  and  trustee.  Since  1889  he  has  been 
an  honorary  member.  He  was  president  of  the 
second  Scandinavian  singing  festival  held  in  Chi- 
cago. He  was  a  member  of  Nora  Lodge  No.  1, 
R.  H.  K.,  as  early  as  1870,  and  was  Erkedrot  in 
1884.  He  is  a  charter  member  of  Norden  Lodge, 
I.  O.  O.  F.,  organized  in  1891;  grand  herald  of 
the  Grand  Lodge  of  Illinois  for  one  term  and  a 
representative  to  the  Grand  Lodge  of  Odd  Fel- 
lows several  times.  He  is  a  member  of  Garfield 
Lodge  No.  686,  A.  F.  &  A.  M..  with  a  life  mem- 
bership in  the  Washington  Chapter  No.  43,  R. 
A.  M.;  a  life  member  of  Chicago  Commandery 
No.  19,  and  a  life  honorary  member  of  the  Ma- 
sonic Orphans'  Home,  all  of  Chicago.  He  is  also 
a  member  of  the  hat  finishers'  association  of 
United  Hatters  of  North  America,  belonging  to 
Chicago  Local  No.  9. 

He  married  Miss  Sophia  Magdalene  Anderson 
from  Drammen,  Norway,  in  Chicago,  Feb.  1, 
1830.  Seven  children  were  born  to  them,  six 
sons  and  one  daughter;  the  girl  and  one  boy  died 
in  infancy.  The  five  living  children  are:  Harry 
Martin,  Oscar  William,  Victor  James,  Frank  Roy 
and  Wm.  McKinley  Losby. 


HANS  CHRISTIAN  LOWS 

Is  a  son  of  Johan  Vogelsang  (supreme  court 
attorney)  and  Sophie  Charlotte  Lows,  of  Chris- 
tiania. He  was  born  there  on  April  5,  1860.  After 
completing  his  education  in  Norway,  (Fredriks- 
hald),  he  studied  abroad,  principally  in  Antwerp, 


408 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Belgium.  Returning  to  Norway,  he  clerked  for 
a  time  for  Steen  &  Strom,  dry  goods  dealers  in 
Christiania,  and  then  entered  the  employ  of  Thy- 
gesen  &  Ellingsen,  wholesale  provision  dealers. 
Later  he  started  the  firm  of  Lows  &  Co.,  in  the 
same  line,  in  Christiania. 

On  arrival  in   New  York  Mr.   Lows  became  a 


Hans  Christian  Lows. 


member  of  the  Produce  Exchange  and  engaged 
for  some  time  in  the  export  business.  Later  he 
engaged  in  the  merchandise  brokerage  business 
in  Chicago.  Since  1899  Mr.  Lows  has  been  in 
the  insurance  business  in  connection  with  loans. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Onwentsia  Club  of 
Lake  Forest  and  lives  at  the  Virginia  Hotel. 


HANS  LUND, 

The  wagon  and  carriage  maker,  was  born  in 
Spydeberg  parish,  Smaalenenes  amt,  Norway, 
March  5,  1860.  His  parents  were  Anton  and 


Alette  (Hansen)  Olsen.  He  attended  the  com- 
mon schools  in  Norway  and  was  confirmed  in  the 
Spydeberg  Lutheran  Church.  While  very  young 
he  was  apprenticed  to  learn  the  trade  of  a  wagon 
maker,  and  spent  five  years  with  the  same  firm 
in  mastering  the  business. 

He  came  to  Chicago  in  1884  and  immediately 
secured  employment  with  C.  P.  Kimball  &  Co., 
where  he  worked  for  over  thirteen  years,  or  un-; 
til  1897.  In  that  year  he  engaged  in  the  business 
of  carriage  and  wagon  making  on  his  own  ac- 
count, which  he  is  still  conducting  at  38-44  W. 


Hans  Lund. 


Huron  street,  corner  of  Curtis,  where  he  occu- 
pies a  large  four-story  building. 

He  was  married  to  Karen  Hansen  in  Chicago, 
Jan.  13,  1888.  They  have  four  children,  namely: 
Henry  Arnold,  born  in  1889;  Karen  Hilma,  1891; 
Anna  Mathilda,  1893;  Oscar  Magnus,  1897.  Mr. 
Lund  served  three  years  in  the  Norwegian  army. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Fraternity.  His 
father  died  in  Norway  three  years  ago,  but  his 
mother  is  living  and  in  good  health. 

The  family  are  members  of  St.  John's  Norweg- 
ian Lutheran  Church  and  reside  at  853  Cortez 
street. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


409 


DR.   MARTIN  J.  LUNN. 

Doctor  Martin  J.  Limn,  1515  N.  Clark  street, 
Chicago,  was  born  Nov.  23,  1870,  on  the  old  Lunn 
homestead  at  Beloit,  Rock  county,  Wis.,  to  which 
place  his  grandparents  immigrated  from  Stavan- 
ger,  Norway,  in  the  early  '40's. 

Dr.  Lunn's  grandfather,  a  sturdy  Norseman, 
although  above  the  eligible  age  for  military  ser- 
vice, enlisted  in  the  Fortieth  Wisconsin  Volun- 
teers, and  was  killed  on  the  battlefield  in  the 
Civil  War.  His  son  (Dr.  Lunn's  father),  then  a 
mere  youth,  upon  the  death  of  his  father,  en- 


years  with  various  concerns,  entered  the  Chicago 
College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  from  which 
he  graduated  in  1902.  Dr.  Lunn  is  a  typical  Nor- 
wegian, tall  and  rugged,  and  of  good  physique. 
He  has  been  and  is  a  vigorous  promoter  and 
participant  of  all  athletic  sports,  and  has  an  ex- 
tensive acquaintance  among  the  athletes  of  the 
West.  As  a  physician  and  surgeon  he  has  been 
very  successful,  and  has  acquired  a  lucrative 
practice. 

In  1900  he  was  married  to  Miss  Belle  Boyle  of 
Chicago  with  whom  he  resides  at  above  address. 


Dr.  Martin  J.  Lunn. 


listed  in  the  Sixty-seventh  Wisconsin  Volunteers 
and  did  battle  until  the  close  of  the  war.  Upon 
his  return  to  the  old  homestead  he  married  Miss 
Isabelle  Stensland,  and  both  still  continue  on  the 
Beloit  farm,  where  they  have  raised  a  large 
family. 

Dr.  Lunn's  boyhood  days  were  spent  on  the 
farm,  where  he  attended  district  school,  Beloit 
High  School  and  Beloit  College.  He  later  came 
to  Chicago,  and,  after  being  employed  for  some 


S.  M.  MAAKESTAD. 

Steve  M.  Maakestad  was  born  in  Hardanger, 
Norway,  July  12,  1866.  After  attending  the 
public  schools  he  worked  on  his  father's  farm. 


A 


S.  M.  Maakestad. 


He   migrated   to   America   in   1882,   coming   di- 
rect  to   Lee,   111.,   where   he    has   since   remained. 


410 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


His  first  work  in  America  was  on  a  farm.  He 
was  then  a  clerk  in  M.  P.  Harris1  store,  at  Lee, 
for  some  time.  In  1895  he  started  a  grocery 
for  himself.  The  business  prospered,  and  he 
has  gradually  added  to  and  enlarged  until  he 
is  now  doing  a  general  merchandise  business.  In 
1903  he  built  his  double  two  story  brick  build- 
ing, of  which  one  store  and  the  living  rooms 
are  occupied  by  himself  and  the  other  half  by  a 
druggist. 

Mr.  Maakestad  was  married  to  Miss  Guri  J. 
Ely,  who  is  a  native  of  Lee  county,  on  Oc~t.  16, 
1895.  They  have  three  children — Jacob  Mervin, 
Thurbor  Johanna  and  Melvin  Johan.  The  fam- 
ily attends  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church,  of 
which  Mr.  Maakestad  has  been  trustee  for  three 
years.  He  has  also  been  village  trustee  for  two 
years  and  is  a  stanch  republican  in  politics. 


BEN  T.  MALAND, 

A  member  of  the  clothing  firm  of  Maland  & 
Anderson  Bros.,  Morris,  111.,  is  a  native  of  Nor- 
way, having  been  born  at  Etne,  Jan.  4,  1875. 


He  came  to  America  when  young  and  located 
in  Grundy  county,  where  he  attended  school 
and  worked  on  a  farm.  In  1899  he  secured  a 
position  with  A.  Lynch  &  Co.,  of  Ottawa,  as  a 
clothing  salesman,  and  a  year  later  moved  to 
Morris.  Mr.  Maland  is  a  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  and  the  Glengarry  Golf  Club. 

He  was  married  to  Enna  Osmon  on  Aug.  15, 
1895. 


LUCIUS  J.  M.  MALMIN, 

Attorney-at-law,  was  born  in  Stavanger,  Nor- 
way, Aug.  1,  1863.  His  parents  were  Jonas  and 
Ivana  (Lossius)  Malmin.  His  father,  who  was 


Ben  T.  Maland. 


L.  J.  M.  Malmin. 


a  merchant  in  Stavanger,  was  born  there,  while 
his  mother  belonged  to  the  well  known  Lossius 
family  from  near  Trondhjem. 

He  came  to  America  with  his  parents  in  1871, 
when  8  years  old.  Since  that  time  he  has  lived 
in  Chicago,  with  the  exception  of  a  short  time 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


411 


jwhich  he  spent  in  Minnesota.  His  schooling  be- 
(gan  at  the  school  conducted  by  the  congrega- 
tion of  the  Norwegian  Our  Saviour's  Church,  and 
continued  until  he  went  to  Luther  College,  De- 
icorah,  Iowa,  where  he  was  a  schoolmate  of  Rev. 
i'Seehus  and  the  Torrison  boys  of  Wisconsin. 
Later  he  studied  at  the  Lake  Forest  Academy 
and  Northwestern  University,  graduating  from 
its  law  school,  Union  College,  in  1883.  One  of 
his  best  friends  and  intimates  at  this  school  was 
W.  J.  Bryan.  He  graduated  with  the  degree  of 
bachelor  of  laws,  but  being  too  young  he  had  to 
wait  one  year  before  he  got  his  certificate  author- 
izing him  to  practice  law.  During  this  period  he 
went  to  Minneapolis  and  was  employed  on  the 
Tribune,  intending  to  locate  there  permanently, 
but  as  soon  as  he  was  of  age,  he  returned  to 
Chicago,  received  his  certificate  as  a  lawyer,  and 
has  since  practiced  his  profession  in  Chicago, 
having  an  extensive  practice  and  some  of  the 
largest  firms  in  the  city  as  clients. 

He  was  married  to  Laura  Undem,  daughter 
Of  Iven  and  Dorothea  Undem,  well  known  Nor- 
wegian pioneers,  in  Chicago,  in  1886.  Mrs. 
Malmin's  father  was  one  of  the  prominent  Nor- 
wegian business  men  of  Chicago  and  one  of 
the  founders  of  Our  Saviour's  Church,  of  which 
he  was  a  trustee  for  many  years.  In  1906  ou'r 
subject  was  a  prominent  candidate  before  the 
democratic  convention  for  judge  of  the  mu- 
nicipal court.  The  family,  consisting  of  one 
daughter  and  two  sons,  reside  in  Ravenswood. 


Mr.  Malum  married  Helene  Thompson,  on 
Jan.  17,  1878.  They  have  had  six  children,  four 
now  living.  Mr.  Malum  is  a  director  of  the 
Norwegian  Old  People's  Home  Society,  a  mem- 


A.  K.  Malum. 


AMUND  KNUDSEN  MALUM 


her  of  the  Norwegian  Deaconess  Hospital  So- 
ciety and  of  the  Norwegian  Children's  Home 
Society.  The  family  attends  the  Trinity  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran  Church  at  Noble  and  Huron 
streets. 


Was  born  on  the  family  estate,  Gaarden  Mahlum, 
0ier,  Gudbrandsdalen,  Norway,  Dec.  16,  1858, 
his  parents  being  Knud  Amundsen  and  Ragnhild 
Mahlum.  The  subject  of  our  sketch  worked  on 
his  father's  farm  until  25  years  old. 

He  then  came  to  America,  arriving  in  Chicago 
on  Feb.  2,  1873.  His  first  six  months  in  this 
country  were  devoted  to  work  on  a  farm;  then 
for  nine  months  he  worked  as  a  carpenter.  His 
first  business  venture  was  in  a  grocery  with 
John  O.  Gilbo,  as  Gilbo  &  Malum,  on  W.  Erie 
street,  this  partnership  continued  for  nineteen 
years,  having  been  dissolved  in  1893.  The  same 
year  he  engaged  in  business  for  himself  at  301 
Haddon  avenue,  his  present  place. 


REV.  GUSTAV  MATHISEN 

Was  born  at  Sarpsborg,  Norway,  Oct.  30,  1858. 
His  parents  were  Mathis  and  Olia  (Olsdatter) 
Andersen.  The  former  died  a  few  years  ago,  but 
the  mother  is  still  living  at  the  advanced  age  of 
86  years. 

Rev.  Mathisen  was  educated  in  the  common 
school  and  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran  Church. 
During  his  early  youth  he  worked  in  the  flour 


412 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


mills  at  Sarpsborg,  Moss  and  Christiania.  In 
1870  a  great  revival  occurred  in  the  Methodist 
Church  at  Sarpsborg  and  with  his  whole  family 
Mr.  Mathisen  joined  that  church  them. 

From  Christiania  he  emigrated  to  America 
and  came  to  Evanston,  „  111.,  in  January  1887, 
where  he  entered  the  Norwegian-Danish  M.  E. 
Theological  School,  from  which  he  graduated 
as  a  preacher  three  years  later. 

His  first  preaching  place  was  in  Moreland, 
Chicago,  as  assistant  to  Rev.  N.  Christoffersen, 
and  at  present  he  is  occupying  the  same  pulpit 
for  the  second  time. 


LOUIS  MATSEN, 


Rev.  G.  Mathisen. 


On  Sept.  20,  1894,  Rev.  Mathisen  was  married 
to  Miss  Olive  Pedersen  at  Milwaukee,  Wis.  Her 
parents  are  Peter  and  Lina  Pedersen.  With  his 
wife  Rev.  Mathisen  has  had  three  children:  Ruth 
Golden,  born  Nov.  7,  1895;  Naomi  Judith,  April 
21,  1897,  and  Gustav  Morris,  April  30,  1900. 

During  his  pastorate  the  church  in  Moreland 
has  been  rebuilt,  the  old  church  having  become 
too  small  for  the  steadily  growing  congregation. 
Rev.  Mathisen  has  been  preaching  in  either 
Evanston  or  Chicago  during  the  last  ten  years. 


The  merchant  tailor  at  598  W.  Madison  streej 
was  born  in  Christiania,  Norway,  May  5,  186! 
His  parents  were  Andreas  and  Johanne  (Jacob; 
sen)  Matsen.  He  attended  school  in  Xorwajj 


Louis  Matsen. 

Mr.  Matsen  came  tp  America  and  Chicago  in 
1881,  with  his  parents.  Here  he  continued  his 
schooling,  attending  evenings,  and  was  confirmee 
by  Rev.  Torgersen.  His  parents  returned  to 
Norway  in  less  than  a  year  after  their  arrival 
Our  subject,  then  less  than  14  years  old,  worked 
at  anything  he  could  find  to  do,  and  finally  got 
a  place  as  apprentice  in  a  tailor  shop,  where  he 
mastered  the  trade,  and  has  followed  it  for  the 
past  twelve  years.  Mr.  Matsen's  store  on  W. 
Madison  street  is  neat  and  commodious,  and 
contains  an  endless  variety  of  the  finest  suit- 
ings. It  is  the  home  of  good  dressers. 

He  was  married  to  Amanda  S.  Soemo,  of 
Porsgrund,  Norway,  daughter  of  Halvor  Bruun 
and  Maren  Kristine  Soemo,  on  May  20,  1891. 
They  have  three  children — Edith  Mabel,  Grace 
Magarethe  and  Florence  Myrtle.  Mr.  Matsen 
is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  The 
family  attend  the  Presbyterian  Church  and  re- 
Side  at  105  Ashland  boulevard. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


413 


ISABELLA  MATSON, 


Widow  of  the  former  popular  Sheriff  of  Cook 
County,  Canute  R.  Matson,  is  the  daughter  of  Rev. 
pie  and  Ragnild  Anderson,  born  at  Jeflerson  Prairie, 
iBoone  County,  Ills.,  Dec.  23,  1844.  Mrs.  Matson 
has  been  married  twice,  her  first  husband,  Daniel 
(Richolson,  died  in  1871,  the  year  of  the  great  fire. 
Three  children  were  born  of  this  union,  all  now 
dead.  Mrs.  Richolson  married  Mr.  Matson  on 
iDec.  IP,,  1S7G.  They  were  blessed  with  four  children, 
all  living,  namely,  Marie  Isabella,  Frederick  Roguald, 
ICanute  Royal  and  Gertrude  Ragnilda.  Mrs.  Mat- 
son's  father,  Rev.  O.  Anderson  organized  the  first 


Isabella  Matson. 


Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  in  Chicago.  He  has 
passed  away  but  her  mother  is  still  living  at  the 
good  old  age  of-  81.  Mrs.  Matson  has  always  taken 
an  active  interest  in  church  and  charity  wor,k  as  well 
as  women's  clubs  and  societies.  She  has  been  presi- 
dent of  the  Lutheran  Woman's  League  for  5  years, 
a  member  of  the  Chicago  Woman's  Club  for  twelve 
years,  for  ten  years  president  of  the  Norwegian  Club 
"Vala,"  and  President  of  the  Chicago  School  Chil- 
dren's Aid  Society,  organized  by  Mrs.  Judge  Tuley 
in  order  to  help  destitute  children  of  school  age 


on  account  of  the  compulsory  education  laws.  The 
society  looks  after  clothing  poor  children.  The  fund 
for  this  purpose  is  raised  by  contributions  from 
school  children  in  the  public  schools  themselves.  Mrs. 
Matson  has  taken  especial  interest  in  this  work.  Mr. 
Matson's  notable  career  as  a  citizen  and  public  of- 
ficial covers  such  an  important  period  i:i  Chicago's 
history  that  it  will  be  referred  to  more  properly 
in  another  part  of  this  volume.  Mrs.  Matson  attends 
the  English  Lutheran  Trinity  Church  on  La  Salle 
Ave.,  and  lives  at  609  Cleveland  Ave. 


OLE   O.   MAULAND, 

The  well  known  real  estate  man  on  the  North- 
west Side,  Chicago,  was  born  in  Gaarden  Mau- 
land,  Thime  Sogn,  near  Stavanger,  Norway,  Sept. 
5,  1833.  He  remained  on  his  father's  farm, 
attending  the  common  school  until  he  was  con- 
firmed, in  Varhaugs  Church,  Naerb0  sogn,  in 
1849.  He  then  went  to  Stavanger,  where  he  was 
apprenticed  to  R.  Sj0restad  to  learn  the  trade 
of  a  joiner  and  carpenter.  He  completed  his 
trade,  but  was  then  offered  a  clerkship  in  a  store 
in  Stavanger,  and  accented  it.  He  remained  with 
this  firm  for  three  years. 

On  May  2,  1854,  he  left  Stavanger  on  the  sail 
ship  Arendal,  Captain  Paulson  in  command,  for 
America,  coming  via  Quebec  to  Chicago  and  ar- 
riving on  June  22  of  the  same  year.  The  voyage 
was  a  particularly  pleasant  one,  having  had  fine 
weather  all  the  time.  He  arrived  in  Chicago 
during  the  awful  cholera  epidemic,  but  escaped 
its  ravages.  The  first  winter  in  America  he  spent 
at  Beloit  College.  He  then  secured  work  in  a 
sash  and  door  factory  in  Chicago,  and  after  two 
years  at  this  work  engaged  in  general  carpenter 
work,  so  that  his  trade,  thoroughly  mastered  in 
the  old  country,  came  Handy. 

Mr.  Mauland  has  been  married  twice.  His 
first  wife,  whom  he  married  on  Dec.  18,  1859, 
was  Amalia  Thorsen,  a  sister  of  Johan  Thorsen, 
of  Haugesund.  She  died  five  years  later,  leaving 
him  with  two  children — Josephine  Mathilda,  who 
died  when  six  years  old,  and  Adolph  Olaus,  who 
died  recently  and  was  past  40  years.  Four  years 
later,  on  May  17,  1868,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Hannah  Marie  Gruda,  who  had  come  to  Ameri- 
ca when  14  years  old.  She  is  a  daughter  of  An- 
dreas and  Maren  Gruda,  of  Stavanger.  This 


414 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


union  was  blessed  with  fou'r.  children,  namely: 
Alfred  Johan,  a  veterinary  surgeon,  who  practices 
his  profession  and  lives  on  his  father's  farm, 
near  Chicago,  married  to  Stella  Bielby,  only 
daughter  of  Rev.  and  Mrs.  R.  Bielby  of  Mt.  For- 
est; Marie  Amanda,  who-  is  married  to  Captain 
Hansen  of  the  Chicago  Fire  Department;  Milla 
Josephine  and  Oluf  H.  Mauland,  who  are  at  home 
with  their  parents. 

Mr.  Mauland  early  appreciated  and  believed  in 


HANS  CHRISTIAN  MELAND. 

Mr.  Meland  was  born  in  Bj^rnor,  Norway,  orij 
the  19th  of  February,  1879.  He  received  his  fir 
education  in  the  common  school  in  his  lion 
district.  He  was  sent  to  high  school  (in  Ne 
way  called  middle  school)  at  the  city  of  Tron 
hjem  when  16  years  old.  He  graduated  tv 
years  afterward,  .and  after  being  in  commercial! 
business  for  a  year  he  entered  St.  Hans  Haugens: 
Gymnasium,  a  well  known  educational  insti- 
tution in  Christiania,  and  pursued  his  study  forjl 
two  years  at  this  college. 


Ole  O.   Mauland. 


H.  C.  Meland. 


Chicago  property,  and  after  a  few  years'  work 
for  others  he  engaged  in  the  building  and  rent- 
ing of  houses  erected  on  his  own  property.  His 
faith  in  Chicago  has  been  amply  rewarded,  for 
he  is  now  one  of  the  largest  property  owners  on 
the  West  Side.  He  also  owns  and  rents  several 
valuable  farms.  At  72  he  is  active,  hale  and 
hearty,  and  looks  after  his  property  personally. 
He  is  a  member  of  Our  Saviour's  Norwegian 
Lutheran  Church,  having  served  both  as  trustee 
and  cashier.  The  family  resides  at  164  N.  Car- 
penter street.  Mr.  Mauland  visited  friends  and 
relatives  in  Norway  in  1874,  and  again  in  1901. 


In  the  spring  of  1902  Mr.  Meiand  came  to 
America  to  complete  his  education.  In  1905 
he  entered  the  John  Marshall  Law  School, 
Chicago,  from  which  he  graduated  three  years 
afterward  with  the  degree  of  L.L.  B.  He  is  in 
the  real  estate  business  and  has  his  office  at 
1015-1106  Chicago  Title  and  Trust  Building,  100 
Washington  street. 

Mr.  Meland  -was  married  in  Chicago,  Nov.  22, 
1905,  to  Miss  Ragnhild  Anderson,  a  well  known 
pianist  from  Christiania,  Norway,  and  lives  at 
213  N.  Humboldt  street. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


415 


DR.    NELS    C.    MELING, 

;Df  952  Armitage  avenue,  Chicago,  was  born  at 
(Her0,  S0nclm0re,  Norway,  April  10,  1872,  his 
(parents  being  Christen  C.  and  Bertha  M.  Mel- 
jng.  When  Nels  was  nine  years  old  his  parents 
jtnoved  to  Haugesund,  where  our  subject  grad- 
juated  from  middelskolen  and  then  sailed  on  the 

.(ocean   for   two   years. 

He  emigrated  at  the  age  of  16,  in  1888,  to  Amer- 
ica, coming  directly  to  Chicago.  For  three  years 
he  worked  at  a  variety  of  trades,  but  in  the  fall 
of  1891  he  entered  Rush  Medical  College  and 

graduated   in   1895.     During  vacations    Mr.   Mel- 


ANTON   A.   MELUM, 

Head  of  the  firm  of  Anton  A.  Melum  &  Sons, 
tailors,  was  born  in  Tr^tten,  Gudbrandsdalen, 
Norway,  February  12,  1852.  At  the  age  of  11 
he  began  active  work  serving  as  apprentice  to 
a  tailor  doing  work  around  the  counfy  near  his 
home. 

Mr.  Melum  came  to  Chicago,  May  6,  1869,  and 
secured  work  in  a  wholesale  tailoring  estab- 
lishment. In  1872  he  was  employed  by  the  Ed- 
ward Ely  Co.,  the  leading  tailors  of  that  time, 
and  was  soon  made  foreman.  A  strike  in  1876, 
however,  forced  him  out  with  the  rest.  He  then 


Dr.  Nels  C.  Meling. 


Anton  A.  Melum. 


ing  sailed  on  the  Great  Lakes.  Since  graduat- 
ing he  has  been  practicing  medicine  in  Chi- 
cago. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Nellie  Winger  in  1897. 
They  have  two  children — Arthur,  seven  years  and 
Florence,  four  years  old.  Dr.  Meling  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Chicago  Pathological  Society,  the 
Medico-Legal  Society  and  the  American  Medi- 
cal Association.  He  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Masonic  Fraternity — the  Oriental  Consistory  and 
Medinah  Temple  of  the  Mystic  Shrine. 


worked  for  several  of  the  prominent  tailors  in 
Chicago,  but  soon  mastered  the  art  of  cutting, 
and  held  responsible  positions  as  cutter  until  he 
started  in  business  for  himself  in  1891,  in  Scan- 
dia  Hall.  In  1892  he  moved  into  the  downtown 
district,  where  he  has  had  a  steadily  growing 
business. 

In  January,  1905,  his  two  sons,  who  had  been 
with  him,  were  admitted  to  the  firm. 

Mr.  Melum  married  Lena  Johnson  Bredshall, 
Aug.  21,  1879.  They  have  three  children.  The 


416    ] 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


family  belonged  to  the  Bethania  Lutheran  Church 
until  Rev.  Torgersen's  death,  in  the  fall  of  1905, 
Mr.  Melum  serving  for  many  years  as  trustee 
and  treasurer.  He  also  served  as  a  director  of 
Mt.  Olive  Cemetery,  and  was  one  of  the  or- 
ganizers of  the  Norwegian  Old  People's  Home 
Society,  serving  as  its  first  vice-president;  he 
has  held  the  office  of  a  director  ever  since. 
Their  home  is  at  6821  Washington  boulevard, 
Oak  Park. 


REV.  JOHAN  HANSEN  MEYER 

Was  born  June  4,  1862,  in  Vik,  Helgeland,  Nor- 
way.     After    his    confirmation   he    left    home   and 


Rev.  J.  H.  Meyer. 


spent  seven  years  at  sea,  in  which  time  he  worked 
himself  up  from  a  deck  boy  to  quartermaster  on 
the  English  mail  steamers  plying  between  Eng- 
land and  Australia.  During  his  frequent  stays 
in  London,  England,  he  came  in  touch  with  the 
well  known  Strangers'  Rest  Mission,  conducted 


by    the    famous    Agnes    Hedenstr0m.     Here    he 
was  converted.     He  had  then  a  strong  desire  for  \ 
mission    work.      But,    only    a    poor    sailor    boy,  j 
there   seemed    no   chance   of   securing   an   educa-  I 
tion.      However,   the    longing   was   there.      Every  • 
opportunity   he    used   to   testify   for    his    Master.  I 
In   Sidney,  Australia,  where   he  stayed  for  about  I 
one  year,  he  spent  most  of  the  time  in  the  port 
mission  work,  inviting  sailors  to  the  meetings  and  I 
in   other   ways   taking   part   in   the   work.     Here  j 
it  was  he  finally  decided  to  devote  his  whole  life  I 
to  the   ministry.      He   then  made  an   evangelistic, 
tour  through  the  ports  of  Sweden  and  Norway, 
where  he  held  services  in  many  cities,  towns  and 
country  places. 

With  the  best  of  testimonials  by  a  host  of 
ministers  and  friends  he  came  over  to  America,^ 
and  in  September,  1886,  entered  the  Theological 
Seminary  at  Morgan  Park,  Chicago — now  of  the 
University  of  Chicago — where  he  took  a  two- 
year  special  theological  course. 

On  the  21st  of  June,  1888,  he  was  ordained  to 
the  ministry  in  Bridgeport,  Conn.,  by  the  Fair- 
field  East  Association  of  Congregational 
Churches.  In  this  branch  of  God's  church  he 
worked  for  five  years.  But,  having  a  longing 
for  his  Lutheran  mother-church,  its  doctrine 
and  usage,  in  which  he  had  been  raised,  he  left 
the  Congregational  Church  and  joined  the  United 
Norwegian.  Lutheran  Church  of  America.  Here 
he  has  since  worked,  with  marked  success,  as 
the  following  shows:  He  organized  the  Beth- 
lehem Norwegian  Lutheran  Church,  in  Brook- 
lyn, N.  Y.,  also  the  Immanuel  Norwegian  Luth- 
eran Church,  New  York,  N.  Y.,  and  was  their 
pastor  for  three  years.  He  also  organized  the 
Trinity  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church,  South  Chi- 
cago, 111.,  and  the  Trinity  Norwegian  Lutheran 
Church,  Oakland,  Cal. 

But  the  work  that  has  made  him  most  known 
is  the  building  of  Zion  Norwegian  Lutheran 
Church,  Artesian  and  Potomac  avenu'es,  Chi- 
cago. When — in  July,  1887 — he  took  charge  of 
this  work,  the  congregation  consisted  of  but 
eleven  families,  with  a  little  chapel  heavily  in- 
debted. After  seven  years  and  three  months 
of  service  in  this  parish  he  left  a  congregation 
of  over  500  souls  and  one  of  the  finest  Nor- 
wegian churches  in  the  city — a  property  of  about 
$26,000  with  but  $7,000  of  debt. 

In  June,  3905,  he  organized  Christ  Norwegian 
Lutheran  Church,  Chicago,  and  is  now  its 
minister. 

Pastor  Meyer  was  married  in  South  Chicago 
on  May  13,  1888,  to  Mathilda  Pearson,  a  native 
of  Sweden.  They  live  at  the  parsonage  of  the 
church,  1509  N.  Kedzie  avenue,  Chicago. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


417 


GUSTAV    GERHARD    MARTIN, 

The  well  known  job  printer  on  W.  North 
avenue,  Chicago,  was  born  in  Mandal,  Nor- 
way, Jan.  22,  1874.  He  attended  school,  was  con- 
firmed, and  started  to  work  at  the  printing  in- 
dustry with  the  Lister  and  Mandals  Amtsti- 
dende  in  Norway. 

After  his  arrival  in  Chicago,  in  1889,  he 
worked  for  the  John  Anderson  Publishing  Com- 
pany, mastering  his  trade  and  working  as  a 
journeyman.  In  1894,  when  21  years  old,  he 
started  in  the  job  printing  business  for  him- 
self on  W.  North  avenue,  and  in  Feb.,  1902, 


Gustav  G.  Martin. 


moved  into  his  own  building  at  761  W.  North 
avenue.  His  business  has  been  steadily  increas- 
ing, until  now  he  has  the  best  equipped  print- 
ing establishment  on  the  Northwest  Side. 

He  is  also  the  publisher  of  the  Northwest 
News,  a  very  successful  Northwest  Side  weekly. 
Up  to  the  time  of  engaging  in  business  for  him- 
self Mr.  Martin  continually  worked  at  his  trade, 
but  devoted  a  great  deal  of  his  leisure  time  to 
reading  and  home  study.  At  an  early  age  he 
became  interested  in  the  work  of  the  Nor- 


wegian societies  in  Chicago.  He  is  a  member 
of  the  Norwegian  Old  People's  Home  Society, 
the  Normaendenes  Singing  Society,  the  Knights 
of  the  White  Cross,  the  Norwegian  Turner  Soci- 
ety, the  Sleipner  Athletic  Club,  the  Maccabees, 
and  the  Norwegian  Tabitha  Hospital  Society.  For 
the  past  fifteen  years  he  has  been  very  active 
in  the  Norwegian  Turner  Society,  and  has  at 
different  times  held  every  office  in  the  gift  of 
the  Association.  He  has  also  been  Secretary  of 
the  Norwegian  National  League  of  Chicago; 
has  been  an  active  worker  in  the  Tabitha  Hos- 
pital Society,  and  is  at  present  a  member  of 
the  board  of  the  Norwegian  Old  People's  Home. 

Also  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Ben  Franklin 
Club  of  Chicago. 

He  was  married  to  Rose  Peterson,  of  Chicago, 
on  July  19,  1899.  They  have  one  child,  Lionel 
Irving  Martin. 


MRS.    SOPHIE    MICHAELSEN, 

Who  is  actively  connected  with  the  Tabitha  Hos- 
pital  Society  and  the   Children's   Home   Society, 


Mrs.  Sophie  Michaelsen. 


418 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


was  born  in  Aardat,  Stavanger,  Norway,  on 
June  18,  1848.  Her  parents  were  John  S.  Skaar 
and  Gurine  Jensen.  She  was  educated  in  the 
common  schools  in  Norway  and  confirmed  in 
the  church  at  Aardal.  She  afterward  attended 
a  private  school,  and  at  {he  age  of  22  was  ap- 
pointed at  Josefina  Stiftelsen,  an  orphan  asylum 
in  Stavanger,  where  she  taught  for  four  and  a 
half  years. 

She  was  married  to  Christian  Michaelsen,  a 
sea  captain,  of  Stavanger,  on  Jan.  24,  1879. 

The  following  year  they  came  to  America,  lo- 
cating in  Chicago,  where  they  have  resided  since. 
They  have  two  children,  Christian  Skaar,  born 
Jan.  28,  1880,  and  Bertha  Gurine,  born  Sept. 
10,  1884.  Both  are  at  home  with  their  parents. 
Mrs.  Michaelsen  was  a  member  of  the  original 
and  the  present  Tabitha  Society  and  one  of  the 
active  managers  of  the  Children's  Home  Society. 
She  is  a  member  of  the  Immanuel  Church  of  the 
Hauge  Synod.  The  family  resides  at  1138  Ma- 
plewood  avenue. 


LARS  SAMSONSON  MIDNES 

Was  born  at  Midnes,  Kinsevigs  Sogn,  Hardanger, 
Norway,  Feb.  2,  1845.  His  father  was  Samson 
Larson,  a  farmer  and  sailor,  and  his  mother  S0n- 
va  Larsdatter  Ullensvang.  He  received  his  edu'ca- 
tion  in  the  country  school  during  the  winters  and 
helped  his  father,  who  was  an  overseer  of  an 
estate  near  Bergen,  where  Lars  was  confirmed 
at  the  age  of  16  years.  He  then  worked  for 
his  father,  farming  and  coast  sailing. 

In  the  year  1865  he  emigrated  to  America, 
landing  at  Quebec.  From  there  he  came  to  Chi- 
cago, and  farther  to  Creston,  111.,  where  his  jour- 
ney ended.  Mr.  Midnes  worked  about  four  years 
on  farms  in  the  vicinity  of  Creston.  Then  was 
a  clerk  in  a  store  at  Creston  three  years.  He 
now  moved  to  Lee,  111.,  where  he  was  clerk  a 
few  months  in  a  store  kept  by  Burlesheimer  & 
Paul  O.  Stensland.  When  he  came  from  Creston 
he  built  a  house  in  Lee,  which  he  rented  out 
until,  in  1872,  he  started  a  millinery  and  fancy 
goods  store.  He  has  continued  in  the  same  place 
and  business  since,  being  the  only  one  in  the  line 
in  that  vicinity. 


Nov.  26,  1871,  Mr.  Midnes  was  married  to  Miss 
Malinde  Johnson,  born  near  Haugesund,  Norway.: 
They  have  no  children  but  adopted  a  girl,  a  rel- 
ative of  Mrs.  Midnes,  who  is  now  grown  up 


L.  S.  Midnes. 


and  studying  to  become  a  trained  nurse.  The 
family  belongs  to  the  Norwegian  Lutheran 
Church,  near  Lee,  whose  present  pastor  is  Rev. 
J.  Nordby. 


HAGBERT   MILLER, 

Son  of  Johan  Georg  and  Bergithe  Christine,  (nee 
Isdahl)  Miller  was  born  in  Bergen,  Norway,  July 
24,  1860.  He  attended  den  Tankske  Realskole 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1877.  After  leav- 
ing school  he  found  employment  as  accountant 
at  Bergens  Mekaniske  Vaerksted,  which  position 
he  held  until  he  embarked  for  America.  Landed 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


419 


in  Chicago  in  March,  1881,  where  he  has  since 
continuously  lived.  Unable  to  obtain  an  office 
I  position  he  worked  as  helper  in  a  factory  for 
some  time,  but  not  being  used  to  manual  labor 
he  soon  took  up  book  canvassing,  which  calling 
he  successfully  followed  for  several  years  until 
he  secured  a  position  as  manager  with  N.  Juul  & 
Co.  For  the  last  fourteen  years  Mr.  Miller  has 
been  connected  with  the  western  branch  of  the 
Philadelphia  publishing  house,  John  C.  Winston 
Co.,  first  as  manager  of  their  Scandinavian  de- 
partment and  later  as  manager  of  the  entire 


Hagbert  Miller. 


Western  subscription  business.  Besides  being  re- 
garded among  publishers  as  an  able  business  man 
he  is  also  known  as  the  author  of  the  book  "Uni- 
onsperioden  og  Norges  Gjenreisning." 

Mr.  Miller  was  married  to  Miss  Doris  Olsen  of 
Christiania  in  1891.  Five  children  were  born  to 
them  of  whom  four  are  living.  He  is  a  member 
of  The  Publishers'  Club  of  America,  The  John 
Fremont  Council  of  the  National  Union,  the. 
Norwegian  Glee  Club  and  the  Bj^rgvin  Singing 
Society.  His  home  is  in  Ravenswood. 


HARLEY  B.  MITCHELL, 

Editor  and  publisher  of  the  American  Miller, 
was  born  in  Ottawa,  111.,  Feb.  20,  1855.  His 
father  was  John  S.  Mitchell,  born  in  New  York, 
and  his  mother  Inger  Nelson  (Hersdal)  from 
Norway. 


H.  B.  Mitchell. 


The  subject  of  our  sketch  attended  the  gram- 
mar and  high  schools  in  Ottawa,  spent  his  fresh- 
man year  at  Denison  University,  Granville, 
Ohio,  and  graduated  in  1876  from  the  old  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago,  receiving  the  degree  of  B.A. 
and  M.A.  The  degree  of  B.A.  was  afterward 
confirmed  by  the  present  University  of  Chicago. 
Immediately  after  graduating  he  commenced 
work  as  assistant  editor  of  the  American  Miller, 
in  July,  1876.  The  paper  is  published  by  Mitchell 
Bros.  Co.,  of  which  Mr.  Harley  B.  Mitchell  is 
president.  He  is  also  a  director  in  the  La  Grange 
State  Bank. 

He  was  married  to  Edith  Ramskill  on  May  4, 
1880.  They  have  had  three  children,  two  now 
living.  Mr.  Mitchell,  who  now  lives  in  La 
Grange,  111.,  has  been  a  member  of  the  high 


420 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


school  and  grammar  school  boards  at  various 
times  and  was  president  of  the  village  in  1905-6. 
He  was  also  one  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
fund  for  the  endowment  of  the  Episcopal  dio- 
cese of  Illinois.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Psi  Up- 
silon  College  Fraternity.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church. 

Mr.  Mitchell  has  at  his  home  a  large  library, 
numbering  about  5,000  volumes,  and  this  has 
been  the  principal  solace  and  occupation  of  his 
leisure  hours.  It.  is  exceptional  in  the  large 
number  of  rare  works  it  contains  on  theological 
and  allied  subjects.  His  life  has  been  one  of 
unusu'al  quiet  for  a  community  like  Chicago, 
where  he  lived  from  1873  to  1893,  when  he  moved 
to  the  pleasant  suburb  of  La  Grange,  fourteen 
miles  distant.  He  has  steadily  declined  to  enter 
seriously  into  politics,  although  he  was  at  one 
time  congressional  committeeman  of  one  of  the 
Chicago  districts,  when  he  lived  on  the  West 
Side.  Writing  of  himself  in  a  reminiscent  mood, 
Mr.  Mitchell  says:  "The  link  that  binds  me  to 
Norway,  and  the  one  thing  of  which  perhaps 
I  am  unduly  proud,  is  the  fact  that  my  sainted 
-mother  was  one  of  the  party  on  the  Restauration, 
the  Norwegian  Mayflower,  that  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1825.  She  was  a  child  of  6 
years  af  the  time,  having  been  born  in  Tysver 
parish,  Dec.  11,  1819,  daughter  of  Cornelius  Nel- 
son Hersdal,  one  of  the  Sloop  party  and  niece 
of  Kleng  Peerson,  who  was  sent  to  the  United 
States  by  the  Quakers  of  Stavanger  in  1821  to 
find  a  location  for  the  first  Norwegian  emigrants 
to  this  country."  The  story  is  told  in  Prof. 
Anderson's  book,  First  Chapter  of  Norwegian 
Immigration.  It  is  also  referred  to  in  the  his- 
torical part  of  this  volume. 


DR.  JAMES  MURRAY  MITCHELL, 

Son  of  John  and  Bertha  C.  (Oakland)  Mitchell, 
was  born  on  a  farm  in  Livingston  county,  111., 
Oct.  13,  1869.  His  parents,  who  were  born  in 
Norway,  migrated  to  this  country  in  1848  and 
1849,  locating  in  La  Salle  counly,  111.,  where 
they  were  married  in  1850.  In  1854  they  moved 
to  Livingston  county,  which  was  then  mostly 
a  wilderness  and  had  but  few  inhabitants.  Here, 
after  much  hard  struggling  and  many  setbacks! 
they  succeeded  in  making  themselves  a  home  in 
which  they  prospered. 


Recognizing  the  resources  of  this  virgin  county 
and  the  possibilities  here  for  their  countrymen, 
they  encouraged  immigration,  and  by  their  ever 
ready  hospitality  and  assistance  to  those  who 
came  they  were  instrumental  in  founding  a  Nor- 
wegian colony  which  grew  to  be  strong  and 
flourishing.  Mr.  Mitchell  was  actively  engaged 
in  farming  and  stockraising  until  1894,  when, 
owing  to  failing  health,  he  moved  to  Pontiac, 
111.  He  was  a  man  of  marked  ability  and  en- 
terprise, commanded  a  wide  influence,  and  di<§ 
much  for  the  advancement  of  this  section  of 
Illinois.  He  died  at  his  home  in  Pontiac,  Feh| 
9,  1896,  survived  by  his  wife  and  six  children. 


Dr.  J.  M.  Mitchell. 


The  subject  of  this  sketch  grew  to  manhood 
on  his  father's  farm,  working  during  crop  sea- 
sons and  attending  the  district  school  during 
the  winter  time.  Later  he  attended  the  Pon- 
tiac high  school  and  the  normal  schools  of  Dixon 
and  Rockford.  In  1896  he  began  the  study  of 
medicine  at  the  Rush  Medical  College,  and  on 
completing  the  course  in  1900  received  the  ap- 
pointment of  house  physician  for  one  year  at 
the  Milwaukee  Hospital,  Milwaukee,  Wis.  The 
six  months  following  his  hospital  services  were 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


421 


(spent  in  study  and  travel,  and  in  the  winter  of 
'1902  he  located  in  Pontiac,  where  he  has  since 
jbeen  actively  engaged  in  practice.  He  is  a  mem- 
'ber  of  the  county,  state  and  national  medical 
!  societies,  a  close  student,  and  has  a  large  practice. 

He   resides   with   his  mother   at   303   W.    Lincoln 

street. 


HENRY  O.  MOLAND, 

The  real  estate  man  at  477  N.  California  avenue, 
was  born  in  Tvedestrand,  Norway,  Dec.  31,  1858. 


H.  O.  Moland. 


His  parents  were  Ole  Halvorsen  and  Helga 
Thorvaldsdatter,  farmers  on  gaarden  Moland. 
He  attended  the  public  and  high  school  in  Nor- 
way and  was  confirmed  by  Rev.  A.  C.  Preus  in 
Holt  sogn,  Norway,  when  16  years  old. 

He  came  to  New  York  as  a  sailor  'in  1876  and 
sailed   for   three   years   on   a    sail    ship.      In    1879 


he  settled  in  New  York,  engaging  in  the  meat 
market  business  for  a  time.  He  then  entered 
the  United  States  Navy  as  an  able  seaman  on 
the  Pensacola,  in  which  he  cruised  the  world. 
He  witnessed  the  great  naval  battle  between 
Chile  and  Peru  in  1881.  He  came  to  Chicago 
in  Oct.,  1884,  and  secured  work  as  a  butcher,  at 
which  he  worked  for  seven  years.  He  then  op- 
erated a  meat  market  for  himself  and  continued 
for  many  years. 

He  was  married  to  Emelie  Schwandt,  of  Chi- 
cago, June  27,  1891.  They  have  had  four  chil- 
dren; two  are  living,  namely:  FranV.  born  June 
17,  1893,  and  Florence,  Aug.  13,  1895. 

Later  Mr.  Moland  sold  his  market  business 
and  opened  a  collection  agency,  to  which  he 
afterward  added  renting  and  real  estate,  in  which 
he  is  now  engaged.  He  has  always  taken  an 
active  interest  in  politics,  being  an  enthusiastic 
republican,  but  has  never  held  public  office.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Royal  League.  The  family 
resides  at  102  Humboldt  street. 

Recently  Mr.  Moland  passed  the  federal  civil 
service  examination  as  an  inspector  of  meat 
products,  but  is  undecided  whether  to  accept  the 
position  or  not. 


REV.  JOHN  A.  MOLDSTAD, 

The  pastor  of  St.  Mark's  Evangelical  Lutheran- 
Church  at  Tripp  and  Wabansia  avenues,  Chicago, 
was  born  at  De  Forest,  Dane  county,  Wis.,  April 
14,  1874.  His  parents  were  Anders  and  Johanne 
Karine  (Berg)  Moldstad.  The  father  was  a  mer- 
chant and  died  Jan.  24,  1899,  at  De  Forest,  Wis. 
Having  graduated  from  the  public  schools  in 
March,  1888,  our  subject  in  Sept.  of  the  same 
year  entered  Luther  College  from  which  he  grad- 
uated as  a  bachelor  of  arts  in  June,  1894.  He 
then  studied  at  the  University  of  Wisconsin  from 
Sept.,  1894  to  Aug.,  1895.  and  from  Sept.,  1899  to 
June,  1900,  when  he  graduated  as  A.  B. 

The  vacations  and  intervals  were  spent  as  fol- 
lows: Aug.,  1895  to  Apr.,  1896,  clerked  in  his 
father's  store  at  De  Forest,  Wis.;  April  to  Nov., 
1896,  business  manager  of  Amerika,  Madison, 
Wis.;  Nov.,  1896  to  June,  1897,  professor  at  Lu- 
ther Academy,  Albert  Lea,  Minn.,  and  Sept.,  1897 
to  June,  1899,  principal  of  the  Lutheran  College 


422 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


of  Clifton,  Texas,  June,  1899  to  Sept.,  1903,  in 
mercantile  business  at  De  Forest,  Wis. 

By  this  time  he  had  decided  to  become  a  min- 
ister of  the  Gospel  and  for  that  purpose  entered 
the  Concordia  Seminary  at  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  as  a 
«tudent  of  theology  in  Sept.,  1903.  From  this  in- 
stitution of  learning  he  graduated  in  June,  1906, 
receiving  the  degree  of  candidate  of  theology. 

On  April  16,  1906,  he  was  called  as  pastor  of 
St.  Mark's  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  and  on 
July  15th  of  the  same  year  he  was  ordained  and 
inaugurated  into  that  office. 

Rev.  Moldstad  has  officiated  as  Sunday  school 
superintendent,  etc.,  at  Norway  Grove  Church, 
De  Forest,  Wis.  He  is  a  member  of  corporation 
of  the  H.  A.  Preus  Lutheran  Academy,  at  Albion, 
Wis.,  and  has  been  elected  delegate  to  several 
synod  meetings.  He  is  not  married  and  resides 
at  902  N.  Forty-second  avenue,  Chicago. 


DR.  S.   H.  NANNESTAD. 

Sverre  Holm  Nannestad,  D.  D.  S.,  was  born  in 
Christiania,   Norway,  May  9,   1878. 


He  came  to  America  with  his  brother  when 
10  years  old  and  attended  the  common  schools 
in  South  Dakota,  returning  to  Norway  in  1895. 
He  came  to  Chicago  from  Norway  again  in  1900, 
and  immediately  entered  the  Chicago  College  of 
Dental  Surgery,  graduating  in  1904. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Borghild  Engebretsen, 
of  Christiania,  Norway,  in  1901.  They  have  one 
child,  a  daughter.  Dr.  Nannestad  is  a  member  of 
the  Royal  Arcanum,  Maplewood  council.  He  Is 
also  a  32d  degree  Mason,  a  member  of  the  K.  of 
P.,  Lincoln  lodge,  of  the  Norwegian  Quartet 
Club  and  "Den  Norske  Klub." 

Mrs.  Nannestad  died  in  the  spring  of  1907. 


DR.  SVEN  NARBO, 

The    dentist    at    1216     Milwaukee    avenue,    Chi- 
cago,  was   born    at    Strand,    Stavanger,    Norway, 


Dr.  S.  H.  Nannestad. 


Dr.  Sven  Narbo. 


Sept.    14,   1872.      His    parents   were    O.    and    B0r- 
gina  (Sigmundstad)  Narbo".  His  father  is  a  school 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


423 


teacher  and  kirkesanger,  having  held  the  same 
position  for  the  past  forty-eight  years,  both  he 
and  his  wife  enjoying  good  health.  Dr.  Narbo 
attended  his  father's  school  and  was  confirmed  in 
the  Lutheran  Church  in  Strand. 

He  came  to  America  in  1890  and  located  at 
Madison,  Wis.,  where  he  secured  a  place  as 
gardener  with  Prof.  T.  H.  Brand,  remaining  for 
two  years.  He  then  worked  in  the  dental  office 
of  Dr.  C.  C.  Chittenden,  Madison,  for  one  year. 
He  came  to  Chicago  in  1893  and  worked  for 
Marshall  Field  &  Co.  as  salesman  for  five  years. 
On  account  of  his  health  he  then  went  west, 
locating  at  Humboldt,  Iowa,  where  he  accepted 
a  clerkship  with  A.  B.  White.  In  1900  he  went 
into  partnership  with  J.  F.  Wittman,  of  Pioneer, 
Iowa,  doing  a  general  merchandise  business  and 
at  the  same  time  was  a  stockholder,  director 
and  secretary  of  the  Pioneer  Creamery  Com- 
pany. He  took  a  personal  and  active  interest 
in  the  creamery  and  brought  it  un  to  a  very 
profitable  investment. 

He  was  bent  on  becoming  a  dentist,  how- 
ever, and  soon  sold  out  his  interest  in  the  store 
and  returned  to  Chicago.  He  immediately  en- 
tered the  Chicago  College  of  Dental  Surgery, 
from  which  he  graduated  in  1903,  and  has  since 
been  practicing  his  profession  at  1216  Milwaukee 
avenue. 

He  served  three  years  in  the  Wisconsin  Na- 
tional Guard  and  the  same  time  in  the  Illinois 
Guard.  Dr.  Narbo  belongs  to  the  Royal  League 
and  is  a  member  of  the  M.  W.  A.  He  is  not 
married. 


America,  accompanied  by  his  brothers  (Ole 
and  Dick)  and  sister  (Martha).  They  settled 
at  Williamsville,  111.  Louis'  first  work  in  this 
country  was  on  a  farm,  by  the  month,  but  later 
he  farmed  for  himself. 


Louis  R.  Nelson. 


LOUIS    R.    NELSON, 

Of  Springfield,  111.,  was  born  in  Fruland  sogn, 
near  Arendal,  Norway,  June  23,  1847,  his  par- 
ents being  Reier  and  Gunnild  Nelson.  His 
mother  died  in  Norway  in  August,  1868,  and 
his  father  in  April,  1869.  Louis  attended  school 
in  Norway  and  was  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran 
Church  of  Fruland  sogn.  After  his  confirma- 
tion he  worked  for  Lensman  I.  O.  Berger  two 
years  and  then  went  to  O.  Samuelson  as  clerk 
in  a  department  store  in  Arendal  for  a  year  and 
a  half.  Afterward  he  worked  for  Pastor  Gedde 
one  year,  and  one  year  with  Provst  Somerfelt. 
On  the  12th  of  May,  1871,  he  migrated  to 


On  Oct.  6,  1880,  he  was  married  to  Mary 
Eielson,  of  Springfield,  111.,  where  the  family 
has  since  resided.  Mr.  Nelson  is  employed  as 
foreman  in  A.  Eielson's  lumber  yard,  having 
held  the  same  position  for  over  twenty-five 
years. 


NELS    S.    NELSON, 

Now  of  Helmar,  111.,  was  born  in  Skaanevik's 
prestegjeld,  Bergens  stift,  Norway,  Sept.  6,  1840. 
His  parents — Sjur  and  Jennie  Haugen  (Endres- 
datter)  Nelson — were  farmers  in  Norway.  With 
his  parents  he  came  to  America  in  1849.  They 


424 


A   HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF   ILLINOIS 


settled  in  Grundy  county,  southeast  of  Lisbon, 
and  remained  there  for  six  years  and  then  moved 
to  Kendall  county,  near  where  Helmar  is  now 
located.  Mr.  Johnson  received  his  education  in 
the  common  schools,  but  when  very  young  he 
had  to  go  to  work.  He  remained  with  his  father 
until  he  was  of  age.  A  year  later  he  enlisted 
as  a  private  in  Company  Ef  of  the  Ninety-first 
Regiment  of  Illinois  Volunteers  and  served  to 
the  close  of  the  war.  During  the  war  he  was 
promoted  first  to  corporal  and  then  to  ser- 
geant. In  a  skirmish  near  Elizabethtown,  Ky., 
Mr.  Nelson  was  wounded  by  a  musket  ball  in 


Ne!s  S.  Nelson  and  Wife. 


the  thigh  and  was  laid  up  for  three  months.  In 
the  meantime  the  whole  company  was  captured, 
and  Nelson  was  also  made  a  prisoner  of  war  and 
kept  in  prison  at  Benton  Barracks,  near  St. 
Louis,  Mo.,  for  six  months,  when  the  prisoners 
were  paroled.  OUT  subject  took  part  in  several 
battles.  While  on  parole  Mr.  Nelson  returned 
home  and  in  March,  1863,  was  married  to  Anna 
Larson,  who  was  born  in  Big  Grove  township, 
July  31,  1843,  the  daughter  of  Eric  Larson,  who 
came  from  Norway  and  settled  there  in  1838. 
After  his  return  from  the  war  Mr.  Nelson 


worked  for  four  years  by  the  month  and  then 
moved  onto  his  present  place  which  he  has 
owned  since  1879.  He  has  160  acres  in  the  N.  E. 
qr.  of  sec.  1.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Nelson  have  had 
fourteen  children,  of  whom  eleven  are  living, 
namely:  Lewis,  born  May  18,  1866;  Jennie, 
Sept.  8,  1867;  Randy,  Oct.  30,  1869;  Carrie,  Nov. 
17,  1871;  Anna,  April  9,  1874;  Sarah,  Jan.  17, 
1875;  Lewis,  May.  26,  1877;  Severt,  March  27, 
1879;  Alice,  April  2,  1881;  Nellie  Angelina,  Feb. 
22,  1883;  Isabelle,  March  26,  1885;  Joseph,  Oct. 
30,  1887;  Joseph  the  second,  March  22,  1890. 
Lewis  (the  oldest)  and  the  two  youngest  have 
passed  away,  the  last  two  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Nelson  is  well  known  in  Kendall  county, 
and  is  respected  and  esteemed  by  all  who  know 
him.  He  has  been  a  loyal  republican  leader,  and 
his  popularity  is  indicated  by  the  offices  he  has 
held.  He  was  for  three  years  township  collector; 
highway  commissioner  for  three  years;  assessor 
for  six  years;  a  member  of  the  board  of  school 
trustees  for  six  years;  and  at  this  writing  he 
is  serving  his  seventh  year  as  supervisor.  He 
has  been  deacon  for  his  church  for  thirty  years 
and  trustee  for  two  years,  and  has  also  served  as 
secretary  for  the  old  church  for  many  years.  He 
has  retired  from  farming  although  he  still  lives 
on  the  old  homestead,  his  youngest  living  son, 
Severt,  running  the  farm. 


OLE  J.   NELSON. 

There  is  no  name  more  honored  in  American 
history  than  that  of  the  pioneer,  and  no  country 
has  produced  so  many  examples  of  pioneer  spirit 
as  the  United  States.  Among  those  who  have 
taken  triple  honors  as  a  pioneer  is  O.  J.  Nelson, 
his  pioneer  character  partaking  of  the  career  of 
the  emigrant,  the  soldier  and  the  man  of  business. 

A  product  of  Norway,  having  been  born  in  the 
land  of  the  north  in  1847,  he  came  to  the  United 
States  in  1858.  Six  years  later  saw  him  shoulder- 
ing a  musket  at  the  early  age  of  17  on  behalf 
of  the  Union  as  a  member  of  Company  H  of  the 
138th  Illinois  infantry. 

His  career  in  Morris  covers  a  period  of  40 
years,  giving  him  the  title  of  dean  of  the  insur- 
ance men  of  that  section. 

Mr.  Nelson  represents  the  Franklin  Life  of 
Springfield,  III.,  and  the  leading  old  line  fire 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


425 


companies,  viz.:  The  Continental  of  New  York, 
the  Germania  of  New  York,  the  Westchester  of 
New  York,  the  German  of  Freeport,  the  North- 
western National  of  Milwaukee,  the  Milwaukee 
Mechanics'. 

Mr.  Nelson  is  full  of  energy  and  business  activ- 
ity and  has  great  faith  in  the  city  of  Morris,  be- 
lieving that  the  future  holds  promises  of  great 
development  for  his  home  town. 


Ole  J.  Nelson. 

No  man  is  willing  to  work  harder  for  this 
development  than  Mr.  Nelson,  and  in  the  future 
as  in  the  past  he  can  always  be  counted  on  to  do 
his  share  in  the  work  of  building  up  and  ex- 
pansion. He  has  for  a  number  of  years  repre- 
sented Morris  on  the  Board  of  Supervisors,  and 
has  been  chairman  of  that  body.  In  earlier  days 
he  was  identified  with  the  grain  trade,  and  con- 
ducted a  large  elevator,  which  was  destroyed  by 
fire. 

I 


took  up  the  machinist's  trade  and  worked  at  it 
for  several  years. 

He  was  married  on  Oct.  27,  1886,  to  Miss  So- 
phia Swenson.  Mrs.  Nelson  died  in  1905,  leaving 
three  children  —  Robert  S.,  Francis  and  Ionia. 

In  July,  1890,  Mr.  Nelson  joined  in  organizing 
the  Nelson  &  Kreuter  Co.,  manufacturers  of 
laundry  machinery,  at  955  N.  Spsulding  avenue. 
Their  plant  is  equipped  with  the  most  modern 
machinery  and  they  do  a  large  and  profitable 
business  also  with  foreign  countries.  Mr.  Nel- 
son has  to  his  credit  several  patents  on  laundry 


Robert  S.  Nelson. 

machinery.  He  is  a  Mason,  a  Knight  Templar 
and  a  member  of  the  Medinah  Temple  Shrine. 
He  is  also  a  member  of  the  Germania  Mienner- 
chor,  the  Swedish  Glee  Club,  Bjjzfrgvin  Singing 
Society  and  the  Laundry  Men's  Club.  He  is  a 
director  of  the  Tabitha  Hospital.  The  family 
resides  at  1190  Winthrop  avenue,  N.  Edgewater. 


ROBERT  S.  NELSON, 

Of  the  Nelson  &  Kreuter  Co.,  was  born  in  Aale- 
sund,  Norway,  Sept.  8,  1863.  His  parents  were 
Rasmus  S.  and  Martha  Nelson.  His  early  life 
was  spent  in  Bergen  as  a  newsboy.  He  served 
one  year  as  a  blacksmith's  apprentice  and  then 


HENRY  NEWGARD, 

President   of   Henry   Newgard    &    Co.,    electrical 
contractors    and    manufacturers    and    dealers    in 


426 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


electrical  machinery  and  supplies,  was  born  on 
Nygaard,  Ullensaker,  Norway,  May  10,  1858,  his 
parents  being  Kristen  Johansen  and  Berthe 
Hansen  Nygaard.  He  had  the  advantages  of 
the  common  schools  and  when  16  years  old  went 
to  Christiania,  where  he  served  as  an  appren- 
tice for  five  years,  learning  the  trade  of  a  lock- 
smith. 

When  21  years  old,  having  finished  his  ap- 
prenticeship, he  came  to  America,  locating  in 
Chicago  in  1879.  He  was  unable  to  find  work 
at  his  trade,  but  secured  work  in  a  furniture 
factory,  and  after  a  few  months  he  got  a  place 


Henry  Newgard. 


with  the  C.  &  N.  W.  Ry.  Co.  in  their  shops  at 
Fortieth  and  Kinzie  streets,  working  at  his 
trade.  Later  he  got  a  better  place  in  a  small 
locksmith  shop  at  the  corner  of  Randolph  and 
Clark  streets,  where  he  remained  until  1882, 
when  he  engaged  in  business  for  himself,,  start- 
ing a  locksmith  shop  at  167  E.  Madison  street. 
Here  he  experimented  in  electric  work,  grad- 
ually drifting  into  that  branch  of  the  electric 
business.  In  1890  he  started  a  separate  office 
at  88  La  Salle  street,  for  electrical  construc- 
tion work,  which  grew  very  rapidly  into  a  larger 


and  profitable  business.  In  1900  his  brother 
Martin  bought  in  as  a  partner  and  in  1901  the 
firm  of  Henry  Newgard  &  Co.  was  incorporated, 
with  the  subject  of  this  sketch  as  its  president, 
he. having  continuously  held  the  same  office  since. 
Mr.  Newgard  has  invented  several  articles  in  the 
electrical  line,  but  has  not  patented  any.  He  is 
also  the  inventor  of  the  Newgard  water-proof 
receptacle  and  globe.  He  is  a  member  of  Park 
Lodge,  No.  843,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.;  Park  Chapter, 
No.  213,  R.  A.  M.;  Evanston  Commandery,  No. 
58,  Knights  Templars;  Oriental  Consistory,  S.  P. 
R.  S.;  A.  A.  S.  Rite  Valley  of  Chicago;  Medinah 
Temple,  A.  A.  O.,  N.  M.  S.,  of  Chicago;  Royal 
Arcanum;  John  A.  Cumming's  Council;  Royal 
League  North  Shore  Council;  National  Union 
Press  Council.  He  also  belongs  to  the  Illinois 
Commercial  Men's  Association;  the  Builders' 
Club;  and  is  vice-president  of  the  Electrical  Con- 
tractors' Association.  Mr.  Newgard  has  erected 
a  number  of  buildings  of  his  own  and  now  holds 
considerable  property  in  Chicago. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Ovidia  Swenkerud  on 
Nov.  21,  1885.  They  had  three  children.  He 
attends  the  Episcopal  Church  and  resides  at 
4111  Newgard  avenu'e.  Mrs.  Newgard  died  April 
18,  1904. 

On  June  30,  1906,  Mr.  Newgard  married  Miss 
Anna  Hammerlind,  of  Milwaukee,  Wis. 


MARTIN  NEWGARD, 

Of  Henry  Newgard  &  Co.,  was  born  in  Ullen- 
saker, Norway,  July  4,  1864,  his  parents  being 
Kristen  Johansen  and  Bertha  Hansen  Ny- 
gaard. He  completed  his  schooling  in  Norway 
in  1880. 

He  came  to  this  country  in  1882  and  immediate- 
ly entered  the  electrical  business  with  his  brother 
Henry  in  Chicago,  shortly  having  charge  of  all 
the  electrical  installations.  The  company  was  af- 
terward incorporated  under  the  name  of  Henry 
Newgard  &  Co.,  and  our  subject  became  a 
member  of  the  firm,  now  located  at  225  Wash- 
ington street.  Mr.  Martin  Newgard  is  vice-presi- 
dent and  general  superintendent,  and  as  they  are 
now  one  of  the  largest  electrical  contractors  and 
manufacturers  in  the  city  he  is  kept  busy  look- 
ing after  the  construction  and  manufacturing 
departments,  when  large  power  and  lighting 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


427 


switchboards  and  other  special  devices  are  being 
built  for  themselves  and  other  electrical  con- 
tractors over  the  country.  Henry  Newgard  & 
Co.  have  built  up  a  large  supply  business;  they 
found  it  advisable  to  organize  and  incorporate 
a  new  company,  and  accordingly  the  Ameri- 
can Electric  Supply  Co.  was  incorporated  over 
a  year  ago.  The  two  companies  are  controlled 
by  the  same  stockholders,  the  later  concern  do- 
ing business  at  87  Fifth  avenue,  but  larger  and 
more  commodious  quarters,  at  the  corner  of 
Lake  and  Franklin  streets  have  been  secured,  to 
which  they  will  soon  move.  Mr.  Newgard  is 


V 


Martin   Newgard. 


•well  known  among  electricians  and  engineers  in 
Chicago  as  one  of  the  practical  men  in  the  busi- 
ness. He  was  elected  by  the  contractors'  as- 
sociation to  attend  the  revising  committee  meet- 
ing in  changing  the  rules  of  the  department  of 
electricity  to  guard  against  fires. 

He  is  a  member  of  Park  Lodge  No.  843;  Park 
Chapter,  No.  213;  Oriental  Consistory,  Medinah 
Temple,  Aryan  Grotto. 

Mr.  Newgard  was  married  to  Miss  Kathinka 
Swenkerud  on  March  21,  1896.  Three  children 
were  born  to  them,  two  of  whom  are  living.  The 
family  lives  at  138  Powell  avenue. 


CHARLES    EDMOND   NEWTON, 

The  furrier  and  hatter,  son  of  Elling  and  Mar- 
tha (Nelson)  Newton,  was  born  in  Chicago,  Sept. 
2,  1853.  His  father  was  a  vessel  owner,  having 
learned  the  ship-carpenter  trade  in  Norway,  but 
abandoned  the  active  building  of  vessels  after 
securing  a  few  ships  of  his  own.  Their  first 
home  in  Chicago  was  a  log  cabin  on  the  north 


C.  E.  Newton. 


side  of  the  river,  where  the  Northwestern  depot 
stands  now.  His  parents  are  both  dead,  having 
passed  away  many  years  ago  in  Chicago. 

Charles  attended  the  public  schools.  He  then 
began  clerking,  first  in  the  hat  store  of  Bishop 
&  Barnes,  later  with  Herrick  the  hatter,  and  then 
engaged  in  business  with  Hennegen  under  the 
firm  name  of  Hennegen  &  Newton.  For  the 
past  twenty-five  years  he  has  been  in  business  for 
himself,  being  now  located  at  607  Masonic  Tem- 
ple. Our  subject  was  one  of  the  organizers 
of  the  First  Regiment  of  the  Illinois  National 
Guards.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Eighth  Presby- 
terian Church,  and  was  for  a  time  trustee. 

He  was  married  about  twenty  years  ago  to 
Miss  Jennie  Scully,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 


438 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


James  Scully,  old  residents  of  Chicago.  They 
have  one  daughter,  Irene,  and  reside  at  314  Park 
avenue. 


GEORGE  G.  NEWTON, 

The  popular  druggist  at  the  corner  of  Erie  and 
Noble  streets,  was  born  in  Lisbon,  111.,  April 
12,  1865.  His  father,  Gullick  Knudson,  is  from 
0sterlandet,  Nummedalen,  and  his  mother,  Anna 
Hamre,  from  Hamar,  Norway.  They  came  to 
America  on  a  sailship  in  1863,  via  Quebec,  Mil- 
waukee and  Chicago,  and  went  to  Morris,  111. 
Here  his  father  worked  at  what  he  could  find 
to  do  for  a  few  years,  when  he  bought  a  farm 
near  Lisbon. 


teacher  continued  his  studies.  He  secured  a 
position  in  a  drug  store  at  Lisbon,  where  he 
remained  for  nearly  four  years.  In  1887-88  he 
attended  the  Chicago  College  of  Pharmacy  and 
passed  his  examination  and  received  his  degree 
as  Ph.  G.  He  later  passed  an  examination  before 
the  state  board.  While  in  Kendall  county  Mr. 
Newton  served  two  years  as  county  collector 
for  Big  Grove  township.  After  graduating  he 
located  in  Chicago  and  clerked  for  several  years. 
He  then  engaged  in  the  drug  business  for  him- 
self at  his  present  location,  329  W.  Erie  street, 
where  he  enjoys  a  splendid  patronage. 

He  was  married  to  'Lizzie  Josephine,  a  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  ana  Mrs.  Frank  Eschbacher,  of  Chi- 
cago, on  April  12,  1898.  Hjs  father  died  on  April 
28,  1905,  but  his  mother,  at  the  good  old  age 
of  87  years,  is  still  living,  hale  and  hearty.  Mr. 
Newton  purchased  the  old  homestead  from  his 
father  and  takes  great  pleasure  in  visiting  the 
old  place,  which  is  now  rented  by  his  brother. 
Our  subject  attends  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  He  is  a  Mason,  a  Knight  of  Pythias, 
and  an  Odd  Fellow. 


G.  G.  Newton  and  Wife. 


George  was  brought  up  on  the  farm,  attend- 
ing the  public  schools,  and  was  confirmed  by 
Pastor  Rasmussen.  He  then  went  to  Lisbon, 
and  under  the  guidance  of  W.  C.  Belden  as 


PETER   NEWTON, 

Secretary  of  the  Seventh  United  States  Civil 
Service  District,  embracing  the  northern  half  of 
Illinois  and  the  states  of  Wisconsin  and  Michi- 
gan, with  headquarters  in  Chicago^  was  born  in 
Chicago,  Sept.  29,  1854,  his  parents  being 
Sievert  and  Ingeborg  Newton.  He  attended  pub- 
lic school  in  Chicago — graduated  from  the  old 
Washington  School  and  attended  the  West  Di- 
vision High  School  for  a  short  time.  He  began 
his  career  as  an  office  boy  with  the  Chicago 
Evening  Journal  where  he  remained  until  May, 
1875.  In  September  of  the  same  year  he  en- 
tered the  government  service  as  a  clerk  in  the 
postoffice,  serving  continuously  in  nearly  all 
branches  of  the  service  until  May  1,  1892,  when 
he  was  appointed  local  secretary  of  the  United 
States  civil  service  examiners  for  the  postof- 
fice service  in  Chicago.  In  January,  1904,  the 
government  divided  the  country  into  thirteen 
civil  service  districts  and  appointed  the  subject 
of  our  sketch  to  the  secretaryship  of  the  7th 
district  as  indicated  above.  Mr.  Newton  or- 
ganized this  district  and  prides  himself  on  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


429 


fact    that    it    is    one    of    the    best    equipped    and 
organized   districts   in   the   United   States. 

His  parents  were  born  in  Voss,  Norway,  and 
came  to  this  country  in  the  early  '40's  locating 
in  Wisconsin.  Later  they  located  permanently 
in  Chicago.  His  father  was  for  many  years  or- 
ganist in  what  was  originally  called  Paul  An- 
derson's Church,  and  continued  as  su'ch  until 
his  death  in  1871.  Our  subject  is  the  youngest 
of  seven  children,  three  of  whom  were  born  in 
Norway,  and  the  others  in  this  country. 


Peter   Newton. 


Mr.  Newton  was  married  on  Oct.  5,  1881,  to 
Miss  Mary  Elizabeth  Torkilson,  who  died  Dec. 
10,  1883,  leaving  an  infant  daughter,  who  sur- 
vived her  mother  less  than  one  year. 

On  Feb.  8,  1888,  he  married  Miss  Belle  An- 
nette Paulsen.  They  have  two  children — Eli- 
nor Irene  and  Leonard  Victor — pupils  in  the  Lake 
View  High  School. 

Mr.  Newton  is  a  life  member  of  Blair  Lodge, 
No.  393,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.;  Washington  Chapter, 
No.  43,  Royal  Arch  Masons;  Chicago  Com- 
mandery,  No.  19,  Knights  Templars;  Medinah 
Temple;  Ancient  Arabic  Order  Nobles  of  the  Mys- 
tic Shrine;  Secretary  of  Washington  Chapter,  No. 


43,  R.  A.  M.;  and  was  eminent  commander  of 
Chicago  Commandery,  No.  19,  K.  T.,  in  1903-04. 
The  family  attend  the  English  Lutheran  Church 
and  reside  at  2281  N.  Hermitage  avenue,  Ravens- 
wood. 


ALDRICK  KRISTIAN  NILSSON, 

Organist  and  musician,  was  born  in  Bergen, 
Norway,  Sept.1  30,  1858.  His  father  Nils  Fugle, 
was  from  Fugle  gaarden,  Upper  Vasenden  on 
Jjzilster,  and  was  employed  by  different  mer- 
chants in  Bergen.  Young  Nilson  early  developed 


A.  K.  Nilsson. 


a  great  love  for  music,  and  though  his  parents 
were  unable  financially  to  aid  him  in  his  am- 
bition, Kristian  succeeded  in  taking  some  les- 
sons first  from  Tischendorff  and  later  from  Vogel 
and  Edward  Grieg.  When  17  years  old  Mr.  Nilson 
was  far  enough  along  to  take  care  of  himself, 
and  since  then  the  study,  rendering  and  com- 


430 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


posing  of  music  have  been  his  life  work.  In 
the  old  country  he  was  organist  for  St.  Paul's 
Catholic  Church  in  Bergen,  1884-86,  substitute 
for  the  organist  in  the  cathedral  (Domkirken), 
from  1886-88,  and  organist  at  Mandal,  Norway, 
in  1889. 

In  the  latter  year  he  came  to  Chicago,  where 
he  was  immediately  employed  by  several  sing- 
ing societies  as  instructor.  He  has  also  published 
several  compositions,  one  small  volume — en- 
titled "Standard  Prelude  Album" — reaching  a  sale 
of  30,000  copies.  Of  other  selections  we  can 
mention:  "The  Book  of  Psalms,"  "Anthems 
and  Hymns,"  "Hjemlige  Toner"  and  "B0rnenes 
Harpe."  A  dozen  others  are  adapted  for  piano, 
organ,  guitar  and  mandolin,  besides  songs  for 
singing  societies. 

Mr.  Nilson  was  married  to  an  accomplished 
musician  and  pianist,  Miss  Dagmar  Schauboe,  on 
June  8,  1895.  They  have  two  boys — Erling  and 
Einar  Fugle.  The  family  lives  at  322  Potomac 
avenue. 


HERMAN    BROWN    NIRISON, 

The  real  estate  man  on  W.  Armitage  avenue,  is 
a  native  of  Chicago,  his  parents  (Kittel  and 
Ingeborg  Nirison)  having  come  from  Norway 
in  the  '40's.  Their  home  in  Norway  was  a  few 
miles  north  of  Skien. 

Herman  was  born  in  Chicago,  May  27,  1862, 
and  has  had  the  advantage  of  the  Chicago  pub- 
lic schools  and  a  short  time  at  Wheaton  Col- 
lege. In  1878  he  clerked  for  a  firm  on  Grand 
avenue,  and  the  next  year  his  father  took  him 
into  bu'siness  with  himself  under  the  firm  name 
of  K.  Nirison  &  Son,  doing  a  general  china  and 
silver-plated  ware  business,  on  Grand  avenue.  In 
1885  he  went  to  Wolsey,  S.'D.,  and  engaged  in 
farming,  but  returned  to  Chicago  two  years 
later. 

He  was  married  to  Emma  E.  Nelson,  of  Chi- 
cago, on  May  27,  1885.  They  have  had  five 
children,  four  now  living,  namely:  Walter  B., 
1886;  William  O.,  1888,  who  died  while  young; 
Edith  N.,  1890;  Russell  A.,  1892;  Kittel  N.,  1900. 

After  his  return  from  South  Dakota  Mr.  Niri- 
son clerked  in  a  hardware  jobber's  office  until 
1890,  when  he  engaged  in  the  real  estate  and 
insurance  business,  which  he  has  continued  since. 


He  was  first  located  at  Milwaukee  avenue  near 
Center  avenue,  then  at  86  La  Salle  street,  and 
is  now  at  1636  Armitage  avenue. 

Mr.  Nirison  is  a  member  of  Arcana  Lodge, 
No.  717,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Wiley  M.  Eagan,  No. 
126,  R.  A.  M.;  Michael  Reese  Council,  No.  1587, 
Royal  Arcanum;  Dover  Lodge,  R.  H.  K.;  the 


H.  B.  Nirison. 


Happy  Hooligan  Bowling  Club;  captain  of  the 
Pioneer  Gun  Club;  president  of  the  Norwegian 
Republican  Club  of  the  twenty-seventh  ward, 
and  is  a  member  of  the  Hermosa  Improvement 
Club.  The  family  resides  at  1034  N.  Forty- 
second  avenue. 


CARL  WILLIAM   BIRCH-NORD, 

Civil  engineer,  with  the  American  Bridge  Com- 
pany, Monadnock  Block,  Chicago,  is  a  son  of 
the  late  Carl  Birch-Nord,  chief  engineer  and 
manager  of  the  former  Hsegholmen's  Mechanical 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


431 


Shipbuilding  Company,  and  Eva  Nord  (nee  Mar- 
month),  daughter  of  Stephen  Marmonth,  man- 
ager of  the  Hjula  Weaving  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, of  Christiania,  Norway. 

Our  subject  was  born  in  Christiania,  Oct.  7, 
1880.  After  completing  his  high  school  and 
technical  education,  with  practical  training  in 
machine  shops  in  Christiania,  he  went  to  Ger- 
many in  1901,  where  he  extended  his  studies  in 
electrical  engineering  at  the  institute  of  tech- 
nology at  Bingen  am  Rhein.  He  was  later  em- 
ployed as  superintendent  of  electrical  install- 
ments at  Boras,  Sweden. 


of  the  largest  car,  foundry  and  machine  shops 
in  the  country.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Western 
Society  of  Civil  Engineers. 


C.  W.  Birch-Nord. 


Mr.  Birch-Nord  arrived  in  Chicago  in  July, 
1902,  where,  after  having  held  various  posi- 
tions with  the  Western  Electric  Company,  Burn- 
ham  &  Company,  and  others,  he  secured  a  place 
as  draftsman  with  the  Metropolitan  Elevated 
Railroad  Company.  He  found  it  difficult  at 
first  to  get  a  position  as  civil  engineer.  He 
remained  with  the  Metropolitan  until  1903,  when 
he  accepted  the  position  of  first  assistant  en- 
gineer in  the  estimating  department  of  the 
American  Bridge  Company's  Chicago  office. 
Here  he  had  charge  of  the  designing  of  several 


REV.  J0RGEN  NORDBY. 

For  the  past  twenty-five  years  pastor  for  the 
Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  at  Lee,  111.,  was 
born  at  Ulvig,  Hardanger,  Norway,  Dec.  9,  1852. 
He  came  to  America  in  1867,  having  up  to  that 
time,  attended  the  public  schools.  Here  he  lived 
in  the  country  and  attended  school  graduating 
from  Luther  College,  Decorah,  Iowa,  in  1873, 
and  from  the  Concordia  Theological  Seminary, 


Rev.  J0rgen   Nordby. 


St.  Louis,  Mo.,  in  1876.  His  first  call  was  to  the 
Lutheran  Church  at  Northwood,  Iowa,  where 
he  remained  for  four  years,  going  then  to  Lee, 
111.  He  was  secretary  for  the  eastern  district 
of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Synod,  and  since 
1896  has  been  secretary  of  the  general  synod. 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Rev.  Nordby  has  traveled  extensively,  having 
visited  Egypt  and  the  Holy  Land,  as  well  as 
most  of  the  European  countries.  He  has  been 
back  to  Norway  three  times.  His  whole  life 
since  leaving  college  has  been  devoted  to  church 
work,  he  having  served  on  important  synodical 
committees,  one  of  them  for  the  revision  of  the 
hymn  book.  He  supports  charities  liberally, 
being  especially  interested  in  the  orphans'  home 
and  the  home  for  the  aged  at  Stoughton,  Wis. 

He  married  Miss  Rosina  Pauline  Preus,  Aug. 
29,  1877.  They  have  had  nine  children,  four  now 
living. 


JETLEE  BRYNGELSON  NORDHEM 

Was  born  at  Voss,  Norway,  June  6,  1841,  to 
Bryngel  J.  and  Ingeborg  E.  (Saue)  Nordhem. 
Having  graduated  from  the  common  school,  he 
was  confirmed  in  Vossevangens  church  and  then 
worked  on  his  father's  farm,  until  he  came  to 
America  in  June,  1859.  He  stopped  at  Long 
Prairie,  111.,  about  one  year,  then  went  to  Dec- 
orah,  Iowa,  where  he  remained  one  and  a  half 
year. 

On  Feb.  25,  1862,  Mr.  Nordhem  enlisted  in  Com- 
pany H,  First  Battalion,  of  the  Sixteenth  U.  S. 
Infantry  and  served  three  years.  During  that  term 
he  was  engaged  in  the  following  battles:  Stone 
River,  where  he  was  wounded,  Mission  Ridge, 
Buzzard  Roost,  Reseca,  New  Hope  Church,  Ken- 
esaw  Mountain,  Marietta,  Peach  Tree  Creek,  At- 
lanta and  Jonesboro,  Ga. 

Mr.  Nordhem  was  married  in  May,  1871,  to 
Miss  Julia  T.  Amondson',  a  daughter  of  John  and 
Herborg  Amondson.  This  union  has  been  blessed 
with  two  daughters,  Harriet  Isabella,  born  Feb. 
9,  1873,  married  to  Mr.  Charles  F.  Hamann,  and 
Edith  Josephine,  born  June  1,  1877.  They  have 
also  had  one  son,  Joseph  Bernard,  born  Nov.  5, 
1866,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Nordhem  has  been  engaged  for  about 
thirteen  years  in  the  custom  service  and  held 
various  positions  in  same  as  inspector,  bond- 
clerk,  warehouse  ledger  clerk  and  drawback 
clerk. 

In  1879  he  was  elected  supervisor  of  West 
Town,  Chicago,  which  term  lasted  one  year. 

Mr.  Nordhem  has  been  connected  with  Skan- 
dinaven  as  manager  for  their  book  department 
for  about  ten  years.  He  is  now  secretary  and 


vice-president   of  the   John   Anderson   Publishing 
Company. 

The  family  are  members  of  the  English  Evan- 
gelical Lutheran  Church  of  the  Holy  Trinity  for 
which  Mr.  Nordhem  has  served  as  trustee  for 
about  twenty  years. 


Jetlee  B.   Nordhem. 


Mr.  Nordhem  is  a  member  of  the  Grand  Army 
of  the  Republic,  U.  S.  Grant  Post  28.  -He  has 
served  three  years  as  president  of  the  Norweg- 
ian Republican  Club  of  the  2Sth  Ward,  and  is  a 
life  member  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Tabitha 
Hospital  Society. 

The  family  resides  at  1848  Humboldt  boule- 
vard. 


HANS  PETER  GR0DEM  NORSTRAND 

Was  born  near  Bergen,  Norway,  June  24,  1871, 
his  parents  being  Lars  C.  and  Hansine  Rasmussen 
Norstrand.  He  was  educated  in  the-  Bergen 
and  technical  schools. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


433 


He  came  to  America  in  1889,  and  served  as 
draftsman  for  several  Chicago  firms.  Was  chief 
engineer  for  the  Aultman  &  Taylor  Machinery 
Company.  Mansfield,  Ohio,  for  four  years — from 
1894-1898.  Was  superintendent  for  the  Pennsyl- 
vania Boiler  Works  at  Erie,  Penn.,  1898-1900; 
general  superintendent  for  Abendroth  &  Root 
Manufacturing  Company,  New  York,  1900-1902; 
general  manager  for  the  Hawley  Down  Drop 
Furnace  Company,  Chicago,  1902-1903,  and  is 
now  engineer,  secretary  and  treasurer  for  the 


H.    P.    G.    Norstrand. 


George  Whiting  Company,  manufacturers  of  spe- 
cial machinery,  156-158  W.  North  avenue. 

Mr.  Norstrand  was  married  in  December,  1892, 
to  Mathilda  Nagle,  born  in  Prague,  Bohemia. 
They  have  three  children — Signe  Ruth,  12  years; 
Leif  Behrend,  4  years;  Hans  Donald,  1  year. 
The  subject  of  our  sketch  is  a  member  of  Den 
Norske  Kvartet  Club,  the  Royal  League,  and 
the  Independent  Religious  Society,  served  by 
the  eloquent  M.  M.  Mangasarian. 


REV.    HENRY   T.   NOSS 

Was  born  at  St.  Peter,  Minn,  Jan  1,  1879,  his 
parents  (Tollef  H.  and  Marie  S.  Noss)  having 
come  from  Norway  in  1877.  They  remained  at 
St.  Peter  for  two  years  and  then  moved  to  Hat- 


Rev.  Henry  T.  Noss. 


ton,  N.  D.,  where  they  have  made  their  home 
since.  Those  were  pioneer  days  and  Henry's 
first  home  was  a  sod  house,  eighty  miles  from  a 
railroad.  He  attended  the  public  schools,  spent 
one  year  at  the  Grand  Forks  College,  two  years 
at  the  Mayville  Normal  School  and  four  years  at 
the  United  Church  College  at  Minneapolis,  where 
he  graduated  in  the  spring  of  1900.  The  fol- 
lowing year  was  spent  at  St.  Olaf's  College, 
where  he  received  his  degree  of  bachelor  of 
arts  in  1901.  He  then  studied  three  years  at 
the  United  Church  Seminary  at  St.  Anthony 
Park,  St.  Paul,  where  he  graduated  as  a  candi- 
date for  the  ministry,  Tune  2,  1905,  and  was 
ordained  as  a  minister  in  the  Swedish  Augustana 
Church  at  Minneapolis  on  Sunday,  June  18,  1905. 
Sunday,  July  16,  1905,  he  entered  upon  his 
duties  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel  in  Bethany 
Congregation,  Leland,  111.,  this  being  one  of  the 


434 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


oldest  congregations  in  the  United  Church. 
While  he  serves  a  Norwegian  congregation,  he 
preaches  but  two  sermons  in  that  language 
each  month,  the  rest  of  the  work  being  carried 
on  in  English. 


GEORGE  T.  OLSEN. 

General  manager  for  the  Co-operative  Store  on 
Milwaukee  avenue  is  a  native  of  Norway.  He 
was  born  in  Stavanger,  April  22,  1865,  and  came 


financial  man  to  Seneca  D.  Kimbark.  He  re- 
mained with  the  firm  until  1905,  when  he  was 
made  general  manager  of  the  Co-operative  De- 
partment Store,  corner  of  Milwaukee  avenue 
and  Carpenter  street. 

Mr.  Olsen  was  married  in  June,  1900,  to  Miss 
Ida  A.  Stenbeck,  daughter  of  Captain  Andrew 
and  Caroline  Stenbeck.  They  had  one  child, 
Maren,  born  March  31,  1902.  Mr.  Olsen  is  a 
member  of  Hesperia  Lodge,  A.  F.  and  A.  M. 
Mrs.  Olsen  died  in  1905. 


George  T.  Olsen. 


to  America  with  his  parents  when  a  child. 
His  father,  Terje  Olsen,  was  interested  in  lake 
vessels  and  shipping.  His  mother  was  Maren 
Maesel.  Both  passed  away  in  Chicago. 

The  subject  of  our  sketch  attended  the  public 
schools  and  a  business  college  in  Chicago.  In 
1882  he  entered  the  employ  of  S.  D.  Kimbark  & 
Co.,  first  as  clerk  and  later  as  confidential  and 


HENRY  OLSEN 

Was  born  at  Aune,  Trondenes,  Nordland,  Nor- 
way, Aug.  24,  1846,  his  parents  being  Ole  and 
Dorothea  Margrethe  Mikkelsen,  who  lived  on  a 
small  farm  near  the  above-named  place.  Here 
Henry  attended  the  common  schools  until  15 
years  old,  when  he  went  to  Troms0  to  learn  the 
cabinetmaker's  trade. 

After  finishing  his  apprenticeship  he  took  pas- 
sage on  the  sailship  Norge  for  America,  on  June 
6,  1864.  Seven  weeks  later  he  arrived  at  Quebec, 
Canada,  coming  by  boat  to  Toronto  and  by  rail 
to  Chicago,  where  he  arrived  Aug.  6.  He  ar- 
rived here  without  a  cent  to  buy  tools  with 
and  not  knowing  a  single  person,  but  secured 
work  as  a  laborer,  carrying  brick  and  unload- 
ing lumber  vessels,  etc. 

Oct.  6,  1864,  he  enlisted  in  the  United  States 
Army  as  a  volunteer.  He  was  immediately  sent 
to  Indiana,  where  he  joined  the  Eighty-second 
Regiment,  Indiana  Volunteers,  then  at  Atlanta, 
Ga.  On  Nov.  10,  the  same  year,  he  took  part 
in  the  burning  of  Atlanta  and  was  with  Sher- 
man on  his  "march  to  the  sea,"  and  also  on 
the  march  from  Savannah  through  South  and 
North  Carolina.  He  took  part  in  many  small 
battles  and  skirmishes  and  was  at  Raleigh,  N. 
C.,  in  April,  1865,  when  Johnston  surrendered  to 
Sherman.  They  then  marched  north  through 
Richmond  to  Washington,  where  the  regiment 
was  mustered  out  of  the  service,  but  Mr.  Olsen 
was  transferred  to  the  Twenty-second  Indiana 
Volunteers,  then  stationed  at  Louisville,  Ky. 
July  24,  1865,  he  was  honorably  discharged  from 
the  army  as  a  private.  Returning  to  Chicago, 
he  secured  employment  at  the  Illinois  Central 
passenger  car  works,  then  located  at  Twenty- 
sixth  street  and  Cottage  Grove  avenue. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


435 


Mr.  Olsen  was  married  to  Emelie  Marie  Har- 
riette  Blomqvist,  on  Jan.  7,  1866.  His  wife  was 
also  from  Troms0,  having  com«  over  on  the 
same  ship.  They  have  had  nine  children — four 
sons  and  five  daughters — of  which  one  son  and 
three  daughters  are  living.  They  are  all  mar- 
ried and  living  in  Chicago.  Soon  after  his  mar- 
riage, Mr.  Olsen  engaged  as  a  millwright,  work- 
ing a  number  of  years  for  Livingston  Bros.,  of 
this  city,  and  in  1875  he  engaged  with  Charles 
Kaestner  &  Co.  In  1885  he  started  in  busi- 
ness for  himself,  but  two  years  later  took  in 


Church.  He  has  also  been  identified  with  the 
Tabitha  Hospital,  and  with  the  Norwegian  Old 
People's  Home  since  its  organization.  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Olsen  reside  at  517  N.  Hoyne  avenue. 


Henry  Olsen. 


Gustav  Tilgner  as  a  partner,  manufacturing  all 
kinds  of  machinery,  patterns,  models  and  mill- 
wright work,  under  the  firm  name  of  Olsen  & 
Tilgner,  their  factory  being  at  Indiana  street 
and  La  Salle  avenue.  In  190-1  the  company  in- 
corporated under  the  name  of  Olsen  &  Tilgner 
Manufacturing  Co.,  of  which  Mr.  Olsen  is  presi- 
dent, their  shop  having  been  moved  to  37-39 
Ontario  street. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Olsen  have  been  mem- 
bers since  1872  of  the  Second  Norwegian 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  now  known  as 
the  Maplewood  Avenue  Methodist  Episcopal 


JENS  OLSEN, 

Of  Mendota,  111.,  is  a  son  of  Ola  Olsen  and 
Rachel  Maria  (Fosse)  Kalberg.  He  was  born 
near  Stavanger,  Norway,  July  29,  1847.  He 


Jens  Olsen. 


learned  the  tailor  trade  in  Stavanger  and  at 
the  age  of  21  went  to  London,  England,  for 
fivrther  advancement  in  it.  He  returned  to 
Stavanger  after  five  years  and  engaged  in  busi- 
ness for  himself. 

In  1875  he  was  married  to  Miss  Inger,  a 
daughter  of  Enoch  Knudson  Joaasen,  of  Molde, 
near  Stavanger. 


436 


A  HISTORY   OF  THE  NORWEGIANS   OF   ILLINOIS 


In  1883  he  came  to  America,  stopping  in  Chi- 
cago for  one  year  and  then  going  on  to  Men- 
dota,  where  he  settled  with  his  family  and  has 
resided  since. 

Nine  children  were  born  to  them,  seven  of 
•whom  are  living.  Enoch  B-,  the  oldest,  is  as- 
sistant cashier  of  the  Germania  Bank  and  city 
treasurer  of  Mendota,  his  term  expiring  in  May, 
1907.  Inga  J.,  the  oldest  daughter,  is  a  milliner, 
in  Chicago.  Oscar  B.  is  working  in  a  drug  store 
in  Mendota.  Bertha  graduated  from  the  high 
school  in  June,  1906.  The  younger  children  — 
Clara,  Herman  and  Edward — are  at  home,  at- 
tending school.  The  family  attend  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  there  being  no  Lutheran  Church 
excepting  a  German  one.  Mr.  Olsen  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America.  The 
family  live  in  their  own  home  at  No.  700  Wash- 
ington street.  The  oldest  son,  Enoch,  is  the  only 
<child  married. 


PETER  A.  OLSEN, 

The  editor  and  publisher  of  Illinois  Posten,  of 
Ottawa,  was  born  at  Molde,  Norway,  April  1, 
1868.  His  father  was  Ole  Olsen,  a  jeweler,  and 
his  imother,  Caroline  Marie  (Bakken)  Olsen. 
Mrs.  Olsen  died  in  Chicago  in  1892,  and  his 
father,  who  had  worked  at  his  trade  in  Chi- 
cago for  thirteen  years,  returned  to  Norway  after 
the  World's  Fair  and  died  in  Bergen,  June  27, 
1906.  He  had  married  again. 

Our  subject  received  his  education  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  in  Bergen  and  Christiania.  With  his 
parents  he  came  to  Chicago  in  1883.  At  first 
he  attended  evening  school  and  was  apprenticed 
as  a  printer  on  the  Norwegian  weekly  Norden. 
He  worked  on  Folkevennen  from  1885  to  1889 
and  then  went  to  Skandinaven,  where  he  worked 
in  the  subscription  and  mailing  department  and 
also  as  compositor  on  the  daily.  He  returned  to 
Norden  and  remained  until  1894,  when  he  began 
the  publication  of  Afholdsvennen.  In  1896  he 
moved  to  Ottawa,  continuing  his  paper,  but  he 
changed  the  name  to  Illinois  Posten,  which  has 
proved  a  financial  success. 

On  Aug.  4,  1888,  Mr.  Olsen  was  married  to 
Miss  Marie  A.  Solem,  daughter  of  Peter  and 
Gertrude  (Hansen  Stube)  Solem,  of  Chicago. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Olsen  have  two  daughters — Caro- 


line Otelia,  born  Feb.  27,  1890,  and  Viola  Einera, 
born  Feb.  7,  1892.  Mrs.  Olsen  is  a  lady  of  cul- 
ture, and,  having  a  good  education,  she  is  in 
innumerable  ways  of  great  assistance  to  her 
husband.  Miss  Caroline  is  in  her  third  year  in 
the  high  school  and  Viola  attends  the  grammar 
school.  The  family  reside  in  their  own  home 
at  801  First  avenue. 

Mr.   Olsen's   publishing   office    is   in   the    Opera 
House  Block.     His  paper  is  the  first  secular  paper 


Peter  A.  Olsen. 

(Norwegian)  in  Illinois  outside  of  Chicago.  It 
is  republican  in  politics  and  has  been  recognized 
by  the  national,  state,  county  and  city  commit- 
tees. Mr.  Olsen  is  also  agent  for  all  the  At- 
lantic steamship  lines.  During  his  stay  in  Chi- 
cago he  was  an  active  member  of  the  Bj0rgvin 
Singing  Society. 


PETER   B.   OLSEN 

Was  born  in  Christiania,  Norway,  April  11, 
1848.  He  arrived  in  Chicago  in  1872  and  went 
to  work  on  Skandinaven  as  a  compositor.  He  was 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


437 


connected  with  the  paper  until  1887.  During 
his  connection  with  the  paper  he  also  served  in 
the  business  and  editorial  departments.  From 
1888  to  1892  he  was  employed  as  a  draftsman  in 
the  recorder's  office  in  Chicago,  after  which  he 
again  took  up  newspaper  work.  From  1895  to 
1902  he  worked  in  the  county  map  department. 
He  was  elected  a  representative  to  the  general 
assembly  of  Illinois  on  the  republican  ticket, 
from  the  old  Eleventh  (now  the  Twenty-fifth) 
senatorial  district  in  1898,  and  re-elected  in  1900. 


OLAF    C.    S.    OLSEN, 

Manufacturer  of  office   desks  and  furniture,  was 
born   in    Stavanger,    Norway,    in    1863. 

He  came  direct  to  Chicago  in  1883  and  has 
resided  here  since.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  and  learned  the  trade  of  a  cabi- 
net maker  in  the  old  country,  and  has  followed 
that  line  of  work.  In  1890  he  established  a 
business  on  his  own  account,  under  the  name  of 
O.  C.  S.  Olsen  &  Co.,  and  makes  a  specialty  of 
office  desks.  His  factory  a  substantial  brick 
building  of  six  stories,  covers  a  whole  block  on 
the  corner  of  Austin  avenue  and  May  street. 


Peter  B.  Olsen. 


In    1902    he    was    elected    county    clerk    of    Cook 
county,  by  a   very  large  plurality. 

Mr.  Olsen  has  been  married  twice  and  has 
seven  living  children.  He  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and 
a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  Mr.  Olsen 
has  made  a  creditable  record  as  county  clerk, 
having  been  publicly  commended  by  the  county 
board  for  his  comprenhensive,  complete  and  ac- 
curate reports.  He  refused  a  renomination  on 
account  of  the  worries  and  anxieties  the  respon- 
sibility of  the  office  entails. 


ALBERT  JOHN  OLSON, 

The  wholesale  milk  dealer,  with  office  and  depot 
at  265  N.  Franklin  street,  Chicago,  was  born 
at  Elgin,  111.,  June  4,  1865.  His  parents  were 
John  and  Carrie  Olson.  He  attended  the  public 
schools,  but  when  10  years  old  his  parents  moved 


Albert  J.  Olson. 


438 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


to  Lee,  111.,  where  our  subject  continued  his 
schooling  for  five  years.  He  was  confirmed  in 
the  North  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church.  He 
came  to  Chicago  in  1882. 

On  Oct.  19,  1885,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Jane  Severson  of  Lee,  Illinois.  Mr.  Olson  had 
already  embarked  in  the  milk  and  cream  busi- 
ness, and  has  continued  in  that  line  since.  He 
has  taken  an  active  interest  in  politics,  having 
twice  represented  his  district  in  the  legislature — 
the  Thirty-ninth  and  Fortieth  general  assemblies 
— and  has  also  served  two  terms  in  the  city 
council.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order. 
His  mother  died  in  Elgin  in  1876;  his  father  in 
1892.  The  family  resides  at  201  N.  Franklin 
street.  Mr.  Olson  owns  the  Woodstock  Farm, 
in  McHenry  county,  said  to  be  one  of  the  best 
stock  farms  in  the  state. 


EVER  OLSON, 

Of  Freeport,  111.,  was  born  in  Davis,  Stephenson 
cou'nty,    III.,   June   24,    1867,   to    Sven   and    Inge- 


borg  (Hoff)  Olson.  His  parents  were  farmers, 
and  Ever  spent  his  youth  on  the  farm  and  at- 
tended the  public  school.  His  mother  died  twelve 
years  and  his  father  seven  years  ago.  Our  sub- 
ject continued  on  the  farm  until  about  three 
years  ago,  when  he  was  appointed  deputy  sheriff 
and  moved  to  Freeport,  the  county  seat  of  Steph- 
enson county.  He  took  the  census  for  Rock 
River  township  in  1900,  and  was  elected  collector 
in  1901-02. 

In  1906  Mr.  Olson  received  the  republican 
nomination  for  sheriff  by  a  majority  of  over  600 
votes,  being  the  first  man  of  Norwegian  descent 
to  be  nominated  for  a  political  office  in  Stephen- 
son  county.  The  county  being  largely  populated 
by  Germans  he  was,  however,  defeated  at  the 
election  by  a  small  majority. 

He  married  Miss  Anna  Rostad,  of  Oxfordville, 
Wis.,  on  Dec.  30,  1901.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren— Clement,  born  Dec.  26,  1902,  and  Edward, 
born  Nov.  25,  1904.  Mr.  Olson  is  a  member  of 
the  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Order  of  Eagles,  both 
fraternal  societies. 


Ever  Olson. 


HENRY  P.  OLSON, 

Of  Capron,  Boone  county,  111.,  was  born  in 
Earl  township,  La  Salle  county,  Feb.  5,  1853, 
his  parents  being  Hele  and  Helen  (Saala)  Ol- 
son. His  father  was  a  farmer  in  La  Salle  county 
and  our  subject  attended  the  public  schools  and 
was  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran  Church.  He 
remained  with  his  father  on  the  farm  until  of 
age. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Lena  Hanson,  daugh- 
ter of  Hans  and  Eliza  Hanson,  of  Boone  coun- 
ty, on  Feb.  15,  1878.  His  wife's  father  came  to 
this  country  in  1845,  her  mother,  Eliza  Tryme, 
having  arrived  earlier.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Olson  have 
four  children,  namely:  George  Harvey,  born  in 
1878;  Arthur  Henry,  1880;  Sevina,  1883;  Oscar 
Hulbert,  1888.  Mr.  Olson  engaged  in  farming  as 
a  renter  on  his  father's  farm  in  1874,  in  De  Kalb 
county,  but  after  his  marriage  in  1878  rented  from 
his  father-in-law  in  Boone  county,  which  farm 
he  has  since  bought,  and  where  the  family  still 
reside.  The  farm  comprises  100  acres  and  is  one 
mile  southeast  of  Capron,  in  Boone  township. 

Mr.  Olsen  has  been  a  director,  vice-president 
and  president  of  the  Capron  Creamery  Com- 
pany, a  director  in  the  Capron  Home  Telephone 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


439 


Company  and  road  commissioner  for  two  terms. 
He  has  also  been  secretary,  trustee  and  cashier 
for  Hauges  Lutheran  Church.  His  father  died 


Henry  P.  Olson. 


on   his   farm,  Aug.   21,   1883,   and   his   mother   in 
Davison  county,  South  Dakota,  Aug.  5,  1891. 


other  half  at  the  school.  He  continued  to  work 
in  the  same  office  until  he  became  of  age. 

On  June  16,  1887,  Mr.  Olson  left  Mandal  for 
America  and  landed  in  New  York  on  July  1.  He 
went  directly  to  Chicago,  arriving  here  on  the 
glorious  Fourth  of  July,  and  has  remained  here 
since. 

He  did  not  succeed  in  obtaining  work  at  his 
trade  at  first,  so  he  accepted  a  position  in  a 
tannery  for  a  while.  From  August  1887  to  May 
1892  he  was  employed  in  the  new  printing  office 
of  "Vort  Land,"  located  at  140  W.  Indiana  street. 


Jacob  A.  Olson. 


JACOB   ANDREAS   OLSON, 

Foreman  for  the  printing  department  of  "Skan- 
dinaven,"  was  born  at  Mandal,  Norway,  Nov.  21, 
1865,  to  Ole  Olsen,  a  carpenter  at  that  city  and 
his  wife  Sille,  born  Jacobsen.  Mr.  Olson  enjoyed 
a  common  school  education  and  was  confirmed 
in  the  Lutheran  church  at  Mandal. 

At  the  age  of  10  he  was  apprenticed  to  learn 
the  printer's  trade  in  the  office  of  "Lister  og 
Mandals  Amtstidende,"  A.  Naess,  proprietor. 
Here  he  worked  half  of  the  day  and  spent  the 


From  May  1892  to  May  1896  he  was  employed  in 
the  job  office  of  the  John  Anderson  Publishing 
Company  and  on  May  8  of  the  last  named  year 
he  was  promoted  as  foreman  for  "Skandinaven," 
which  position  he  is  still  holding. 

On  March  8,  1889,  Mr.  Olson  was  joined  in 
holy  wedlock  to  Miss  Lina  L0kke,  a  daughter  of 
Johan  M.  and  Andrea  L0kke  of  Trondhjem,  Nor- 
way. This  marital  union  has  been  blessed  by  two 
daughters,  Sigrid  Alvilde,  and  Lillie  Andrea. 

With  his  family  Mr.  Olson  attends  the  Logan 
Square  Norwegian  Baptist  church,  of  which  he 


0 


A  HISTORY   OF  THE  NORWEGIANS   OF  ILLINOIS 


has  held  the  offices  of  trustee  and  cashier  and  at 
present  he  holds  the  office  of  deacon. 

He  has  been  secretary  of  the  Viking  Lodge, 
Order  of  Chosen  Friends  and  resides  at  1555 
North  Washtenaw  avenue. 


KNUD  B.  OLSON, 

President  of  The  Olson  Manufacturing  Co.  was 
born  on  Jan.  3,  1839,  at  Voss,  Norway.  His 
parents  were  Ole  Olsen  and  Ingeborg  Anders- 
datter  Rothe.  After  going  through  the  public 


Knud  B.  Olson. 


was  increased  during  the  voyage  by  the  birth  of 
their  first  child,  Isabella  Atlanta. 

i  he  family  came  to  Chicago  via  Quebec  on 
July  18,  1861,  but  for  months  no  work  could  be 
obtained  until  Mr.  Olson  finally  succeeded  in 
getting  a  position  in  a  tailor  shop,  first  at  $3.50, 
later  at  $6.00  per  week.  Within  one  year  and  a 
half  he  bought  a  Singer  sewing  machine  for  $80 
and  with  a  girl  to  assist  him  started  in  business 
for  himself  January  1,  1863.  He  worked  from 
early  in  the  morning  until  late  at  night.  His  first 
location  was  at  Dearborn  avenue  and  Superior 
street;  subsequently  he  moved  to  Market  street 
and  Chicago  avenue,  and  finally  to  88  Superior 
street,  where  he  also  had  his  home. 

The  fire  of  Oct.  9,  1871,  swept  away  his  home 
with  the  rest;  he  lost  all  he  had,  receiving  only 
1%  per  cent  of  his  $8000  insurance.  But  he  got 
hold  of  some  lumber,  put  His  pressers  and  shop 
help  to  work  and  erected  a  building  24x83  feet 
and  ll/2  story  in  height.  He  went  to  Milwaukee 
and  purchased  his  goods,  and  on  November  1,  he 
moved  into  his  new  house  and  started  up  the 
shop. 

In  1895,  twenty-four  years  after  the  fire,  Olson 
and  his  partner,  Knud  O.  Bolstad,  who  had  been 
associated  with  him  since  1866,  changed  the  firm 
name  of  K.  B.  Olson  &  Co.  to  The  Olson  Manu- 
facturing Company,  for  the  manufacturing  ot 
trousers.  The  business  rapidly  increased.  They 
now  employ  150  people,  and  are  occupying  a 
large  building  on  Elk  Grove  avenue  near  North 
avenue,  erected  for  the  purpose. 

Knud  Olson  is  a  quiet,  unassuming  man, 
short  and  sturdy  in  appearance,  who  attends 
strictly  to  business  and  says,  that  all  through  life 
he  has  followed  the  golden  rule:  "early  to  bed, 
early  to  rise  ".  He  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian 
St.  Paul's  Lutheran  Church  on  North  avenue  near 
Leavitt  street,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegi- 
an Old  People's  Home  Society  and  the  Tabitha 
Hospital  Society.  His  residence  is  at  Norwood 
Park,  where  he  has  lived  since  1895.  His  wife 
died  July  19,  1906.  They  have  had  nine  children, 
of  whom  six  are  living,  namely  Mrs.  Isabella 
Atlanta  Anderson,  Bertha  Petterson,  John  N., 
Henry  A.,  Vvilliam  A.  and  Clarence  S.  Olson. 


school  he  was  apprenticed  to  Mons  Isaksen  Sane, 
the  local  tailor.  On  April  12,  I860,  he  married 
Susanne  Nilsdatter  Stene,  and  in  the  following 
year  they  emigrated  to  America.  They  left  Ber- 
gen on  May  12,  1861,  in  the  barkship  "Norge", 
Captain  Jetmundsen,  whose  passenger  list  of  565 


TOM  OLSON, 

The  popular  painter  and  contractor,  now  retired 
from  active  business,  was  born  in  Sande  preste- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


441 


gjeld,  Lower  Telemarken,  Norway,  March  7, 
1845.  He  lived  on  a  farm  until  confirmed,  but 
shortly  afterward  went  to  sea  and  made  several 
trips  to  England  and  France.  In  1866  he  shipped 
on  the  sailing  vessel  Maple  Leaf,  bound  for 
Canada,  and  while  in  port  Mr.  Olsen  availed 
himself  of  the  opportunity  and  took  french  leave 
from  the  vessel  at  Quebec.  He  worked  his  way 
to  Chicago,  arriving  here  in  May  of  that  year.  He 
shortly  afterward  secured  work  in  the  paint  shop 
of  the  McCormick  Harvester  Works,  then  locat- 
ed at  the  North  pier.  A  year  or  so  later  he 
began  to  do  general  painting,  gradually  develop- 


Tom  Olson. 

ing  into  the  contracting  business,  taking  large 
contracts,  especially  for  pu'blic  work,  such  as 
school  houses,  etc.  He  continued  at  this  work 
until  about  two  years  ago,  when  he  retired. 

He  married  Miss  Dorothy  Elizabeth  Fuglestad, 
of  Stavanger,  Oct.  5,  1872.  They  have  had  nine 
children,  three  daughters  now  living,  two  mar- 
ried. 

Mr.  Olson  is  a  member  of  the  A.  O.  U.  W., 
the  Old  People's  Home  Society  and  Bethlehem 
Lutheran  Church.  He  contributes  to  the  Tabitha 
Hospital,  the  Deaconess'  Hospital  and  the  Chil- 
dren's Home.  The  'family  resides  at  358  W.  Erie 
street. 


WALTER   EUGENE   OLSON, 

President  of  the  Olson  Rug  Company,  is  a  native 
of  Chicago,  a  son  of  Oliver  B.  and  Augusta  E. 
Olson.  He  was  born  Feb.  22,  1880.  He  at- 
tended the  public  and  high  school  in  Chicago 
and  was  confirmed  at  our  Saviour's  Norwegian 
Lutheran  Church.  During  this  school  period 
Walter  spent  all  of  his  spare  time  at  his  fa- 
ther's store  or  rug  factor",  thus  familiarizing, 


W.  E.  Olson. 


himself  with  the  business  in  every  detail,  so 
that  when  school  for  the  last  time  was  dis- 
missed he  was  able  to  step  right  into  active 
business.  The  company,  which  is  incorporated, 
has  three  branch  offices  in  Chicago,  one  in  Ish- 
peming,  Mich.,  and  one  in  Racine,  Wis.  The 
factory  is  at  1373-91  Carroll  avenue. 

His  father  invented,  in  1874,  what  is  known  as 
the  Olson  fluff  rug,  made  from  old  carpet,  and 
its  manufacture  is  now  a  distinctive  industry. 
The  business,  started  on  a  small  scale,  has 
grown  to  immense  proportions,  employing  now 
from  175  to  200  workers. 

Mr.  Olson's  father  died  in  1890,  but  his  busi- 
ness, under  the  care  of  his  vigilant  son,  has 
grown  into  a  lasting  monument  to  his  memory. 


442 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Mr.  Olson   has  invented  and  patented   (in  Octo- 
ber,   1902)    a   combination-preparing   machine,    a 


He  came  to  America  in  1873  and  remained  in 
Chicago.     He   worked   at   odd  jobs,    such   as   he 


labor-saving   device  of   great  value   in   the   busi-       could  get  to  do,  for  several  years  and  then  se- 


ness.     Mr.   Olson   lives   with   his   mother   at   682 
W.   Superior  street. 


WILLIAM    OLSON 

Was  born  at  Racine,  Wisconsin,  June  2,  1863. 
His  father'was  Gilbert  Olson,  Deputy  Sheriff,  and 
his  mother  Sarah  (nee  Nelson)  Olson.  Mr.  Ol- 
son was  educated  in  the  public  grammar  school, 
confirmed  in  the  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church 
by  Rev.  Torgersen  and  later  took  a  course  in  a 
business  college. 

He  then  secured  employment  with  the  Chicago 
&  Northwestern  Railroad,  first  as  a  messenger 
boy  and  later  as  a  telegraph  operator.  He  has 
held  various  positions  with  the  Panhandle  Rail- 
road; at  present  he  is  locomotive  engineer  with 
the  Chicago  &  Northwestrn  Railroad  running 
a  switch  engine. 

In  1887  Mr.  Olson  was  married  to  Miss  Marie 
Soemo,  a  daughter  of  Halvor  and  Marianne  Soe- 
mo,  of  Porsgrund,  Norway.  Their  home  has  been 
blessed  with  five  children.  Isabelle,  born  1888; 
Alice,  1890;  Willie,  1893  (deceased);  Harry,  1894, 
and  'George,  born  in  1900. 

Mr.  Olson  is  a  Mason,  a  member  of  the  Inde- 
pendent Order  of  Foresters  and  of  the  Brother- 
hood of  Locomotive  Engineers,  Fort  Humboldt 
Lodge. 

His  mother  died  in  1894  and  his  father  in  1906. 


CHRISTEN    JOHNSON    OLSTAD, 

The  camera  manufacturer,  of  the  firm  of  Ol- 
stad  and  Hansen,  at  87  W.  Lake  street,  was 
born  on  gaarden  0vre  Olstad,  0yers  preste- 
gjeld,  Gudbrandsdalen,  Norway,  Oct.  23,  1850. 
His  parents  were  J.  C.  and  Johanne  (Peders- 
datter  Ltmke)  Olstad.  Mr.  Olstad  remained  on 
his  father's  farm,  getting  the  advantage  of  the 
country  schools,  and  was  confirmed  in  Norway. 


cured  a  position  with  Jonas  Anderson,  manu- 
facturer of  cameras  and  photographic  instru- 
ments at  63-65  E.  Indiana  street.  He  continued 
in  his  employ  for  seventeen  years.  There  then 
came  a  lull  in  the  business,  and  Olstad,  with  a 
number  of  other  employees,  were  temporarily 
laid  off.  During  this  period  Mr.  Olstad  was 
impatient  to  get  to  work.  Having  his  own 
tools,  he  got  permission  to  put  in  a  bench  in 
a  machine  shop  on  the  second  floor  at  87  W. 


C.  J.  Olstad. 


Lake  street,  corner  of  Jefferson.  He  then  started 
out  to  find  work,  and  was  rewarded  by  finding 
more  than  he  could  attend  to  alone.  He  then 
went  to  Rasmus  Hansen,  who  had  worked  with 
him  for  Jonas  Anderson,  and  the  two  went  in 
together  to  rush  out  the  orders  already  at  hand. 
Orders  kept  coming  in,  and  the  arrangement  be- 
tween Olstad  and  Hansen  resulted  in  a  partner- 
ship, which  has  continued  at  the  same  location 
since,  now  over  eleven  years.  They  are  now 
devoting  all  their  time  and  energies  to  the  mak- 
ing of  professional  cameras  and  doing  other 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


443 


work  in  that  line,  and  are  having  surprising  and 
gratifying    success. 

On  Nov.  4,  1885,  Mr.  Olstad  was  married  to 
Ingeborg  Johnson,  born  at  Voss,  Norway,  on 
Sept.  21,  1861.  They  have  four  children,  namely: 
John  Herbert,  born  Feb.  15,  1887;  Gertrude 
Josephine,  July  26,  1890;  Clarence  Reinhart, 
April  11,  1894;  Edna  Sophia,  Oct.  27,  1903.  Mr. 
Olstad  is  a  member  of  the  National  Union,  an 
insurance  and  fraternal  association.  The  fam- 
ily reside  in  their  own  comfortable  home  at 
1269  Tripp  avenu'e,  Chicago. 


BIRGER  OSLAND, 

Assistant  to  the  president  of  the  Chicago  Heights 
Land  Association,  a  large  organization  dealing 
in  real  estate  and  operating  various  public  utility 


amen  artium,  with  the  mark  laudabilis)  at  the 
Christiania  University  in  July,  1888. 

In  Au'gust  of  the  same  year  he  came  to  Chicago 
and  secured  a  job  in  a  machine  shop  at  $5  per 
week.  He  was  afterward  cashier  for  Skandinaven 
from  1888  to  1891.  He  then  went  with  the  Wac- 
ker  Brewing  Company,  where  he  remained  for 
twelve  years,  the  last  three  years  as  secretary 
and  director.  He  has  also  been  secretary  to 
Mr.  Charles  H.  Wacker  since  1896. 

He  married  Miss  Therese  Korsvik,  on  March 
15,  1890.  They  have  had  three  children,  two 
now  living.  Mr.  Osland  is  a  member  of  Den 
Norske  Kvartet  Club  and  the  German  society 
Schwabenverein,  was  formerly  secretary  and  one 
of  the  founders  of  the  Norwegian  National  League 
of  Chicago,  and  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian 
Old  People's  Home  Society.  The  family  resides 
at  2613  Lowell  avenue. 


Birger  Osland. 


•corporations,    was    born    in    Stavanger,    Norway, 
March  1,  1870.     He  took  the  degree  of  B.A.  (ex- 


MRS.  HELEN  OSMON, 

Of  Morris,  111.,  was  born  at  Lisbon,   Big  Grove, 
Kendall    county,    April    15,    1845.      Her    parents, 


Mrs.  Helen  Osmon. 


444 


A  HISTORY   OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


John  and  Susan  (Anderson)  Hill,  being  the  first 
Norwegian  settlers  in  Lisbon,  her  father  hav- 
ing located  there  in  1839.  He  earned  his  first 
wages  by  working  on  the  Michigan  Canal.  He 
afterward  engaged  in  farming,  and  died  on  his 
farm  on  Dec.  31,  1893. 

The  subject  of  this  sketc'h  (Miss  Hill),  mar- 
ried Au'stin  Osmon,  March  13,  1866,  and  eight 
children  blessed  the  union,  namely:  Andrew  T., 
Joseph  H.,  Abel  D.,  Edwin  J.,  Emma  E.,  Ira 
Lincoln,  Louis  M.  and  Susanna  May  Osmon. 

In  1892  Mr.  Osmon  and  family  moved  to 
Morris,  111.,  having  sold  the  larger  part  of  the 
farm  to  their  son  Edwin.  Mrs.  Osmon  attends 
the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  at  Morris  and 
takes  great  interest  in  the  work  of  the  con- 
gregation, her  husband  having  taken  a  very  act- 
ive part  in  -the  building  of  the  church.  Mr. 
Osmon  died  in  1903.  Mrs.  Osmon's  mother,  Mrs. 
Hill,  who  was  born  in  Norway  in  1822,  is  living 
in  Morris. 


MRS.  MARGRETE  RYGH  OSMON, 

Of  Newark,  111.,  was  born  in  Skoneviks  preste- 
gjeld,  Bergens  stift,  Norway,  in  March,  1831. 
Her  father  was  Anders  Torbj0rnson  Holmdal,  a 
farmer,  and  her  mother  Johanne  Knudsdatter. 
They  never  emigrated  to  this  country,  but  once 
came  over  to  visit  their  children,  and  shprtly 
after  their  return  to  Norway  both  died. 

In  1850  Miss  Rygh,  with  one  of  her  brothers, 
came  to  America  and  located  at  Lisbon.  In  1852 
she  was  married  to  Mr.  S0ren  Halvorsen  Rygh, 
with  whom  she  had  twelve  children.  Five  died 
in  infancy  and  seven  are  living.  The  children 
are  all  married  except  the  oldest  son,  Andrew 
Osmon,  who  is  living  with  his  mother. 

In  1901  Mr.  Osmon  died,  leaving  the  farm 
to  his  widow,  who  rented  it  first  to  her  son, 
but  when  he  later  bought  a  farm  of  his  own 
she  rented  it  to  another  man.  A  son,  S0ren 
S.,  and  a  daughter,  Mrs.  Johanne  Erickson,  are 
living  in  Ford  county.  Halvor  and  Tom  Os- 
mon are  farmers,  living  southwest  of  Newark. 
One  daughter,  Mary,  is  married  to  Mr.  Louis 
Wicks,  a  farmer,  and  Maggie  to  Mr.  George 
Nitter,  a  lumber  dealer  at  Aurora.  Mrs.  Osmon 
is  a  member  of  the  Hau'ge  Church. 


O.  H.  OSMOND, 

Of  Newark,  111.,  is  a  son  of  Herman  (Aarag)  Os-  ' 
mond,  a  native  of  Aarag,  near  Stavanger,  and 
Sera  Holgerson  Vammen.  His  parents  came  to 
America  in  1836,  stopped  over  for  a  yearjn  Ohio, 
and  in  1837  came  to  Norway,  111.  Here  the  sub- 
ject of  our  sketch  was  born  on  April  2,  1854. 
Later  his  parents  moved  to  Newark,  where  the 
elder  Osmond  lived  as  a  retired  farmer  for  ten 
years.  He  died  in  1888.  His  wife  is  still  living 
at  the  advanced  age  of  88  years.  The  couple 
had  five  children,  of  .whom  three  are  living — O. 


O.  H.  Osmond. 


H.  and  Peter  O.,  living  in  Newark,  and  Henry 
Osmond,  in  Chicago. 

Mr.  O.  H.  Osmond  received  his  education  in 
the  public  schools,  the  seminary  at  Aurora,  and 
in  a  business  college  in  Chicago.  When  through 
with  schooling  he  went  into  the  mercantile  busi- 
ness in  Newark,  where  he  has  remained  since, 
as  a  dealer  in  furniture;  an  undertaker  and 
licensed  embalmer.  He  is  also  engaged  in  the 
steamship-ticket  and  insurance  business. 

In  1882  Mr.  Osmond  was  married  to  Miss 
Mary  J.  Evans,  an  American.  They  have  had 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


445 


three  children — Herman  George,  William  Nire 
and  Hazel  Marie.  Herman,  18  years  old,  is  in 
Oklahoma,  growing  up  with  the  country  on  a 
cattle  ranch,  the  other  two  being  at  home  with 
their  parents. 

Mr.  Osmond  is  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America.  The  family  are  members 
of  the  American  Methodist  Church,  Mrs.  Os- 
mond having  been  brought  up  in  that  denomina- 
tion. 

Mr.  Osmond's  father  was  practically  the  main- 
spring in  building  the  Norwegian  Church  at  Nor- 
way, 111.  His  home  was  the  meeting  place  for  all 
the  ministers  and  students  who  came  there  to 
preach.  When  the  men  who  had  served  their 
adopted  country  during  the  war  returned,  worn 
and  emaciated,  he  fed  them  and  furnished  many 
of  them  with  clothing,  giving  them  an  opportun- 
ity to  recuperate.  He  was  a  very  liberal  man  and 
proved  his  faith  by 'his  deeds.  He  is  kept  in 
kind  remembrance  not  only  by  relatives  and 
friends,  but  by  others  who  benefited  by  his  will- 
ingness to  help  his  kind.  Of  Mr.  O.  H.  Osmond 
can  be  said  that  he  is  a  worthy  son  and  popular 
among  all  who  know  him. 


JOHN  C.  OSSE 

Was  born  at  Aase,  near  Sandnes,  Stavanger, 
Norway,  May  26,  1867.  His  father  was  Corne- 
lius Aase  and  his  mother  Bertha  Vasvig.  Mr. 
Osse  obtained  his  education  in  the  country 
school  until  he  was  confirmed,  and  worked  on 
the  farm  until  16  years  of  age,  when  he  went 
to  Stavanger  and  was  employed  in  a  dry  goods 
store  about  a  year  and  a  half.  Returned  to  the 
farm  and  worked  in  a  carpenter's  shop,  where 
he  learned  turning  and  similar  things. 

Finally,  in  1887,  he  found  the  mother  country 
too  narrow  for  his  activities,  and  started  for 
America.  He  landed  in  New  York  and  immediate- 
ly came  west  to  Rochelle,  111.  Here  he  worked 
at  anything  he  could  get  to  do  for  about  two 
years.  Then  went  to  Rock  Falls,  111.,  where  he 
was  employed  in  a  factory,  and  from  there  to 
Chicago,  where  he  worked  in  the  McCormick 
Harvester  Company's  establishment  a  little  over 
a  year.  He  now  returned  to  Rochelle,  where  he 


was  employed  by  Mr.  P.  O.  Ely,  and  worked 
in  his  store  until  1893,  when  he  returned  to  Nor- 
way, visiting  his  parents  and  frierjds.  In  the 
spring  of  the  same  year  he  returned  to  Rochelle, 
and  continued  his  work  for  Mr.  Ely,  who  had 
started  a  branch  clothing  store  at  Shabbona, 
111.,  where  Mr.  Osse  was  made  manager.  He 
stayed  there  one  year.  Then,  Mr.  Ely  having 
discontinued  the  branch,  Mr.  Osse  came  back 
and  worked  in  the  store  at  Rochelle,  where  he 
remained  about  a  year.  He  then  was  employed 


John  C.  Osse. 


by  H.  W.  Williams,  drygoods  department  store, 
where  he  worked  four  years.  In  the  meantime 
Mr.  Ely,  because  of  sickness,  sold  out  his  busi- 
ness to  Mr.  Osse,  who  continued  the  same  under 
his  own  name.  He  is  doing  a  flourishing  busi- 
ness in  clothing  and  gents'  furnishing  goods. 

In  June,  1896,  he  was  married  to  Miss  Bertha 
Kittelson,  of  Rochelle.  Mr.  Osse  is  a  member 
of  the  Independent  Order  of  Odd  Fellows  and 
the  Free  Masons. 


446 


A  HISTORY. OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


HENRY  M.  OYEN,  M.  D. 

Was  born  on  Desplaines  street,  near  Grand  ave- 
nue, on  July  24,  1863,  his  parents  being  Frederick 
Oyen  and  Inger  Anna  Hoffstad,  both  from 
Trondhjem,  Norway. 

After  passing  through  the  Carpenter  School 
he  began  active  work  at  the  age  of  14,  as  a 
clerk  in  a  grocery.  Sometime  afterward  he  was 
apprenticed  to  learn  the  printer's  trade  in  the 
Independent  office.  He  afterward  worked  on 
all  the  Chicago  dailies,  and  before  entering  the 


Dr.  H.  M.  Oyen. 


medical  profession  he  was  for  fifteen  years 
foreman  of  the  Chicago  Daily  Law  Bulletin. 

After  having  passed  through  a  complete  course 
in  medicine  at  the  Harvey  Medical  College,  he 
received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  in  1903. 

He  was  married  on  Aug.  19,  1882,  to  Nathalie 
Mathea  Anderson  (Sarpsberg).  They  have  had 
three  children,  two  now  living.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Royal  League  and  is  a  member  of 
the  Norske-Amerikanske  Mandelige  Begravelses 
Forening.  He  takes  an  active  interest  in  the 
Norwegian  Old  People's  Home.  The  family 
resides  at  393  W.  Chicago  avenue. 


DR.  ELIAS  BJ0RLYKKE  PALMER, 

The  dentist,  at  519  Milwaukee  avenue,  was  born 
in  0stre  Aker,  Norway,  Feb.  11,  1869.  His  par- 
ents were  Karl  Fredrick  and  Martha  Ellingsen 
Bj^rlykke,  of  0stre  Aker,  where  his  father  was 
a  school  teacher.  Here  Elias  attended  middel- 
skolen  and  was  confirmed.  He  was  then  placed 
with  a  leading  dentist  to  learn  the  profession. 

In  1887  he  came  to  America,  coming  direct 
to  Chicago,  where  he  immediately  secured  a 
place  as  assistant  dentist  with  Dr.  N.  Nelson, 
where  he  remained  for  five  years,  mastering  the 
profession  in  all  its  details.  He  then  began  to 
practice  on  his  own  account,  and  in  1899  opened 
the  commodious  office  which  he  now  occupies 


Dr.  E.  B.  Palmer. 


at    the    corner    of    Elston    and    Milwaukee    ave- 
nues. 

He  married  Miss  Olga.  J.  Peterson,  of  Chi- 
cago, June  21,  1894.  They  have  been  blessed 
with  two  children — Evelyn,  10  years,  and  Alva, 
7  years  old.  Dr.  Palmer  is  a  member  of  the 
Royal  League,  the  Royal  Arcanum,  the  Modern 
Woodmen  and  Nora  Lodge.  He  enjoys  a  large 
practice.  The  family  resides  at  Irwing  Park. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


447 


ALFRED    PAULSEN  . 

Was  born  in  Christiania,  Norway,  in  1849  and 
came  to  Chicago  in  1888,  where  he  has  since 
lived.  He  studied  piano  music  in  Christiania 
under  Edward  Grieg  and  Winter-Hjelm  and 
composition  and  organ  music  with  Ludvig  M. 
Lindeman.  He  then  went  to  Leipzic,  Germany, 
where  he  completed  his  studies  at  the  conser- 
vatory under  Prof.  E.  F.  Richter,  Dr.  Oscar 
Paul  and  Prof.  Jadassohn.  After  graduating  he 
returned  to  Christiania  and  was  appointed  or- 


Prof.  Alfred  Paulsen. 


ganist  for  St.  Jacob's  Church.  During  this 
period  he  had  an  extensive  practice  as  teacher 
of  harmony,  piano  and  organ,  instructing  dif- 
ferent singing  societies  and  choirs.  He  also  pub- 
lished several  compositions  for  both  organ  and 
piano. 

When  he  came  to  Chicago  in  1888  he  was  ap- 
pointed organist  and  instructor  for  the  choir 
at  St.  Paul's  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church,  on 
W.  North  avenue,  which  position  he  still  holds. 
He  also  teaches  music  and  composition,  has 


fbeen  the  instructor  for  the  singing  society 
Kjerulf,  the  Norwegian  Glee  Club,  and  others, 
and  is  at  present  the  instructor  for  the  Nor- 
wegian Quartet  Club.  He  has  published  several 
piano  and  song  compositions  for  male  choirs, 
of  which  we  can  mention  "Naar  Fjordene  Blaan- 
er,"  which  is  very  popular,  and  is  sung  generally 
by  Norwegian  societies.  It  was  rendered  at 
several  places  where  the  Norwegian  students 
from  Christiania  were  received  in  1905,  and  they 
sang  the  song  at  their  concerts.  "Sangen  har 
Lysning,"  "Ulabrand,"  Giv  Agt"  and  a  more 
difficult  composition,  "Snorre,"  for  baritone  solo, 
male  choir  or  orchestra,  are  also  some  of  his 
productions. 

Mr.  Paulsen  has  been  married  twice,  first  to 
Antonie  Jiilich,  at  Leipzig,  Germany,  and  later 
to  Anna  Ruser,  from  Christiania,  Norway.  They 
have  four  children,  two  sons  and  two  dau'ghters. 
They  reside  at  86  Humboldt  boulevard. 


GEORGE  M.  PEDERSEN, 

ft*   j   .O   r.t 

Of  Yorkville,  111.,  was  born  at  Green  Bay,  Wis., 
July  17,  1864.  His  parents,  Peter  H.  and'Lavina 
(Hansen)  Pedersen,' both  :  from  Norway,  have 
passed  away. 

After  receiving  his  'education  in  the  public 
•school  he  attended  business  college  at  Val- 
paraiso, Ind.  He  then  clerked  in  Leland  and 
Ottawa  for  several  years.  In  1888  he  started 
a  general  merchandise  store  at  Sheridan,  111., 
with  his  brother  Enoch  H.  as  a  partner,  to  whom 
he  later  sold  his  interest.  In  1891  he  went  to 
Dayton,  111.,  where  he  kept  a  store  for  three 
years.  In  1893  Mr.  Pedersen  joined  a  Mr.  Ras- 
mussen  and  opened  a  general  merchandise  store 
in  Yorkville,  111.  Mr.  Rasmussen  died  shortly 
afterward,  when  Mr.  Pedersen  took  in  Fred  Bret- 
thatier  as  a  partner;  the  partnership  still  exists. 
Dec.  9,  1891,  our  subject  married  Miss  Lottie 
E.  Makinson,  of  English  descent,  at  Dayton. 
They  have  four  children,  namely:  Geneva  E., 
born  1892;  Mona  E.,  1895;  Frances  C.,  1897; 
Wayne  M.,  1902.  The  family  attend  the  Con- 
gregational Church  at  Yorkville  and  reside  in 
their  own  home. 


448 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF   ILLINOIS 


Mr.  Pedersen  is  doing  a  thriving  business, 
having  two  stores,  he  looking  after  the  dry  goods 
store  and  Mr.  Bretthauer  the  grocery.  Mr.  Ped- 
ersen is  a  Mason  and  a  member  of  the  Modern 
Woodmen.  In  the  beautifully  located  little  town 
of  Yorkville,  on  the  banks  of  the  Fox  River, 
there  are  only  two  Norwegians  of  prominence, 
the  subject  of  this  sketch  and  the  clerk  of  the 
county,  Mr.  George  Williams.  Mr.  Pedersen 
has  been  alderman  for  four  years  and  city  treas- 
u'rer  for  five  years. 


JOHN   M.   PEDERSEN, 

The  undertaker  at  878  Armitage  avenue,  Chi- 
cago, was  born  at  Christianssund,  Norway,  Feb. 
25,  1871,  his  parents  being  Peder  Andreas  Ped- 
ersen (  a  cooper)  and  Eliza  Katharina  (Jensen). 
He  attended  the  public  and  a  technical  evening 
school,  and  took  a  course  in  a  business  college, 
and  was  confirmed  in  Christianssund  Lutheran 
Church.  He  commenced  to  work  for  Christian 
Johnsen,  a  merchant  and  exporter,  when  but 
10  years  old,  dividing  his  time  half  and  half 
between  the  store  and  the  school.  He  began 
an  apprenticeship  with  a  cooper  when  18  years 
old  and  continued  at  that  until  he  was  21. 

He  came  to  this  country  in  1892,  landing  at 
Halifax  in  April  and  arriving  in  Chicago  on 
April  15.  In  Chicago  he  first  secured  a  job 
as  janitor  at  155  Washington  street,  and  after- 
ward worked  five  years  for  the  Chicago  Coffin 
Company,  465  S.  Canal  street.  He  studied  em- 
balming under  Prof.  J.  H.  Clark,  of  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  and  after  having  qualified  as  an  embalmer 
before  the  State  Board  of  Health  of  Illinois,  com- 
menced business  for  himself  in  1898,  opening  an 
undertaking  establishment  on  Armitage  avenue. 
He  was  married  to  Lau'ra  T.  Oftedahl,  only 
daughter  of  Lars  D.  and  Malena  Oftedahl,  on 
June  22,  1905.  They  have  one  child,  Marshall 
Edgar,  born  March  17,  1906.  Mr.  Pedersen's 
father  is  still  living  in  Christianssund,  but  his 
mother  died  in  September,  1893.  The  family  are 
members  of  Zion  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church, 
of  which  Mr.  Pedersen  has  served  as  trustee 
and  secretary  of  the  board.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Odd  Fellows,  the  Knights  of  Pythias,  the 
Royal  Arcanum,  the  I.  O.  F.,  the  T.  B.  H.,  the 


N.   A.  U.,   the   K.   &   L.   of  S.  and  the   K.  of   H. 
He   is   a   member   of   the    four   Norwegian    chari- 
table   institutions    in    Chicago.      Has    served    on ; 
the  board  of  the  Old  People's  Home  Society  and ; 
the    Tabitha    Hospital,    of    which    he    served    as ' 


J.  M.  Pedersen. 


secretary  for  one  year.  He  is  also  a  member  of 
Normaendenes  Singing  Society,  and  a  passive 
member  of  the  Norwegian  Glee  Club  and  the 
Norwegian  Turners'  Society. 

The  family  resides  at  203  Nebraska  avenue. 


ADOLPH    PEDERSON, 

Of  the  clothing  firm  of  Pederson,  Holstag  & 
Co.,  Aurora,  111.,  was  born  at  Leland,  111.,  Oct. 
24,  1873.  He  is  the  son  of  Ole  and  Ella  (nee 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


449 


Amundson)  Pederson.  They  are  from  Kongs- 
vinger,  Norway.  His  father,  who  was  a  black- 
smith in  Leland,  died  Feb.  15,  1905;  his  mother 
is  still  living  at  Aurora.  Our  subject  received 
his  education  in  the  public  schools  and  was 
confirmed  in  the  Lutheran  Church  at  Leland. 
He  began  his  career  as  a  clothing  merchant 
early,  clerking  first  in  Leland  and  later  in  Au- 
rora, where  he  has  been  for  over  fifteen  years. 

Sept.  15,  1892,  Mr.  Pederson  started  a  cloth- 
ing store,  in  partnership  with  John  F.  Holstag 
and  W.  A.  Smith,  at  the  corner  of  Downer  place 
and  River  street,  Aurora,  the  firm  name  being 


several  contestants,  the  mayor  of  the  city  being 
one,  but  our  subject  led  his  nearest  competitor 
by  over  20,000  votes,  receiving  about  87,000  votes. 
The  prize  was  a  gold  watch,  of  which  Mr.  Ped- 
erson is  very  proud.  He  has  been  very  active  as 
an  organizer  of  unions.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  Aurora  Lodge  of  Elks.  The  family  reside  in 
their  own  home  at  283  South  street,  Aurora. 


Adolph  Pederson. 


Pederson,  Holstag  &  Co.  The  firm  is  one  of  the 
largest  in  Aurora,  and  is  doing  a  very  prosper- 
ous business. 

On  July  15,  1901,  Mr.  Pederson  married  Miss 
Bathseba  Abernathy,  of  Moline,  111. 

Mr.  Pederson  holds  nine  patents  for  the  dis- 
play of  clothing,  and  is  the  president  of  the 
Aurora  Clothing  Hanging  Company.  At  a  vot- 
ing contest  conducted  by  one  of  the  papers  in 
Aurora  a  few  years  ago,  to  name  the  most 
popular  union  man  in  the  city,  there  were 


OLE  R.  PEDERSON, 

Of  Leland,  111.,  was  born  in  Vormedalen,  Hjelme- 
lands  parish,  near  Stavanger,  Norway,  April  10, 
1855.  His  father,  who  was  a  farmer  in  Nor- 


Ole  R.  Pederson. 


\vay,  was  Peder  O.  Ritland;  his  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Gunilda  H.  Hellicksdatter.  He  attended 


450 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OP  ILLINOIS 


the  common  schools  in  Norway,  helped  his 
father  on  the  farm,  and  was  confirmed.  He  also 
attended  a  private  school  one  winter  term. 

In  1871  he  came  to  America  with  his  parents, 
one  sister  and  a  brother,  going  via  Chicago  di- 
rect to  Leland,  where  they  have  lived  since. 
Our  subject  worked  for  three  years  as  a  farm 
hand  and  then  learned  the  trade  of  a  painter 
and  also  that  of  a  jeweler  and  watch  repairer, 
both  of  which  trades  he  has  followed  since. 
He  conducts  a  store  in  Leland,  handling  paints, 
oils,  glass,  wall  paper,  etc.,  and  also  has  a  de- 
partment for  his  jewelry  business. 

Mr.  Pederson  was  married  to  Ellen  Hall,  of 
Lee  county,  in  1876.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Ole 
and  Kirsten  (Bjerge)  Hall.  They  have  had  ten 
children.  Lars,  born  May  19,  1878;  Julia,  Aug. 
6,  1880;  Emma,  Dec.  29,  1881;  Cornelius,  Oct. 
3,  1883;  Anton,  1885;  Otto,  March  7,  1888;  Cora, 
May  8,  1892;  Nettie,  Aug.  25,  1894;  Thomas,  May 
24,  1897;  Theresa,  Sept.  1,  1900.  Of  these  Cor- 
nelius, Anton  and  Thomas  have  passed  away. 
Julia  is  married  to  Charles  Montague;  his  mother 
died  at  our  subject's  home  in  1891;  his  father  is 
living.  Mr.  Pederson  has  held  local  offices,  such 
as  constable  and  village  trustee.  The  family  are 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church  at  Leland. 


BERNHARD   C.   PETERSON, 

A  son  of  Peter  and  Anna  Christine  (Bj0rnson) 
Christenson,  from  Redahlen,  Norway,  was  born 
there,  Oct.  2,  1854.  His  father  was  a  miller  by 
trade. 

Our  subject  crossed  the  Atlantic  with  his  par- 
ents in  a  schooner  in  1866,  reached  Chicago  on 
July  4,  and  Madison,  Wis.,  on  the  5th.  They 
went  direct  to  his  uncle,  Gabriel  Bjjzirnson,  wljo 
had  a  farm  near  Perry.  Wis. 

He  attended  the  public  school  at  Moscow,  Wis.. 
and  the  Richmond  Select  School  at  Postville  and 
also  at  Monroe,  Wis. 

He  spent  his  youth  at  school  and  on  his  broth- 
er's farm  at  Moscow.  He  afterwards  taught  the 
public  schools  at  Moscow  and  Middlebury  for 
three  years,  working  on  the  farm  in  the  sum- 
mer, coming  to  Chicago  in  1877.  Here  he  opened 
a  night  school,  teaching  languages  and  com- 
mercial sciences.'  The  school  was  called  the 


Scandia  College.  In  1882  he  engaged  in  the  ma- 
nufacture of  furniture  under  the  firm  name  of 
Peterson  &  Krabol  and  after  several  changes  in 
the  personnel  of  the  firm  he  is  now  the  proprietor 
of  the  American  Cabinet  Makers  at  21-27  N.  Eli- 
zabeth street,  Chicago. .  Our  subject  was  mar- 
ried to  Mary  Philissa  Theobald  of  Middlebury, 
Wis.,  June  30,  1883.  Six  children  were  born  to 
them,  the  two  oldest  having  passed  away. 

From   early  manhood  our  subject   has  evinced 
liberal    tendencies     in    religious    and    philosophic 


B.  C.  Peterson. 


matters  and  since  his  arrival  in  Chicago,  in  1877, 
he  has  been  a  regular  attendant  at  liberal  relig- 
ious services.  He  commenced  to  investigate  the 
truth  or  falsity  of  the  claims  of  the  spiritualists, 
in  1879,  and  is  now  in  position  to  furnish  to  the 
interested  valuable  results  of  his  research.  His 
metaphysical  studies  and  work  were  commenced 
in  1885,  shortly  after  the  death  of  his  first  child, 
and  he  learned  more  and  more  of  the  subtle 
forces  of  nature,  all  the  time  penetrating  deeper 
into  its  secrets. 

In  1891,  Mr.  Peterson  joined  the  Order  of  the 
Magi,    where    he  '  became    convinced    was    to    be 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


451 


found  a  reservoir  of  universal  knowledge.  He 
was  ordained  a  Grand  Magus  in  1896,  and  a  min- 
ister of  the  Gospel  in  the  order  in  1900. 

In  1901  he  founded  the  Church  of  the  Veritans 
in  Chicago  which  is  described  in  another  part 
of  this  volume. 


ENOCH  PETERSON, 

Vice-president  and  secretary  of  the  Wm.  D.  Gib- 
son Company,  manufacturers  of  all  kinds  of  steel 


Enoch  Peterson. 


springs,  with  their  large  factory  at  Huron  and 
Kingsbury,  was  born  in  Norway,  Nov.  4,  1849. 
His  parents  were  farmers  in  Norway,  where  onr 
subject  attended  the  common  schools  until  he 
was  confimed.  He  was  then  apprenticed  to  learn 
the  trade  of  a  blacksmith  and  machinist. 


After  learning  his  trade  he  came  to  America 
in  1870,  landing  at  Quebec  and  going  from  there 
to  La  Crosse,  Wis.,  where  he  arrived  on  July  4, 
of  the  same  year.  He  at  once  went  around  to 
the  different  machine  shops  to  see  how  Ameri- 
cans did  things,  and  also  worked  in  two  shops, 
but  the  next  year,  in  1871,  he  came  to  Chicago. 
Here  he  entered  the  service  of  William  Storker, 
a  spring  manufacturer,  going  to  work  at  noon. 
The  next  day  he  was  made  foreman,  and  has 
been  connected  with  the  firm  ever  since.  The 
concern  was  later  reorganized  and  incorporated 
under  the  firm  name  of  William  D.  Gibson  Co., 
and  Mr.  Peterson  has  since  been  its  active  head. 

Mr.  Peterson  was  married  in  Chicago  to 
Helene  A.  Kjerner,  from  Lier,  Norway,  April  11, 
1874.  Her  parents  were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hans 
Kjerner.  They  have  had  three  children,  but  only 
one  son  is  living  —  Alex.  B.  Peterson,  born  April 
11,  1876,  and  now  general  manager  with  the  Wm. 
D.  Gibson  Co.  Mr.  Peterson  has  invented  sev- 
eral improvements  applicable  to  machinery  in 
his  own  business,  but  does  not  care  to  men- 
tion them.  He  visited  Norway  in  1888.  He  is 
a  high-degree  Mason.  The  family  attends  St. 
Paul's  Lutheran  Church  and  resides  at  1589  W. 
Adams  street. 


THOMAS  GEORGE  PIHLFELDT. 

Son  of  Johan  and  Henrietta  (nee  Jordan)  Pihf- 
feldt  was  born  in  Vadsoe,  Norway,  Oct.  11,  1858.  He 
attended  school  at  Vadsoe  during  his  boyhood  days 
and  afterwards  at  Trondhjem,  Hammerfest  and 
Christiania,  where  he  remained  for  four  years.  From 
1875  to  '79  he  attended  technical  schools  at  Hanover 
and  Dresden,  Germany.  He  came  to  Chicago  in 
August,  1879,  and  has  lived  here  continuously  since. 
Unable  to  secure  a  place  as  civil  engineer  he  accepted 
a  position  as  a  machinist  and  continued  work  in  that 
capacity  for  several  years.  He  afterwards  worked 
as  draftsman  for  different  concerns  until  he  entered 
the  service  of  the  City  of  Chicago  as  draftsman  for 
the  Map  department  in  1889.  In  1894  he  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  bridge  department  where  he  gradually 
rose  to  be  chief  draftsman  and  in  1901  was  givea 
complete  charge  of  the  bridge  division  and  later  also 
took  charge  of  the  Harbor  division  and.  the  City 
Architect's  office.  Some. of  the  more  notable  bridges 


452 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


constructed  under  his  supervision  were  the  Clybourn 
Place,  East  and  West  Division,  Ninety-fifth  St.,  N. 
Western  Ave.  and  Archer  Ave.  bridges. 

Mr.  Pihlfeldt  married  Miss  Erica  Lehmann  of  Ber- 
gen, Norway,  in  1885.  Two  children  were  born  to 


T.  G.  Pihlfeldt. 


them,  Eyvin  Roll,  born  April  25,  1887,  and  Bergliot 
Edna,  April  4th,  1891.  Mr.  Pihlfeldt  is  a  member  of 
the  Western  Society  of  Civil  Engineers,  Independent 
order  of  Odd  Fellows  and  the  Norwegian  Quartette 
Club.  He  lives  1054  Augusta  Street. 


OLE  J.  PRESTEGAARD, 

An  extensive  farmer,  residing  in  Alto  township, 
is  among  the  most  able  and  progressive  men  of 
his  class,  in  Lee  county.  He  was  born  in  Odda, 
Hardanger,  Bergen  Stift,  Norway,  April  23,  1841. 


His  father  was  Jjzirgen  Olson  and  his  mother 
Gunhilda  (Buer)  .Prestegaard,  a  daughter  of 
Helje  and  Gunhilda  Buer. 

After  their  marriage,  Olson  rented  a  piece  of 
land  from  his  brother,  who  had  the  Prestegaard 
farm,  and  built  a  house  on  same.  His  occupation 
was  making  chairs  and  wool  cards. 

He  lived  there  until  in  1870,  when  he  emigrated 
with  his  family  to  America,  coming  to  Alto  town- 
ship, Lee  county,  where  three  of  his  children  had 
previously  settled.  He  died  there  at  a  ripe  age 
in  1883.  His  wife  died  in  1906,  nearly  92  years 
old.  The  couple  reared  six  children  to  lives  of 
usefulness:  Ole  J.,  Gunhild,  Helge.  Guro,  Brita, 
and  JjzSrgen.  The  last  named  died  in  1881.  The 
rest  of  them,  except  Ole  J.,  moved  and  settled  in 
Iowa. 

Mr.  Ole  J.  Prestegaard  commenced  to  work 
when  very  young,  and  at  13  years  of  age  the 
selfreliant  little  lad  had  begun  life  as  a  sailor. 
He  was  employed  on  a  coast  vessel,  whose  cap- 
tain carried  on  the  trade  of  buying  fish  from  the 
fishermen  and  bringing  it  in  to  the  large  cities, 
where  he  disposed  of  his  cargoes  to  the  whole- 
sale houses.  Being  ambitious  to  see  more  of  the 
world  anu  make  his  way  to  a  competence  under 
more  favorable  circumstances  than  in  the  hard 
life  he  was  leading  before  the  mast,  he  left  his 
native  land  in  1864  and  sailed  from  Bergen  April 
17,  for  America  in  the  good  vessel  "Victor  Eman- 
uel."  A  voyage  of  five  weeks  brought  him  to 
Quebec,  from  where  he  hurried  away  direct  to 
Chicago,  where  he  landed  June  1.  He  then  made 
just  one  trip  on  a  lake  vessel  and  the  following 
six  weeks  was  employed  in  a  lumber  yard  in 
Chicago.  After  that  he  came  to  Lee  county  and 
began  his  new  life  there  as  a  laborer  in  the  har- 
vest field  at  $2.00  a  day.  When  the  crops  were 
gathered  in,  he  found  employment  at  $22.00  a 
month  for  three  months,  and  later  worked  at  any- 
thing at  which  he  could  earn  an  honest  living. 

In  the  spring  of  1865  Mr.  Prestegaard  in  com- 
pany with  another  man,  purchased  eighty  acres 
of  prairie  land,  of  which  twenty  acres  were 
broken,  and  that  was  about  the  only  improve- 
ment on  the  land.  During  the  same  year  his 
partner  died,  and  the  following  year  he  purchased 
his  interest  in  the  tract  of  the  heirs,  and  erected 
a  frame  house  on  the  place  in  1868.  He  was  act- 
ively engaged  in  farming  until  1871,  when  he 
moved  to  the  village  of  Lee  in  order  to  engage  in 
the  lumber,  grain  and  coal  business,  which  he 
carried  on  until  1887.  Then  returning  to  his  farm 
he  has  since  devoted  his  energies  entirely  to  agri- 
cultural pursuits.  He  has  bougrht  other  tracts  of 
land  at  different  times,  and  his  farm  lands  now 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


453 


comprise  several  pieces:  one  of  320  acres,  another 
237  acres,  a  third  one  236  acres,  which  now  be- 
long to  his  son,  and  lately  he  has  bought  220 
acres  in  Kankakee  county,  111.  In  1888  he  erected 
his  present  residence,  a  commodious  brick  house 
of  a  modern  style  of  architecture,  conveniently 
arranged  and  well  appointed,  besides  large  frame 
barns  and  other  buildings,  which  rank  as  the  best 
in  the  township. 

He  was  married  in  December,  1868,  to  Miss 
Jorund  Peterson  Maakestad.  She  was  born  in 
Hardanger  and  is  a  daughter  of  Lars  and  Sigrid 
Peterson  Maakestad.  She  came  to  America  with 
her  parents  in  the  same  vessel  with  her  husband. 
Their  marriage  has  been  productive  to  them  of 
thirteen  children,  four  of  whom  are  deceased  and 


lightened  farmer.  He  also  lias  the  distinction  of 
having  built  the  first  house  in  the  village  of  Lee, 
111.  That  a  man  of  his  caliber  should  have  thrust 
upon  him  all  kinds  of  public  offices  is  only  nat- 
ural. He  has  been  a  school  director  and  school 
trustee,  deacon  and  trustee  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.  Besides  he  is  a  stockholder  and  director 
of  the  Lee  State  Bank. 


NILES  THEODORE  QUALES,  M.  D., 

Was  born  in  Kinservik,  Hardanger,  Norway,  on 
the  17th  day  of  January  1831.     His  parents  were 


Ole  J.   Prestegaard  and  Wife 


the  following  survive:  Gunhild,  Lars,  J0rgen, 
Sarah,  Anna,  Olaf,  Bernt,  Henry  and  Joachim. 

The  three  oldest  children  are  married.  Gun- 
hild, to  Rev.  H.  Berthelsen,  residing  in  Indiana- 
polis, Ind.  Lars  is  a  farmer,  having  a  farm  in 
Alto  township,  Lee  county,  and  J0rgen  manages 
a  lumber  firm  in  Forest  City,  Iowa.  The  other 
children  are  at  home. 

The  family  are  all  members  of  the  Lutheran 
Church.  Mr.  Prestegaard  is  a  true  Republican  in 
politics.  He  is  of  a  thoughtful,  intelligent  mind, 
has  always  been  a  reader  and  well  informed  on 
all  matters  of  general  inferest.  The  appearance 
of  his  farm  demonstrates  his  ability  as  an  en- 


Torgils  Johnson  0vrequale  and  Guri  Torgilsdat- 
ter  Tjoflat.  He  was  the  next  youngest  of  six 
children,  four  sons  and  two  daughters;  he  worked 
on  his  fathers  farm  in  the  summer  and  attended 
public  school  in  the  wintertime. 

In  1848,  when  17  years  old,  he  entered  the 
Agricultural  School  just  then  established  at 
Kvindherred  for  Sjzindre  Bergenhus  Amt,  and 
graduated  in  1851.  During  the  next  year  he 
managed  the  large  estate  of  Mr.  Garman  at  Ud- 
sten  Kloster,  near  Stavanger,  but  in  1852  entered 
the  Royal  Veterinary  College  at  Copenhagen, 
Denmark,  graduating  in  1856.  On  his  return  to 
Norway  he  was  appointed  Veterinary  Surgeon 


454 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


for  S0ndre  Bergenhus  Amt;  his  district  compris- 
ing Voss  and  Hardanger,  he  took  up  his  residence 
at  Vossevangen. 

In  1859  he  emigrated  to  America  in  company 
with  Mr.  Iver  Lawson  and  family  whose  ac- 
quaintance he  had  made  at  Voss.  He  came  to 
Chicago  on  the  6th  day  of  July  1859.  During  the 
first  year  of  his  residence  in  America  he  ex- 
perienced some  of  the  trials  of  a  newcomer. 

In  1861  he  enlisted  in  Company  "B"  first  Il- 
linois Artillery  then  stationed  at  Cairo,  Illinois, 
remaining  in  the  army  until  1864  when  he  entered 
Rush  Medical  College  from  which  he  graduated 


Dr.  Niles  T.  Quales. 


in  1867.  After  a  competitive  examination  by  the 
medical  board  of  the  Cook  County  Hospital  he 
was  appointed  an  interne  of  that  institution  and 
served  until  Feb.  1868.  Shortly  after  leaving  the 
hosoital  he  was  appointed  city  physician  and 
served  for  two  years.  As  city  physician  he  had 
charge  of  the  small-pox  hospital  then  located 
on  the  lake  shore  at  the  foot  of  North  avenue. 
During  this  time  small-pox  was  epidemic  and  the 
hospital  was  crowded,  containing  at  times  as 
many  as  seventy  patients.  In  1870  he  was  ap- 


pointed surgeon  to  the  U.  S.  Marine  Hospital, 
then  located  on  Michigan  avenue  near  .the  Rush 
street  bridge.  He  remained  in  charge  of  the 
hospital  until  it  wa3  destroyed  by  fire  in  1871. 

After  the  fire  he  was  appointed  visiting  phy- 
sician by  the  Chicago  Relief  and  Aid  Society  and 
was  assigned  to  the  old  fourteenth  ward  which 
at  that  time  comprised  the  territory  north  of  W. 
Kinzie  street  and  West  of  the  north  branch  of 
the  Chicago  River.  In  1873  he  located  at  Wicker 
Park  in  his  present  home  on  Fowler  street. 

In  1891  he  was  appointed  physician  to  the  Nor- 
wegian Deaconess  Hospital  on  Humboldt  street. 

When  the  Tabitha  Society  was  reorganized  In 
1892  he  was  chosen  chairman  of  the  committee 
which  drafted  the  constitution  and  by-laws  for 
the  association.  After  the  society  was  organized 
he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  direct- 
ors and  served  as  secretarv  on  the  executive  as 
well  as  on  the  building  committees.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  medical  board  of  the  new  hospi- 
tal and  was  its  first  president. 

In  1895  he.  severed  his  connection  with  the 
Tabitha  hospital  organization  and  took  up  the 
work  of  organizing  the  Norwegian  Old  Peoples 
Home  Society  of  Chicago,  Illinois.  He  was 
chosen  chairman  of  the  committee  elected  to 
draft  constitution  and  by-laws  as  well  as  rules 
and  regulations  for  the  government  of  the  Home. 
When  the  society  was  organized  and  officers 
elected  he  was  chosen  president  and  with  the 
exception  of  two  years  he  has  held  that  position 
ever  since. 

In  1896  when  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Dea- 
coness Society  was  organized  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  board  of  directors  and  was  one 
of  the  incorporators  of  the  society.  When  the 
Hospital  was  established  on  the  corner  of  Artes- 
ian avenue  and  LeMoyne  street  he  was  a  member 
of  the  attending  staff.  When  the  present  hospital 
was  erected  on,",the  corner  of  Haddon  avenue 
and  N.  Leavitt  street  he  served  on  the  building 
committee  as  well  as  on  several  other  important 
committees.  In  1903  he  was  elected  physician 
to  the  Tabitha  Hospital  and  has  held  that  posi- 
tion ever  since. 

In  1906  he  was  appointed  physician  in  chief 
at  the  Deaconess  Hospital. 

Dr.  Quales  is  a  member  of  the  Illinois  State, 
the  Chicago  Medical  and  the  Skandinavian  Med- 
ical Societies.  He  has  served  as  president  of  the 
Skandinavian  Medical  Society  and  is  honorary 
member  thereof. 

In  1870  the  Doctor  was  united  in  marriage  to 
Miss  Carrie  L.  Lawson.  They  have  three  chil- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


455 


dren,  namely  Iver  L.,  Martha  Gurine  and  Nellie 
Ruth. 

Dr.  Quales  was  one  of  the  incorporators  of 
the  English  Lutheran  church  at  Wicker  Park  in 
1879,  has  served  on  the  board  of  trustees  ever 
since  and  for  many  years  was  the  treasurer. 

Dr.  Quales  is  a  member  of  the  Oriental  Lodge 
of  Freemasons,  a  member  of  Thomas  Post  No.  5 
'G.  A.  R.;  is  honorary  member  of  the  Y.  M.  C. 
A.,  life  member  of  the  Norwegian  Deaconess 
Society  and  the  Norwegian  Orphan  Society.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  Rush  Medical  Alumny  As- 
sociation and  the  Cook  County  Hospital  Alumny 
Association. 

In  1890  together  with  his  son  he  visited  Europe 
traveling  through  England,  Norway,  Sweden, 
Denmark,  Germany,  Belgium  and  France. 

In  politics  the  Doctor  has,  as  a  matter  of 
principle  been  a  steadfast  Republican.  As  his 
time  and  attention  have  been  wholly  devoted  to 
his  chosen  vocation  he  has  had  neither  the  time 
nor  the  inclination  for  holding  public  office. 

He  has  enjoyed  a  large  and  fairly  lucrative 
practice  not  only  among  his  own  countrypeople, 
but  among  people  of  other  nationalities  as  well. 


x  JOHN  ARTHUR  QUAM, 

President  of  the  Farmers  &  Merchants  State 
Bank  of  Sheridan,  111.,  was  born  on  a  farm  in 
Mission  township,  La  Salle  county,  111.,  May  24, 
1854.  His  parents  were  Ole  A.  and  Gertrude 
(Osmundson)  Quam,  of  whom  the  father  came 
from  Nestrand,  Norway,  to  America  with  his 
parents,  in  1843,  and  the  mother  from  Voss,  Nor- 
way, with  her  parents  and  a  two-year  old  sister, 
at  the  age  of  five  years.  Mr.  Osmundson  died 
in  Chicago  shortly  after  his  arrival  and  his  wife 
six  months  later  leaving  their  two  children  alone 
in  a  strange  land  among  entire  strangers.  All 
information  except  what  is  here  mentioned  of 
that  family  has  been  lost. 

Mr.  J.  A.  Quam  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  confirmed  in  the  Hauge  Lutheran 
Church.  Later  he  attended  the  Fowler  Institute 
of  Newark,  111.,  at  intervals  working  on  the  farm. 

On  July  15,  1875,  Mr.  Quam  was  joined  in  wed- 
lock to  Miss  Amelia  Nelson,  a  daughter  of  Peter 
C.  and  Signe  (Danielson)  Nelson.  Peter  C.  Nel- 


son  was  a  son  of  Cornelius  and  Carrie  Nel- 
son, who  came  to  America  in  1825  in  the  sloop 
"Restoration,"  mentioned  in  another  part  of  this 
volume.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Quam  have  had  four  chil- 
dren, viz.,  Mabel  Signe,  born  July  25,  1876;  Vida 
Gertrude,  Nov.  1,  1878;  Hilda  Jeanette,  Sept.  1, 
1893,  and  Inez,  who  died  in  infancy.  Mabel  was 
married  to  Rev.  J.  M.  Hilbish,  is  now  a  widow 
and  at  present  principal  of  the  Iowa  Bible  Train- 
ing School,  of  Des  Moines,  Iowa.  Vida  is  married 
to  Dr.  F.  A.  Bernard,  V.  S.  They  live  on  a  farm 
at  Chambers,  Neb.,  where  Dr.  Bernard  is  raising 


John  A.  Quam. 


Heresford  cattle  as  a  speciality.  Hilda  Jeanette  is 
at  home  and  attending  school. 

Mr.  Quam  commenced  his  long  business  career 
as  a  merchant  at  Sheridan,  111.,  in  1875,  and  con- 
tinued with  same  until  August,  1905.  From  1885 
to  1902  he  was  also  running  a  private  bank  under 
the  firm  of  Quam  &  Knapp,  at  the  same  place. 

In  February,  1902,  the  Farmers  &  Merchants 
State  Bank  of  Sheridan,  111.,  was  incorporated, 
succeeding  to  the  banking  house  of  Quam  & 
Knapp.  Mr.  Quam  has  been  its  president  since. 
This  bank  has  been  steadily  growing  in  business 


456 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


on  account  of  the  great  and  amply  justified  con- 
fidence its  customers  and  correspondents  have  in 
its  management  and  officers,  and  has  moved  in- 
to its  own  new  brick  and  stone  building  lately. 

It  is  but  natural  that  a  man  of  Mr.  Quam's 
character  should  be  honored  by  being  elected  to 
various  public  offices  of  trust  by  his  townspeople- 
He  has  served  as  clerk  of  Mission  township  from 
1880  to  1889  and  as  supervisor  for  the  same  town- 
ship from  1889  to  1901.  In  1889  he  was  elected  a 
delegate  from  La  Salle  county  to  the  state  con- 
vention of  supervisors,  held  at  Bloomington,  111., 
and  was  chosen  secretary  of  said  convention. 

Mr.  Quam  is  a  member  of  the  Methodist  church 
at  Sheridan  and  has  served  as  superintendent  of 
its  Sunday  school  for  twelve  years. 

His  mother  departed  this  life  at  Ashland,  Wis., 
in  1900,  but  his  father  is  still  living  there. 


RASMUS  ELIAS  RASMUSSEN, 

The  hardworking  and  ardent  missionary,  was 
born  at  Bergen,  Norway,  Feb.  26,  1854,  to  Ras- 
mus Rasmussen,  a  cooper  of  that  city,  and  his 
wife  Martha  Marie,  nee  Olsen.  Elias  enjoyed  a 
common  school  education  in  .his  native  city  and 
was  confirmed  in  the  cathedral  'there. 

At  the  tender  age  of  '13  he  went  to  sea  as  a 
sailor  boy  visiting  most  of  the  important  ports 
of  the  globe  including  several  in  America.  He 
finally  rose  to  be  a  captain's  mate,  but  tired  of 
the  vicissitudes  of  the  sea  he  settled  down  in 
Durban,  Natal,  South  Africa,  in  1879,  as  a  store- 
man  and  sailsmaker.  He  remained  there  for  five 
years,  during  which  time  the  probably  happiest 
period  of  his  life  occurred  when  his  sweetheart 
from  Bergen  came  there  and  they  were  joined  in 
holy  wedlock.  This  happened  on  Oct.  9,  1881, 
his  wife  being  Ingeborg  Anderson,  a  daughter  of 
Johannes  and  Mina  (Sjurson)  Anderson  of  Ber- 
gen. They  remained  at  Durban  until  1884  when 
they  returned  to  Bergen. 

While  visiting  New  Zealand  as  a  sailor  Rasmus- 
sen  had  given  his  heart  to  God  and  upon  his 
return  to  Bergen  he  concluded  to  devote  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life  to  the  service  of  his  Master. 
He  consequently  began  work  among  the  class  of 
people  with  whose  life  and  habits  he  was  most 
familiar,  namely  the  sailors,  and  became  a  harbor 


missionary  at  Bergen.  He  continued  this  with 
good  success  until  in  1893  he  joined  the  crew  of'' 
the  Viking  which  frail  little  vessel,  as  is  well 
known,  crossed  the  Atlantic,  was  sailed  to  the 
World's  Columbian  Exposition  in  Chicago  and 
here  became  one  of  the  attractions  of  that  great 
show.  Mr.  Rasmussen  returned  to  Norway  the 
same  year. 

In  1895  he  again  visited  the  United  States  in 
the  interest  of  his  mission,  and  ten  years  later 
in  Aug.,  1905,  he  came  here  the  third  time  travel- 
ing through  the  Norwegian  settlements  all  over- 


Rasmus  E.  Rasmussen. 


the  United  States.  He  returned  to  Norway  in 
1906  and  in  September  of  that  year  brought  his 
family  with  him  to  America  settling  down  at 
Helmar,  111. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rasmussen  have  had  ten  children, 
five  sons  and  five  daughters,  of  whom  three  sons 
and  three  daughters  are  living,  viz.,  Elias,  born 
Nov.  15,  1888;  Ingeborg,  Nov.  12,  1890;  Ruth, 
Jan.  19,  1893;  Johannes,  Oct.  28,  1895;  Holtan, 
Nov.  24,  1898;  Magdalena,  Dec.  22,  1900.  All  of 
them  were  born  in  Bergen.  A  son,  Rasmus  Johan- 
nes, born  in  Durban,  died  in  Bergen,  when  about 
twenty  years  old. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


457 


Mr.  Rasmussen's  father  died  at  Troms0  in 
1879.  His  mother  is  still  living  at  Bergen,  89 
years  old. 

Mr.  Rasmussen  is  the  author  of  four  books 

written  in  the  Norwegian  language.  More  than 

twenty  thousand  copies  have  been  sold  of  one 
of  them. 


SJUAT  RASMUSSON  RUNSTAD 

Was  born  at  Finjzf,  Stavanger  amt,  Norway,  Nov. 
25,    1834.     His    father,    Rasmus   Jonson    Ru'nstad 


in  July,  1856  and  settled  in  Miller  township,  La 
Salle  county.  Sept.  18  of  the  same  year  Mr. 
Rasmusson  was  married  in  Leland,  111.,  to  Miss 
Anna  Olena  Andresdatter  Bjelland,  a  daughter 
of  Andres  Oleson  Bjelland  and  Margretha  Oles- 
datter  Duvig.  Mrs.  Rasmusson  was  born  in  Nor- 
way in  1836.  Their  marital  union  has  been 
blessed  with  twelve  children:  four  sons  and  eight 
daughters,  of  whom  nine  are  living.  The  names 
of  the  children  and  the  dates  of  their  birth  are 
as  follow:  Margaretha,  Sept.  28,  1857;  Malinda, 
Jan.  3,  1859;  Isabel,  Oct.  8,  1860;  Serena,  June  1, 
1862;  Anna,  Aug.  8,  1864;  Rasmus,  Aug.  8,  1866; 
Celia,  Dec.  7,  1868;  Silas,  Feb.  17,  1871;  Linnie, 
April  10,  1873;  Andrew,  April  6,  1875;  Ida,  Jan. 
14,  1878,  and  Samuel,  Sept.  29,  1881. 

Margaretha  is  married  to  Jacob  Anderson; 
Malinda  to  Ole  S.  Johnson;  Isabel  to  Cyrus  Jack- 
son; Serena  to  Lewis  Fruland;  Anna  to  Joseph 
Marvick;  Silas  to  Clara  Vaga;  Linnie  to  Ami 
Danielson;  Andrew  to  Gertie  Knutson,  and  Ida 
to  Frank  Voreberg. 

Two  sons  died  in  infancy,  and  Mrs.  Joseph 
Marwick  died  in  Story  City,  la.,  in  1899,  35  years 
of  age. 

Sept.  18,  1906,  the  venerable  couple  celebrated 
their  golden  wedding  surrounded  by  five  daught- 
ers, threje, sons  and  thirty-five  grandchildren.  One 
of  the  .daughters  with  her  two  children  was  un- 
able to  -be  present.  Of  their  other  relatives  and 
friends  from  near  and  afar  about  350  joined  in 
the  celebration,  among  whom  Rev.  Lockrem  came 
all  the  way  from  Superior,  Wis.;  Rev.  Aarrestad 
from  Morris,  and  Prof.  Vigness  from  Pleasant 
View  Luther  College. 

Mr.  Rasmusson  has  served  six  years  as  trustee 
for  the  Fox  River  Church  at  Norway  and  three 
years  as  deacon.  He  owns  a  farm  of  160  acres 
of  the  best  cultivated  land  in  La  Salle  county. 


Sjuat  Rasmusson  and  Wife. 


was  a  farmer  and  married  to  Malinda  Sjuatsdat- 
ter  Hovda.  Mr.  Rasmusson  received  his  educa- 
tion in  the  common  school  and  was  confirmed 
at  Finjz!  church.  He  then  worked  on  his  father's 
farm  except  one  year,  when  he  was  clerking  in 
a  store  at  Stavanger,  until  he  came  to  America 


NILS    E.   REMMEN,   M.   D. 

Was  born  in  Warsaw,  Goodhue  county,  Minn., 
May  6,  1863.  His  parents  were  Endre  T.  and 
Thora  N.  (Arnehaugen)  Remmen,  both  from 
Valders,  Norway. 


458 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Mr.  Remmen  worked  on  the  farm  and  attended 
the  public  school  in  Minnesota,  and  later  at- 
tended Luther  College  at  Decorah,  Iowa.  He 
then  graduated  as  a  physician  from  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Su'rgeons  5n  Chicago  and 
took  a  two-year  post  graduate  course  at  the 
University  of  Vienna.  He  also  studied  with 
the  renowned  oculist  at  Copenhagen,  Denmark 
— Prof.  Hanson  Grut. 

He  began  the  general  practice  of  medicine  in 
Chicago  in  February,  1887,  and  continued  as  a 


He  was  married  to  Miss  Inga  Kiland,  daughter 
of  Gunder  H.  and  Gunhild  (Torrison)  Kiland,  of 
Manitowoc,  Wis.,  on  Jan.  1,  1891.  Dr.  Rem- 
men's  father  died  in  Warsaw,  Minn.,  in  the  fall 
of  1865.  The  family  resides  at  799  N.  Leavitt 
street;  the  doctor's  office  is  at  103  State  street. 


Dr.  Nils  E.  Remmen. 


general  practitioner  until  1896,  when  he  con- 
fined his  practice  to  diseases  of  the  eye.  He 
has  been  attending  eye  surgeon  to  the  Illinois 
Charitable  Eye  and  Ear  Infirmary  for  the  past 
nine  years.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Scandinavian 
Medical  Society,  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation, the  Chicago  Medical  Society,  the  Chi- 
cago Ophthalmological  Society  and  the  Ameri- 
can Academy  of  Ophthalmology.  He  is  an  ex- 
president  of  the  Scandinavian  Medical  Society, 
and  has  been  president  of  the  Luther  College 
Club  since  1904. 


KNUTE  REINDAHL, 

The  well  known  violin  maker,  whose  office  and 
violin,  shop  is  in  the  Atheneum  Building,  26  E. 
Van  Buren  street,  Chicago,  was  born  in  Mo, 
upper  Telemarken,  Norway,  Nov.  16,  1858.  His 


Knute  Reindahl. 


parents  were  Kittel  Throndson  Reindahl  and 
Ingrid  Gulbeck.  His  father  died  in  Norway  in 
1863.  His  mother,  left  with  seven  children,  came 
to  America  in  1867,  going  direct  to  Dane  county, 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


459 


Wisconsin,  where  her  oldest  son,  Thrond,  had 
located  three  years  previously.  The  only  school- 
ing he  got  was  three  or  four  months  in  a  country 
school,  known  as  the  Stensland  schoolhouse, 
where  Prof.  J.  E.  Olson  at  the  time  was  teach- 
ing. 

For  several  years  Mr.  Reindahl  worked  on 
farms  in  the  neighborhood,  and  also  at  carpenter 
work,  but  was  not  satisfied,  feeling  that  his  talent 
was  in  another  line.  Violin  making  was  his 
aim.  He  took  up  the  study  of  the  old  Italian 
masters  and  found  that  all  the  great  violin  makers 
of  the  past  had  been  weod  carvers.  In  1876  he 
accordingly  came  to  Chicago,  where  he  secured  a 
position  with  the  Pullman  Palace  Car  Company 
as  wood  carver.  He  remained  with  this  company 
for  two  years  and  afterward  had  charge  of  the 
wood-carving  departments  of  several  leading 
factories  in  Chicago.  All  his  spare  time,  how- 
ever, was  devoted  to  his  beloved  violin. 

In  1893  he  engaged  in  the  making  of  violins 
exclusively  and  for  himself,  and  was  happy,  hav- 
ing fou'nd  his  work  in  life.  In  1893  he  received 
a  diploma  of  merit  at  the  World's  Columbian  Ex- 
position, and  at  the  Paris  Exposition  in  1900  he 
was  awarded  a  medal  and  diploma  for  beauty  of 
tone  and  artistic  workmanship.  His  success  is 
now  assured,  for  he  is  conceded  to  be  at  the  head 
of  his  profession.  His  instruments  are  so  beauti- 
fully designed  and  produce  tones  so  exquisite 
that  eminent  artists  have  pronounced  them  equal 
to  the  old  and  renowned  Italian  instruments.  Vio- 
linists of  world-wide  reputation  use  the  "Rein- 
dahl" and  bestow  upon  it  the  highest  praise. 

On  May  13,  1894,  Mr.  Reindahl  married  Anna 
Sophia  Ellefson,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thor- 
bj0rn  Ellefson  Skaade,  of  Dane  county,  Wis. 
They  have  five  daughters — Edna,  Olive,  Gladys, 
Margarette  and  Ruth.  The  family  attends  the 
United  Lutheran  Church. 


BENJAMIN  F.  RICHOLSON, 

Son  of  Norwegian  parents,  Lewis  and  Hellen 
(Johnson)  Richolson,  was  born  in  La  Salle  County, 
Illinois,  January  30,  1854.  He  attended  the  public 


schools  in  La  Salle  County  and  Jennings  Seminary 
at  Aurora,  Ills.  He  began  the  study  ot  law  at  Ottawa 
with  his  brother  and  Judge  T.  Lyle  Dickey,  after- 
wards Chief  Justice  of  Illinois.  Mr.  Richolson  was 
admitted  to  practice  before  the  Supreme  Court  at 
Springfield  in  January,  1878.  Came  to  Chicago  the 
same  year  and  entered  the  law  office  of  Tuley,  Stiles 
and  Lewis  where  he  remained  until  1880  when  he 
opened  an  office  for  himself.  Was  the  republican 
nominee  for  City  Attorney  in  1883  but  was  defeated 
by  the  late  Judge  Grinnell.  Was  City  Prosecuting 
Attorney  in  1886-88  and  broke  up  the  famous  Clock 
Gambling  practice  known  as  the  "Skakel's  Clock" 
and  all  other  gambling  devices.  Ran  for 


Ben.  F.  Richolson. 


City  Attorney  on  the  republican  ticket  in 
1890,  and  for  two  weeks  his  election  was  conceded  but 
was  finally  counted  out.  He  was  appointed  Assistant 
Corporate  Counsel  by  Mayor  Washburn  and  tried 
the  numerous  and  important  viaduct  cases  of  that 
administration.  He  was  a  candidate  for  Judge  of 
the  Superior  Court  of  Cook  County  in  1892  and  ran 
ahead  of  his  ticket,  which  however  was  defeated  with 
the  National,  State  and  Local  ticket  of  that  year.  He 


460 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


was  appointed  Assistant  City  Attorney  in  1892.  In 
1896  he  became  trial  attorney  for  the  West  Chicago 
Street  R.  R.  Co.,  the  Cicero  and  Proviso  St. 
Ry  Co.,  the  Consolidated  Traction  Co.,  and 
the  Jefferson  Urban  Ry.  Co.  He  severed  connection 
with  these  companies  when  they  were  merged  into 
the  Chicago  Union  Traction  Co.,  in  August,  1899. 

Since  then  he  has  been  in  general  and  private  prac- 
tice. 

Mr.  Richolson  married  Miss  Ella  Daley,  Oct. 
15,  1897,  and  has  one  daughter  Edna  Lucille. 
He  is  president  of  the  LaSalle  County  Associa- 
tion, president  of  his  Ward  Republican  Club,  a 
member  of  the  Illinois  Club  and  an  Episcopalian.  He 
lives  at  65  Laflin  St. 

In  the  fall  of  1905  he  was  appointed  attorney  and 
councilor  for  the  West  Side  Park  Board  of  Commis- 
sioners. 


HAROLD  LYLE  RICHOLSON, 

Of  Ottawa,  was  born  there  Oct.  25,  1877.     He  is 
a  son  of  Samuel  and  Marietta  (Meehan)   Richol- 


son. He  is  a  graduate  of  the  high  school,  St. 
Bede  College  (Peru,  Ind.),  and  the  academy  at 
Morgan  Park,  111.  After  leaving  school  he  stud- 
ied law  in  his  father's  office  in  Ottawa  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1902.  Our  subject  is  local 
attorney  for  the  C.  B.  &  Q.  Railway.  He  was 
elected  city  attorney  for  Ottawa  in  1905.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Knights  of  Columbus  and  the 
Order  of  Elks.  His  father  died  June  24,  1906. 


Harold  L.  Richolson. 


SAMUEL  RICHOLSON 

Was  born  in  La  Salle  cou'nty,  Illinois,  March  25, 
1841.  Died  at  Ottawa,  June  24,  1906.  His  father 
was  Lars  Richolson  and  his  mother  Heldebaar 
Helene  Richolson.  His  parents  came  to  La  Salle 
county  about  1837,  so  that  the  child  and  boy  had 
a  lively  taste  of  pioneer  life.  No  more  may  the 
young  people  have  those  experiences,  and  as  the 
sturdy  men  and  women  who  converted  the  wild 
prairie  into  cultivated  fields  and  communities  of 
business  people  pass  away  there  is  left  only  the 
printed  page  to  tell  of  efforts  and  trials,  and  the 
history  can  not  tell  all  the  story. 

Mr.  Richolson  attended  the  district  school  and 
then  the  Fowler  Institute  at  Newark,  and  later 
the  Clark  Seminary  at  Aurora.  About  1865  he 
began  the  study  of  law,  and  was  admitted  to  the 
bar  at  Ottawa  early  in  1870.  His  first  partner- 
ship was  with  Henry  K.  Boyle.  In  the  fall  of 
the  same  year  (1870)  Judge  T.  Lyle  Dickey  en- 
tered and  the  firm  name  was  Dickey,  Boyle  & 
Richolson.  This  firm  was  first  broken  by  the 
death  of  Mr.  Boyle,  and  later  Judge  Dickey  with- 
drew to  take  a  seat  on  the  bench  of  the  supreme 
court  of  the  state,  leaving  Mr.  Richolson  to  prac- 
tice in  an  individual  capacity. 

He  was  mayor  of  Ottawa  three  terms  from 
1875  to  1881.  He  was  attorney  for  the  state  in 
many  important  cases,  and  earned  a  reputation 
as  a  lawyer  of  ability  and  trust.  He  was  also 
attorney  for  the  C.,  B.  &  Q.  R.  R.  for  over  twen- 
ty-five years.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Masonic 
Order,  a  Knight  Templar,  and  a  director  in  the 
board  of  the  Ottawa  Boat  Club. 

Nov.  17,  1870,  he  was  married  to  Marietta 
Meehan,  who  was  born  in  New  York  state.  There 
were  three  children;  two  are  living — Florence 
Helen  Salembier,  of  New  York  city,  and  Harold 
Lyle  Richolson,  city  attorney  of  Ottawa. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


461 


In  answer  to  a  request  for  information  for  this 
history,  Mr.  Richolson,  who  was  then  still  living, 
replied:  "The  only  part  of  my  life  that  is  now 
becoming  of  more  than  ordinary  interest  is  the 
pioneer  days  of  my  existence  and  the  experience 
I  had  in  an  unsettled  country.  My  parents  came 
to  this  county  in  the  year  1837,  I  think  it  was; 
possibly  1836.  This  country  was  a  wilderness 
then.  The  rapid  development  is  a  matter  of 
constant  wonder,  and  I  find  it  diffic"lt  to  believe 
all  that  I  have  seen  transpire  in  one  to  me  brief 
life  time." 


Samuel  Richolson. 


In  business  matters  Mr.  Richolson  was  recog- 
nized as  a  man  of  good  judgment,  and  the  fine  and 
well  invested  estate  which  he  left  attests  that 
this  recognition  was  well  founded.  The  business 
and  professional  career  of  the  deceased  give 
evidence  of  what  persistent,  painstaking  effort 
may  accomplish  in  this  land  of  limitless  possibili- 
ties. 


DANCHERT  J.  RICHTER, 

Assistant  manager  of  the  western  office  of  the 
Alpha  Portland  Cement  Co.,  of  Alpha,  N.  J.,  was 
born  in  Christiania,  Norway,  May  27th,  1864. 
After  leaving  school  he  was  for  two  years  tutor 


Danchert  J.  Richter. 


in  a  private  family  and  for  two  years  thereafter 
deputy  sheriff  (lensmandsfuldmaegtig).  But  the 
future  in  Norway  did  not  look  very  bright  to  him; 
so  he  decided,  as  so  many  others  before  him  had 
done,  to  go  to  America;  and  in  the  fall  of  1889 
he  left  Norway  and  came  direct  to  Chicago, 
where  he  at  once  found  employment  in  a  bank. 
After  being  with  the  bank  for  two  years,  he  re- 
signed his  position  to  enter  the  service  of  a  large 
Portland  cement  concern,  with  which  he  remained 
for  ten  years  or  until  1901,  when  he  accepted  his 
present  position.  On  December  5,  1891,  he  mar- 
ried Miss  Abel  Westin,  born  in  Namsos,  Norway, 
March  1,  1864.  They  have  two  children,  Ruth, 
born  March  15,  1893  and  Theodore,  June  30,  1901. 
Mr.  Richter  is  an  Odd  Fellow  and  a  member 


4(52 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


of  the  Norwegian  Quartet  Club  of  Chicago.  As 
a  delegate  to  the  Norwegian  National  League  of 
Chicago  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Norwegian  National  League's  em- 
ployment bureau,  and  was  one  of  its  first  direct- 
ors. 


In  the  fall  of  1882,  he  emigrated  with  his  fam- 
ily to  this  country,  and  came  to  Minneapolis, 
Minn.  The  presiding  elder  for  Red  River  Val- 
ley district,  P.  Jensen,  appointed  him  to  Glyn- 
son,  Minn.  After  having  served  this  congrega- 
tion for  one  year  he  was  appointed  to  Crook- 
ston,  Minn.,  then  a  new  field,  at  which  place 
he  succeeded,  in  a  period  of  three  years,  both  to 
organize  a  congregation  and  to  build  a  church 
and  a  parsonage. 

In  1885  he  was  received  into  full  member- 
ship of  the  Norwegian-Danish  Conference,  and 


REV.   FREDERICK   RING. 

Reverend  Frederick  Ring  was  born  at  H0ne- 
fos,  Norway,  April  12,  1848.  He  attended  school 
in  his  native  town  and  graduated  from  the  pub- 
lic school  at  the  age  of  14  years.  Later,  in 
connection  with  his  work,  he  studied  with  pri- 
vate teachers. 

Rev.  Ring  was  married  Oct.  3,  1869,  to  Miss 
Anna  Ellefsen.  Nine  children  were  born  to 
them,  of  which  two  married  daughters,  Anna 
and  Ella,  are  living,  and  are  graduates  from  the 
Chicago  Musical  College. 

Before  his  appointment  as  pastor  he  held  a 
very  good  position  in  the  government  service 
of  Norway  for  six  years,  and  left  this  position 
to  devote  all  his  time  to  church  work.  At.  the 
age  of  21  he  was  converted  among  the  Metho- 
dists at  Christiania,  and  in  the  spring  of  1870 
united  with  that  body  of  Christians.  Rev.  M. 
Hansen  was  pastor  at  that  time.  After  his 
conversion  and  union  with  the  church  the  call 
to  preach  the  gospel  began  to  grow  upon  him. 
In  this  he  was  encouraged  by  the  church,  which 
gave  him  an  exhorter's  license  in  1870,  and  in 
1872  made  him  a  local  preacher.  His  field  of 
labor  at  this  time  was  at  Kragero'  and  at  Laur- 
vig.  In  the  former  place  he  organized  a  con- 
gregation, and  at  the  latter  erected  a  house  of 
worship. 

Having  been  ordained  deacon  by  Bishop  Ed- 
ward G.  Andrews,  at  Horten,  in  1876,  his  first 
appointment  as  an  ordained  minister  was  at 
Christiania  First  Church,  Norway,  at  that  time 
the  largest  Methodist  Episcopal  church  in  that 
country,  with  a  membership  of  400,  and  a  Sun- 
day school  of  more  than  400  children.  About 
two  years  later  he  withdrew  from  the  pastorate 
and  labored  as  a  traveling  evangelist  and  city 
missionary  for  a  period  of  more  than  four  years, 
and  the  Lord  blessed  his  work  with  great  revivals 
in  that  city. 


Rev.    Fred.   Ring. 


was  ordained  elder  by  Bishop  Thomas  Bow- 
man, at  Cambridge,  Wis.  From  Crookston  he 
was  sent  to  Duluth,  Minn.,  and  later  to  La 
Crosse,  Wis.  Each  of  these  churches  he  served 
for  a  period  of  two  years. 

His  next  appointment,  in  1890,  was  to  the 
First  Norwegian-Danish  Congregation  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  Chicago,  111.  This' 
congregation  he  served  most  acceptably  for  a 
period  of  four  years,  and  the  chu'rch  had  good 
success  both  in  spiritual  and  financial  affairs,  in 
•which  time  the  old  church  debt  of  $2,400  was 
paid  in  full.  He  was  now  entrusted  with  one 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


463 


of  the  most  responsible  and  honorable  posi- 
tions within  the  gift  of  the  Methodist  Church. 
Through  recommendation  from  Rev.  J.  H. 
Johnson,  who  had  known  Mr.  Ring  in  Norway, 
and  who  had  been  his  presiding  elder  four 
years,  he  was  appointed  by  Bishop  Cyrus  D. 
Foss  in  1894  as  presiding  elder  for  Chicago 
district.  This  position  he  held  throughout  the 
full  term  of  six  years.  Bishop  Willard  F.  Mal- 
lalieu  —  who  presided  in  the  Norwegian-Danish 
Conference  in  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  in  1900,  when 
Rev.  Ring's  time  expired — offered  him  the  Min- 
neapolis district,  but  Mr.  Ring  asked  the  bishop 
to  be  appointed  pastor,  -and  he  was  then  ap- 
pointed pastor  of  Maplewood  Avenue  Church, 
Chicago.  This  pastorate  he  has  held  six  years, 
twice  as  long  as  any  of  his  predecessors,  and 
several  times  was  returned  to  the  charge  on 
account  of  the  application  sent  by  the  people  to 
the  presiding  bishop.  In  this  time  a  great  num- 
ber had  been  converted  and  joined  the  church, 
improvements  were  made,  and  church  debts 
paid. 

Rev.  Ring  has  always  taken  a  great  interest 
in  the  education  of  young  men  for  the  min- 
istry. He  has  been  a  trustee  -for  the  Nor- 
wegian and  Danish  Theological  School  at  Ev- 
anston  fourteen  years,  and  the  last  seven  years 
he  has  had  the  responsibility  to  be  treasurer  of 
the  school  fund,  which  position  he  still  holds. 


HAAKON  H.  RISETTER, 

Of  Lee.  was  born  in  Ogle  county,  Illinois,  May 
23,  1869,  his  father  being  Haakon  L.  Risetter, 
from  Hardanger,  Norway,  and  his  mother  Ellen 
Marie  Sampson  Hildahl,  also  from  Hardanger. 
They  came  to  America  in  the  same  vessel  with 
Hilleson,  also  of  Lee,  in  1847.  Mr.  Risetter 
grew  up  on  a  farm  in  Ogle  county  and  was 
confirmed  in  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church 
in  Willow  creek  township  by  Rev.  Nordby.  He 
remained  with  his  father  until  about  27  years 
old.  He  then  worked  for  Ole  Prestegaard  for 
about  a  year,  and  for  two  other  parties  for  two 
years. 

Tn  the  fall  of  1893  'he  visited  Norway,   devot- 
ing "Seven    months    to    the    outing.     The    attach- 


ment formed  on  this  trip  took  him  to  Norway 
again  in  1903,  when  he  brought  back  with  him 
his  future  bride,  Miss  Anna  Johansdatter  Orve- 
dal,  her  parents  being  John  Olsen  and  Han- 
sine  Adamsdatter  Orvedal,  Viks  sogn,  Norway. 
She  was  born  Nov.  12,  1874.  Arriving  in  Chi- 
cago, the  happy  couple  were  married  on  March 
19,  1902,  by  Rev.  Nordby,  their  own  pastor,  who 
met  them  here  by  appointment. 

In  1898  Mr.  Risetter,  in  partnership  with  Hal- 
vor  Espe,  bought  the  general  merchandise  stock 
of  Clarence  Hill  and  continued  the  business. 


Haakon  H.  Risetter  and  Wife. 


A  year  later  they  took  into  the  firm  S.  M. 
Maakestad,  who  remained  with  the  business  for 
three  years.  In  1904  the  stock  of  goods  was 
divided  and  Mr.  Maakestad  started  a  new  store 
with  his  part  of  the  stock,  the  interest  of  Mr. 
Espe  having  been  purchased  by  Risetter  and 
Maakestad  previously.  Since  then  Mr.  Risetter 
has  continued  in  the  business  for  himself,  run- 
ning a  general  store  at  Lee.  The  family  be- 
longs to  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  in 
Willow  township.  Mr.  Risetter  is  republican 
in  .politics. 


464 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


LARS  L.   RISETTER 

Is  one  of  the  pioneer  farmers  of  Lee  county. 
He  was  born  at  S0fjorden,  Hardanger,  Bergens 
stift,  March  30,  1826.  His  father  was  Lars  Lar- 
son Risetter  and  his  mother  Anna  Pettersdatter 
Lindvig.  He  was  the  youngest  of  five  chil- 
dren. He  had  the  advantage  of  very  good  local 
schools  and  grew  to  manhood'  among  very  pleas- 
ant surroundings.  He  early  acquired  a  knowl- 
edge of  farming  on  his  father's  farm  and  con- 
tinued to  live  in  the  old  home  until  1847. 


for  ten  years.  He  sold  the  farm  in  1857  for 
much  more  than  he  paid  for  it.  He  then  bought 
a  tract  of  land  in  Willow  creek  township,  same 
county,  and  has  resided  there  ever  since.  He 
has  met  with  success  in  the  pursuit  of  his  call- 
ing, built  himself  a  home  replete  with  com- 
forts, and  had  a  finely  equipped  farm,  amply 
supplied  with  modern  machinery  for  carrying 
on  his  extensive  farming  operations.  He  at 
one  time  owned  over  a  thousand  acres  of  choice 
land,  but  has  for  many  years  lived  a  retired 
life,  having  divided  his  farms  between  his  two 
sons,  Lewis  and  Holden. 

On  Dec.  9,  1847,  the  same  year  he  arrived 
in  this  country,  Mr.  Risetter  was  married  to 
Gertrud  Helgesdatter  Hilleson,  by  an  Ameri- 
can minister,  in  the  first  house  ever  built  by  a 
Norwegian  in  Lee  county.  The  house  was 
built-  between  Melugins  Grove  and  Dixon,  by 
Omund  Helgeson  Maakestad.  The  wedded  life 
thus  entered  upon  lasted  nearly  fifty  years  and 
was  one  of  tru'e  happiness.  They  had  five  chil- 
dren, two  of  whom  died  in  infancy.  Annie,  the 
daughter,  was  married  to  Rev.  A.  C.  Olsen, 
but  both  of  them  are  now  dead.  Lewis  and 
Holden  are  living  and  running  their  farms. 
Mrs.  Gertrud  Risetter  died  July  12,  1897.  Mr. 
Risetter  found  a  widower's  life  too  lonesome, 
and  was  later  married  to  Elizabeth  Gabrielsdat- 
ter  Espeland,  who  was  born  in  Norway.  She 
died  three  years  later.  Mr.  Risetter  and  fam- 
ily have  always  been  earnest  Christians  and 
members  of  the  Lutheran  Church. 


Lars  L.  Risetter  and  Wife. 


On  April  20  of  that  year  he  left  for  America 
on  the  sailship  Juno,  arriving  in  New  York  just 
one  month  later,  or  on  May  20.  He  came  di- 
rect to  Illinois  and  iee  coimty.  He  at  first 
worked  for  Thomas  Fessenden  on  the  farm, 
but  after  a  short  time  he  bought  eighty  acres  of 
land  from  him  in  Sublette  township  for  the 
sum  of  $62.  It  was  at  that  time  a  wild  prairie — 
wolves,  deer  and  other  wild  animals  were  fre- 
quently seen,  where  now  are  flourishing  farms 
and  rich  villages.  He  lived  on  his  eighty  acres 


OMMUND  ATLAACHSON  RISETTER, 

Of  Lee,  111.,  was  born  in  Hardanger,  Norway, 
July  27,  1855.  His  father  was  Atlaach  Thomas- 
s0n  and  his  mother  Gjertrud  Osmundsen.  The 
subject  of  our  sketch  attended  the  common 
schools  in  Norway  and  was  confirmed  in  Ullen- 
svangs  Church  at  Hardanger. 

He  came  to  America  in  1872,  landing  at  Que- 
bec, Canada.  He  made  his  way  to  an  uncle, 
Ole  Lonning,  living  in  Alto  township,  Lee  coun- 
ty, Illinois,  where  he  remained  for  two  years. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


405 


Afterward    he    settled    on    a    farm    in    the    s<-me 
county,   where   he   has   resided   since. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Pederson,  the 
daughter  of  Peder  Olson  (Engum  sogn)  and 
Gunilde  Johnson,  on  July  14,  1875.  They  have 
had  six  children,  five  are  living,  namely:  Lewis 
O.,  Jane  O.,  Alfred  O.,  Anton  Olai  and  Anna 
O.  Risetter.  Lewis,  the  oldest,  is  married  to 
Gertru'de  Tixen;  Jane  to  Lars  C.  Risetter,  and 


Ommund  A.   Risetter. 


Alfred  to  Georgine  Risetter.  There  are  three 
branches  of  the  Risetter  family  in  Lee  county, 
all  distantly  related  from  the  old  country.  Alfred 
is  a  first  cousin  of  Georgine,  who  is  a  daugh- 
ter of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  A.  A.  Risetter,  and  Lars 
C.  Risetter  is  a  son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Lewis  L. 
Risetter  and  a  third  cousin  to  his  wife. 

Mr.  O.  A.  Risetter  lives  on  his  farm  in  Alto 
township.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian 
Lutheran  Church  and  has  been  a  member  of  the 
school  board  for  over  nine  years. 


JACOB  OLSON  ROGDE 

Was  born  in  Ullensvang,  Hardanger,  Norway, 
the  23rd  of  August,  1828.  He  was  not  born  to 
riches,  but  by  hard  work  and  strict  economy 


Jacob  O.  Rogde. 


he  managed  to  save  enough  to  purchase  a  ticket 
to  Chicago  in  1851. 

Arriving  here  penniless  but  hopeful,  he  heard 
of  the  Illinois  prairies  and  immediately  made  for 
Lee  county,  locating  near  Ashton.  He  worked 
part  of  the  time  on  a  farm  and  once  in  a  while 
at  his  trade  as  a  carpenter.  After  three  years 
he  had  laid  by  enough  to  venture  the  purchase 
of  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Bradford  township. 
Lee  county,  and  in  1854  he  went  onto  the  land 
to  farm  it. 

The  following  year  he  married  Elsie  Peder- 
son Ely,  also  from  Hardanger,  who  had  come 
over  the  year  previous.  United  effort  and  hard 
work  brought  success,  and  they  have  foun'l 
themselves  able  to  add  forty  acres  to  their  hold- 
ings. In  1863  land  value  was  increased  in  price 
and  they  sold  out  to  advantage,  buying  240  acres 


466 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


in  Willow  Creek  township  in  the  same  county, 
where  a  Norwegian  colony  had  started.  Here 
prosperity  smiled  upon  them,  -but  in  1876  Mrs. 
Rogde  died,  leaving  her  husband  with  nine  chil- 
dren, the  oldest  18  years  and  the  youngest 
six  months.  The  children,  except  the  youngest, 
are  all  married. 

On  Nov.  30,  1877,  he  married  Gjyri  Olson 
Ely,  with  whom  he  had  six  children.  She  died 
in  1892.  In  1904  he  rented  his  farm  and  the 
following  year  erected  a  commodious  home  on 
his  own  farm  in  the  Village  of  Lee,  where  he 
now  lives  with  the  children  of  his  second  mar- 
riage, all  being  with  him  except  the  youngest 
daughter,  who  is  married.  Mr.  Rogde  prides 
himself  upon  having  been  a  consistent  republi- 
can in  politics.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran 
Church  of  Lee  and  has  held  the  office  of  deacon 
or  trustee  ever  since  the  congregation  was  organ- 
ized. 


by  five  children,  of  whom  four  are  living — Grace, 
Herbie,  Mildred  and  a  son  not  yet  named  at  this 
writing. 


Martin  J.  Rogde. 


MARTIN   J.   ROGDE 


Was  born  at  Lee,  111.,  Nov.  1,  1866.  His  father 
is  Jacob  Olson  Rogde  and  his  mother  Elsie  Ely, 
both  born  at  Hardanger,  Norway*  Mr.  Rogde 
received  his  education  in  the  district  school  and 
then  worked  on  the  farm  until  23  years  of 
age.  Then  he  went  west  to  Ruthton,  Minn., 
where  he  was  thrashing  for  the  farmers  for  two 
years.  His  brother,  Lewis,  was  located  there. 
On  his  return  to  Lee  he  was  married,  March 
4,  1899,  to  Miss  Julia  Kittelson,  a  daughter  of 
Halvor  Kittelson,  whose  picture  appears  on  an- 
other page  of  this  book.  He  now  rented  eighty 
acres  of  land  from  his  father-in-law,  and  the 
next  year  he  bought  eighty  acres  of  the  John- 
son estate.  He  continued  to  cultivate  the  160 
acres  until  he  bought  the  eighty  acres  which  he 
had  rented  from  his  father-in-law  and  increased 
his  farm  by  renting  forty  acres  more  from  Hal- 
vor Kittelson.  The  marital  union  has  been  blessed 


OLAF  HJALMAR  ROLFSEN, 

Son  of  Rollef  and  Jjrfrgine  Halvorsen,  was  born 
in  Kongsberg,  Norway,  Dec.  2,  1864.  His  father 
was  a  gunsmith  with  the  Naedenes  Batallion, 
stationed  at  Christiania.  When  16  years  old 
Olaf  began  as  clerk  in  a  grocery  in  Kongsberg 
and  remained  with  the  same  firm  until  22  years 
old. 

He    came    to    America,    locating    in    Madison, 
Wis.,  in  the   spring  of   1886.   That   fall   he   came 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


467 


to    Chicago    and    secured    employment    with    the 
Chicago    Cottage     Organ    Company,    where    he 


Olaf  H.  Rolfsen. 


worked  for  four  years.  He  then  worked  for  the 
West    Chicago    Street    Railway    Company    until 


the  fall  of  1892,  when  he  engaged  in  the  gro- 
cery business  in  company  with  John  Engebret- 
son.  Under  the  name  of  Rolfsen  &  Engebret- 
son  they  started  a  store  at  313  W.  Ohio  street, 
and  six  years  later  they  bought  a  grocery  at 
358  W.  Erie  street.  In  1903  they  erected  their 
own  building,  on  the  corner  of  Spaulding  and 
Beach  avenues,  and  opened  a  store  there,  hav- 
ing in  the  meantime  sold  their  Erie  street 
place.  Mr.  Engebretson  now  looks  after  the 
new  store  and  Mr.  Rolfsen  is  still  at  the  Ohio 
street  store.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian 
Sharpshooters  and  the  Tabitha  Hospital  Asso- 
ciation. 


ANDREAS  ROREM, 

Of  Ottawa,  111.,  was  born  in  Stjerner0  sogn, 
Stavanger  amt,  Norway,  July  21,  1850.  His  par- 
ents, Ole  and  Ellen  Rorem,  were  farmers  in  Nor- 
way. Andreas  remained  with  his  parents  on  the 
farm  until  20  years  old,  attending  the  common 
schools  and  also  taking  private  lessons  in  the 
common  branches. 

In  1871  he  came  to  America1  via  Quebec,  going 
direct  to  Morris,  111.  Here  he  worked  for  two- 
years  on  adjoining  farms  by  the  month  and  then 


Andreas  Rorem  and  Wife. 


468 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


went  to  Colorado,  where  he  spent  one  year  as 
a  gold  miner.  He  then  returned  to  Grundy 
county,  Illinois,  and  engaged  in  farming,  which 
he  has  followed  since.  For  about  three  years 
he  taught  the  Lutheran  parochial  school  and  also 
sold  books.  He  is  now  retired,  having  sold  his 
farm  a  few  years  ago  and  moved  to  Ottawa. 

He  married  Sarah  Mathre  of  Morris  111.,  Oct. 
16,  1874.  She  is  a  daughter  of  Sjur  L.  and 
Ragna  Mathre.  They  have  been  blessed  with 
nine  children,  eight  of  'them  living.  Their  names 
are  Oscar,  born  Feb.  6,  1876;  Severt,  May  9, 
1877;  Edward,  July  1,  1880;  Henry,  Jan.  31,  1882; 
Mary,  Feb.  22/1884;  Anna,  Oct.  16,  1886;  Sadie, 
Nov.  17,  1888;  Rebecca,  Feb.  19,  1892;  Ellen, 
Feb.  4,  1894.  Oscar,  the  oldest  is  married  to 
Miss  Ida  Johnson,  of  Newcastle,  Neb. 

Mr.  Rorem  was  township  collector  for  Net- 
tle creek  township  in  1886,  justice  of  the  peace 
in  the  town  of  Rutland  from  1898  to  1901,  and 
was  re-elected  but  declined  to  serve.  He  is 
very  closely  associated  with  the  Pleasant  View 
Luther  College,  of  which  he  has  been  trustee 
since  its  organization  in  1895,  and  is  a  member 
of  the  executive  committee.  He  has  been  a  con- 
stant contributor  to  all  charitable  institutions 
under  the  control  of  the  Norwegians.  He  and 
his  family  are  members  of  the  Trinity  Lutheran 
Church  of  Ottawa,  in  which  he  has  held  nearly 
all  offices  usual  to  congregations.  His  parents 
both  died  in  Norway,  his  father  in  1873  and  his 
mother  in  1883. 

In  the  summer  of  1903  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Rorem 
took  a  trip  to  Norway  and  spent  most  of  the  sJm- 
mer  in  traveling  to  the  various  points  of  interest 
in  the  fatherland.  He  found  great  pleasure  in 
visiting  the  land  of  his  birth,  childhood  and 
young  manhood;  and  Mrs.  Rorem,  who  was  born 
in  America,  enjoyed  the  visit  to  the  land  of  her 
fathers  quite  as  much. 


OLE   JOHANNESON    ROSELAND 

Was  born  in  Quinherreds  prestegjeld,  Bergens 
stift,  Norway,  Dec.  26,  1833.  His  early  life  was 
spent  in  the  country,  but  at  21  he  went  to  Ber- 
gen and  learned  the  trade  of  a  blacksmith.  He 
remained  at  Bergen  and  worked  at  his  trade 
from  18S5  to  1869. 


He  came  to  America  in  1869  and  located  in 
Grundy  coii'nty,  Illinois,  where  he  has  since 
lived  with  the  exception  of  two  years  in  Ken- 
dall county.  He  worked  at  his  trade  in  Morris 
and  devoted  ten  years  of  his  life  to  farming.  He 
has  lived  in  Morris  for  nineteen  years. 

Mr.  Roseland  was  married  to  Christina  Thor- 
sen,  of  Bergen,  Norway,  Aug.  14,  1860.  They 
had  two  girls  and  a  boy,  all  of  them  married 
and  living  at  Morris,  surrounded  by  large  fam- 
ilies. Mr.  Roseland  served  his  term  in  the 
Norwegian  army.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Roseland  be- 
long to  the  Friends  Church  (Quakers),  which 
religious  faith  they  embraced  in  Norway. 


CAPTAIN  MATHIAS  HOECK  RYERSON 

Was  born  at  0ster  Ris0r,  Norway,  Oct.  13,  1834. 
His  father,  Reier  Thorkelson,  was  a  government 
employe  (Undertoldbetjent)  at  Jomfruland,  and 
his  mother's  maiden  name  was  Martha  Marie 
Schroeder  of  Kongsberg.  Young  Ryerson  was 
educated  in  the  common  schools  and  confirmed 
in  the  Lutheran  church  at  Kragerjzf. 

At  the  age  of  16  he  went  to  sea  as  a  sailor 
boy  working  his  way  up  until  he  became  second 
mate  and,  of  course,  visiting  various  ports  of  the 
world.  When  of  age  he  came  to  America  in  1855 
locating  at  Chicago,  where  he  made  his  home 
and  has  remained  since.  He  sailed  on  the  great 
lakes  until  1866  during  which  time  he  was  a  cap- 
tain on  various  vessels  for  six  years.  He  quit 
sailing  in  1866. 

Two  years  previously  he  had  been  married,  in 
Chicago,  on  July  23,  1864,  to  Miss  Bertha  Serina 
Reinertson,  daughter  of  Abraham  and  Ingemar 
Reinertson.  They  have  had  nine  children,  six 
sons  and  three  daughters,  of  whom  eight  are 
now  living.  Abraham  Richard  was  born  July  6, 
1865;  Hoeck  Walter,  Sept.  16,  1869;  Lloyd  Hub- 
bard,  Feb.  18,  1871;  Adline  Atalia,  Oct.  18,  1872; 
Amund  Andreas,  April  30,  1874;  Jacob  Christo- 
pher, March  30,  1876;  Nellie,  Nov.  6,  1S77,  and 
Borghild  Maria,  July  18,  1881.  Richard  is  mar- 
ried to  Maria  E.  Sxveland  of  Milwaukee,  Wis., 
and  is  a  traveling  salesman  for  a  wholesale  mil- 
linery house.  They  reside  in  Evanston,  111. 
Walter  is  married  to  a  Miss  Kennick  and  is  an 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


469 


insurance  inspector.  Lloyd  is  married  to  a  Miss 
Clausen  and  is  president  of  the  American  Re- 
frigerator Company.  Adline  is  married  to  Mr. 
Song,  a  book  binder.  Jacob  is  married  to  Miss 
Himdahl,  and  Borghild  to  Mr.  Nurrie,  who  is 
in  the  shade  manufacturing  business.  Miss  Nel- 
lie is  at  home  with  her  parents.  After  having 
given  up  the  life  of  a  sailor,  which  is  marred  by 
many  vicissitudes,  Captain  Ryerson  engaged  in 
the  less  fickle  coal  business,  which  he  is  still 
pursuing  at  577  N.  Robey  street. 


Capt.  Mi  H.  Ryerson. 


Both  Captain  Ryerson's  and  Mrs.  Ryerson's 
parents  departed  this  life  in  Norway;  his  father 
at  the  advanced  age  of  80  and  his  mother  at  85. 
Mrs.  Ryerson's  father  died  at  85  and  her  mother 
at  86  years  of  age. 

The  captain  is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  U.  W. 
and  carries  his  72  years  hale  and  hearty.  His 
experiences  as  a  sailor  wene  many  and  varied 
but  our  limited  space  does  not  permit  us  to  men- 
tion them  in  detail. 


OLIVER  MARTIN  STANLEY  RYERSON 

Was  born  in  Livingston  county,  near  Pontiac, 
July  16,  1873.  He  is  a  son  of  Thomas  G.  Ryerson, 
who  served  his  adopted  country  as  a  soldier  dur- 
ing the  Civil  War,  and  Lisa  Larson,  retired 


O.  M.  S.  Ryerson. 


farmers  now  living  in  Pontiac.  Mr.  Ryerson  was 
educated  in  the  country  schools  until  he  was 
old  enou'gh  to  work  on  the  farm.  This  was  the 
rule  among  most  of  our  hard-working  farmers. 
When  older  he  was  allowed  to  visit  the  schools 
only  during  the  winter  months.  Oliver,  together 
with  two  younger  brothers,  remained  on  the  farm, 
while  of  the  two  older  brothers  Theodore  became 
a  station  agent  for  the  111.  Cent.  R.  R.  and  Mil- 
lard  an  operator  in  Gibson  City  for  the  same  rail- 
road. 

When  the  parents  retired  to  the  town,  Oliver 
became  boss  of  the  farm,  which  he  is  now  run- 
ning. He  is  a  staunch  republican  and  has  taken 
a  very  active  interest  in  politics,  local,  county, 
state  and  national.  He  is  a  baptized  member  of 
the  Lutheran  Church  and  belongs  to  the  Hauge 
synod. 


470 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Besides  being  a  farmer,  he  is  also  a  practical 
engineer,  having  learned  that  profession  by  sheer 
enterprise  and  persistency.  He  makes  a  busi- 
ness of  thrashing  and  shelling  corn,  sawing  lum- 
ber, etc.,  for  the  farmers  in  his  district,  and  it 
can  readily  be  seen  that  his  knowledge  of  en- 
gineering stands  him  in  good  stead  and  brings 
him  a  handsome  extra  income.  He  is  still  un- 
married. 


THEODORE  RYERSON 

Was   born   in   Livingston   county,   near   Pontiac, 
111.,  Aug.   24,   1870.     His   father   is   Thomas    G. 


cation  in  the  country  schools  during  the  winter 
months,  attending  them  until  18  years  old.  He 
remained  on  the  farm  with  his  father  until  25 
years  of  age. 

He  entered  the  service  of  the  111.  Cen.  Ry.  in 
1896,  first  as  an  extra  operator,  then  as  sta- 
tion agent  at  different  smaller  stations,  and  fin- 
ally as  station  agent  at  Pontiac,  July,  1905.  He 
is  a  member  of  the  I.  O.  O.  F.,  the  Knights  of 
Pythias,  the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and 
the  order  of  Railroad  Telegraphers. 

In  1901  Mr.  Ryerson  was  married  to  Miss 
Sarah  Amacher,  born  near  Cullom,  111.,  of  Ger- 
man parents.  This  union  has  been  so  far  blessed 
with  one  child,  a  son,  Murtin  Delbert.  The  fam- 
ily live  in  their  own  residence  at  1216  N.  Main 
street,  Pontiac. 


Theodore  Ryerson. 


Ryerson,  who  served  in  the  Civil  War,  and  his 
mother  Lisa  Larson,  retired  farmers,  now  liv- 
ing in  Pontiac.  Mr.  Ryerson  obtained  his  edu- 


JACOB  K.  RYG 

The  prosperous  farmer  in  Freedom  township, 
La  Salle  county,  111.,  was  born  on  gaarden  Ryg, 
Randeberg  sogn,  Norway,  Jan.  8,  1867.  His  father 
is  Knud  Jensen  Ryg,  a  farmer,  and  his  mother 
Olena  Christiansdatter  (Sande)  Ryg.  Mr.  Jacob 
Ryg  attended  the  public  school  until  he,  in  1881, 
was  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran  church  at  Rande- 
berg. He  then  worked  on  his  father's  farm  for 
one  year,  and  came  to  America  in  1882,  landing 
at  New  York.  From  there  he  went  via  Chicago 
to  Leland,  111.,  arriving  there  April  15,  and  con- 
tinued his  journey  to  Freedom,  stopping  with 
Tom  Mosey  and  Sivert  Jameson  a  few  days.  He 
then  went  to  work  for  Edward  Smith  until  March 
1,  1883,  after  which  date  he  was  employed  by 
Ezekiel  Howland  until  Nov.  20,  1885,  whereupon 
he  made  a  six  months'  trip  to  Norway.  Return- 
ing to  America  during  the  following  spring  he 
worked  two  years  for  I.  Brower  and  three  year 
for  Ezekiel  Howland. 

In  1891,  on  Feb.  19,  he  was  married  to  Miss 
Sophie  L.  Fosse  of  Hardanger,  her  parents  be- 
ing Lars  Andersen  and  Guro  Knudsdatter  (Haa- 
brecke)  Fosse.  This  union  has  been  blessed  by 
six  children,  all  now  living,  namely:  Charles 
Leon,  born  Dec.  19,  1891;  Otto  Guy,  Oct.  4,  1893; 
Lottie  Grace,  Aug.  13,  1896;  Houston  Silas,  Nov. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


471 


29,  1899;  Myrtle  Gertrud,  Sept.  4,  1903,  and  Owen 
Leslie,  May  26,  1905. 

Mr.  Ryg  acquired  160  acres  of  land  in  Freedom 
township  in  1893  to  which  holding  he  added  80 
more  acres  in  1905. 


Jacob  K.  Ryg. 


The  family  are  members  of  the  Lutheran 
•church  at  Freedom,  and  Mr.  Ryg  is  a  liberal 
supporter  both  of  the  church  and  the  Pleasant 
View  Luther  College  at  Ottawa,  111. 


asylum  at  Gaustad.  His  mother's  maiden  name 
was  Johanne  Emelie  Earth.  The  Doctor's  youth 
was  given  to  schooling.  He  passed  through  Nis- 
sen's  Latin  and  Real  Skole  in  Christiania  pre- 
liminary to  entering  the  university,  and  was 
confirmed  in  Vestre  Aker's  Lutheran  Church. 
Entering  Christiania  University,  he  took  a  class- 
ical and  medical  course,  graduating  in  1881  with 
the  degrees  of  Ph.  D.  and  M.  D.  He  was  interne 
at  the  Rigshospital  in  Christiania,  also  assistant 
physician  at  the  state  asylum  for  the  insane  at 


Dr.  K.  F.  M.  Sandberg. 


KARL   FERDINAND    MARIUS   SANDBERG, 
M.  D.. 

Was  born  in  Gaustad,  Vestre  Aker,  Norway, 
Sept.  15,  1855.  His  father,  Ole  R0mer  Aagard 
Sandberg,  was  superintendent  of  the  state  insane 


Gaustad  and  assistant  physician  at  the  Bergen 
Hospital. 

He  came  to  America  and  to  Chicago  in  1882. 
Here  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  general  practice 
of  medicine  since.  He  is  the  attending  gynecolo- 
gist and  obstetrician  at  the  Cook  County  Hos- 
pital and  the  National  Temperance  Hospital,  and 
surgeon-in-chief  to  the  Norwegian  Tabitha 
Hospital. 

He  married  Miss  Inga  G.  Stensland,  a  step- 
daughter of  Paul  O.  Stensland,  July  25,  1885. 
He  served  as  lieutenant  with  the  reserve  in  the 
Norwegian  Army  for  five  years.  Dr.  Sandberg 


47:? 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


has  always  been  a  faithful  and  hard  worker  for 
the  Tabitha  Hospital  and  the  Children's  Home. 
He  is  credited  with  having  prepared  a  number  of 
valuable  papers  on  scientific  s-<6jects  more 
particularly  pertaining  to  his  own  profession. 
His  parents  died  in  Christiania,  his  father  in  1884 
and  his  mother  in  1894.  Dr.  Sandberg's  office 
and  residence  is  at  682  N.  California  avenue, 
Chicago. 


AUSTIN  SANDERSON, 

Of  Leland,  111.,  was  born  on  Bakka,  Tin,  Nor- 
way, Aug.  14,  1836.  His  parents  were  Helge 
and  Adelaide  (Knudson)  Sanderson. 


Austin  Sanderson. 


They    emigrated    to    America    in    1843,    when 
Austin    was    7    years    old,    their    objective    place 


being  La  Salle  county,  111.,  where  they  had  rel- 
atives who  had  preceded  them.  They  landed 
in  New  York  city  after  nine  weeks  on  a  sailing 
vessel.  From  New  York  they  went  to  Albany 
by  boat,  thence  via  canal  to  Buffalo,  and  then 
over  the  lakes  to  Milwaukee.  From  Milwaukee 
the  family  pursued  their  way  to  La  Salle  coun- 
ty on  foot,  being  four  weeks  in  making  the 
trip.  This  was  the  most  tedious  part  of  their 
journey,  for  two  of  the  children  were  quite  small 
and  had  to  be  carried.  Mr.  Sanderson,  Sr., 
settled  on  forty  acres  of  government  land,  to 
which  he  later  added  forty  acres,  and  these 
eighty  acres  are  a  part  of  our  subject's  farm 
to-day. 

His  father  spent  the  rest  of  his  days  on  this 
farm,  passing  away  on  Sept.  26,  1855,  at  the  age 
of  61  years.  His  mother  lived  on  the  old  home- 
stead with  her  son  until  her  death,  in  1887,  hav- 
ing been  born  in  1803.  There  were  six  children 
in  the  family  when  they  came  to  America,  name- 
ly: S.  H.  and  Knut  Sanderson,  now  both  dead; 
a  sister,  Mrs.  Levina  Kittelson,  now  also  de- 
parted, and  another  sister,  Margaret,  who  re- 
mained with  her  brother  on  the  farm  until  her 
death  in  1893,  when  she  was  60  years  old.  Mrs. 
Allan  Farley,  also  a  sister,  is  living. 

While  farming  Mr.  Sanderson  served  as  school 
director  for  many  years.  In  1874  the  community 
built  a  Norwegian  Lutheran  chu'rch,  in  which 
our  subject  was  one  of  the  leading  factors.  In 
1891  Mr.  Sanderson  retired  from  farming  and 
moved  to  Leland,  where  he  engaged  in  the  cloth- 
ing business  with  his  brother-in-law,  Mr.  Allan 
Farley,  the  firm  name  being  Sanderson  &  Farley. 
In  1898  a  fine  Lutheran  church  was  built  in  Le- 
land, largely  through  the  efforts  of  Mr.  Sander- 
son. In  1891  he  built  an  elevator  with  a  capacity 
of  100,000  bushels  of  grain,  at  a  cost  of  $18,000. 
This  is  also  operated  by  Sanderson  &  Farley. 
His  store  building,  which  burned  down  in  Janu- 
ary, 1905,  has  been  rebuilt  and  enlarged,  being 
now  a  substantial  two  story  brick  building.  In 
1878  Mr.  Sanderson,  who  by  the  way  never  mar- 
ried, made  a  visit  to  his  friends  and  relatives 
in  Norway,  and  reports  that  he  had  a  very  en- 
joyable trip. 

Mr.  Austin  Sanderson  is  probably  the  best 
known  man  in  Leland,  being,  as  we  are  told, 
also  the  wealthiest.  When  it  has  come  to  church 
matters  he  has  been  exceptionally  enthusiastic 
and  sacrificing.  He  took  pride  that  the  Nor- 
wegians of  the  village  of  Leland  should  have 
a  fine  church  and  to  that  end  he  donated  out- 
right $1,000,  and  while  the  church  was  being 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


473 


built  he  worked  on  same  almost  day  and  night 
without  any  compensation.  Mr.  Sanderson  has 
always  been  a  hard  worker,  and  often  when  he 
had  nothing  particularly  urgent  to  do  for  him- 
self he  would  help  some  neighbor  so  as  to  keep 
himself  busy.  He  has  the  reputation  of  being 
very  careful  in  money  matters,  but  he  has  very 
often  lent  a  helping  hand  to  deserving  persons 
— always  without  ostentation. 


fices  of  trust  for  Milan  township,  such  as  col- 
lector for  one  year,  elected  1895;  elected  super- 
visor in  1896,  re-elected  at  the  end  of  each  term 
of  two  years,  and  is  still  holding  that  office.  On 
the  board  of  the  district  school  he  has  served 
during  the  last  twenty  years,  and  also  acted  as 
secretary  and  clerk  of  the  board  during  all  those 
years.  In  1903  the  Lee  State  Bank  was  opened 
at  Lee,  and  Mr.  Sanderson,  being  a  stockholder, 
was  elected  its  cashier  at  the  first  meeting  of 
directors.  The  president  of  the  bank  is  ex-Judge 
H.  W.  Johnson,  of  Ottawa,  mentioned  on  an- 
other page  of  this  book. 


SAMUEL  M.  SANDERSON 


Was  born  on  a  farm  near  Leland,  La  Salle  coun- 
ty, 111.,  July  31,  1854.  His  father  was  Sander  H. 
(Bakka)  Sanderson,  of  Bakka,  Tin,  Norway,  and 
his  mother  Anne  Morland.  Mr.  Sanderson  was 
educated  in  the  district  school  during  winter  time 
and  during  the  summers  had  to  help  on  his  fath- 
er's farm.  His  father  sold  his  farm  in  La  Salic 
county  and  moved  to  De  Kalb  county,  north- 
east of  Lee,  where  he  died  in  1881.  Mr.  Sam 
Sanderson  bought  a  farm  of  eighty  acres  about 
that  time,  and  later  has  added  more,  until  it  now 
comprises  240  acres. 

In  1876  he  started  a  general  merchandise  store 
at  Lee,  in  partnership  with  Mr.  John  A.  Hovda, 
the  firm  being  Hovda  &  Sanderson.  After  some 
time  Mr.  Hovda  sold  out  his  interest  to  S.  M. 
Sanderson,  and  the  business  was  continued  for 
three  years  as  Sanderson  &  Son.  Then  S.  M. 
Sanderson  sold  out  to  C.  K.  Halvorson,  who  con- 
tinued the  business  until  he  moved  to  Leland, 
where  he  is  still  living.  Mr.  Sanderson  in  the 
meantime  moved  to  his  farm. 

In  September,  1875,  Mr.  Sanderson  was  married 
to  Miss  Betsy  K.  Halvorson,  born  south  of  Le- 
land. They  had  twelve  children.  The  six  liv- 
ing ones  are:  Harvey  C.,  Sander  A.,  Eva  A.,  Kin- 
nie  O.,  Lester  E.  and  Vira  M.  Sander  A.  married 
Miss  Nellie  Bjerge,  born  near  Creston,  111.  This 
couple  has  one  little  son,  so  Mr.  Sanderson  can 
boast  of  being  a  grandfather. 

In  1901  Mrs.  Sam  Sanderson  died. 

The  family  attends  the  Hauge  Synod  Church, 
north  of  Lee.  Of  that  church  Mr.  Sanderson 
has  been  a  trustee  during  the  last  ten  years, 
which  office  he  is  still  holding.  He  has  also  been 
treasurer  for  many  years.  He  has  also  held  of- 


LAURITZ  ERICKSON  SANGDAHL,  C.  E., 

Was  born  at  Ho'nefos,  Norway,  March  7,  1858. 
His  parents  were  "brugsbestyrer"  L.  A.  Erickson 
Sangdahl  and  his  wife  Crete.  Both  have  departed 
from  this  life  at  Sangdahl,  Ringerike;  the  mother 
in  1876,  and  the  father  in  1892. 

Mr.  Sangdahl  received  his  education  first  in  the 
public  school,  then  in  the  high  school,  and  finally 
in  the  Technical  School  of  Christiania,  from 
which  he  graduated  in  1880. 

Mr.  Sangdahl  was  married  Dec.  18,  1884,  to  Miss 
Elise  Saveland,  a  daughter  of  Edward  and  Oline 
Saveland  of  Milwaukee,  Wis.  Their  home  has 
been  blessed  with  two  sons,  Arthur,  born  Nov. 
28,  1886,  and  Stanley,  Dorn  May  13,  1889,  both  liv- 
ing. 

Shortly  after  having  graduated  Mr.  Sangdahl 
left  Norway  for  America  on  Aug.  27,  1880,  and 
came  direct  to  Chicago,  where  he  worked  as  a 
draftsman  until  Aug.  1881,  when  he  was  offered 
and  accepted  a  position  as  draftsman  for  the  Mil- 
waukee Bridge  and  Iron  Works.  With  this  con- 
cern he  remained  until  May  1,  1883.  He  then 
accepted  a  position  with  the  Northern  Pacific  R. 
R.  Co.,  as  first  assistant  engineer  of  bridges,  build" 
ings  and  tracks,  and  remained  in  that  capacity 
seven  months,  designing  and  superintending  the 
construction  of  railroad  shops  at  Fargo,  Mandan 
and  Dickinson,  Dak.,  also  at  Glendive,  Miles  City 
and  Bozeman,  Montana.  He  was  now  recalled  to 
Milwaukee,  Wis.,  to  take  a  position  as  chief 
engineer  of  the  Milwaukee  Bridge  &  Iron  Works, 
which  he  held  until  1895.  During  that  period  he 


474 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


constructed  the  Belle  Isle  bridge  at  Detroit, 
Mich,,  which  consists  of  eleven  156  ft.  spans  and 
one  320  ft.  draw  span,  including  all  foundations; 
and  the  Third  street  bridge  at  Bay  City,  Mich., 
also  the  Cantilever  bridge  at  Muscatine,  Iowa,  be- 
sides other  miscellaneous  work.  The  same  year 
he  was  sent  to  Chicago  by  the  same  firm  as  con- 
tracting engineer,  and  contracted  for  several  large 
buildings  in  Chicago,  including  the  new  Post 
Office  building.  He  held  this  position  until  1901. 
The  company  was  then  amalgamated  with  the 
United  States  Steel  Corporation,  and  Mr.  Sang- 
•dahl  has  since  held  the  position  as  engineer  in 
charge  of  the  estimating  and  designing  depart- 
ment with  the  American  Bridge  Company.  He  is 
also  principal  stockholder  of  the  Steel  Stone  Con- 
struction Company,  Building  and  Bridges,  1761 
Monadnock  Block,  Chicago. 

With  his  family  Mr.  Sangdahl  resides  at  7056 
Parnell  Ave. 


WILLIAM  SAXON, 

General  superintendent  with  the  Miehle  Printing 
Press  Company,  at  Fulton  and  Clinton  streets 
and  on  Milwaukee  avenue,  Chicago,  was  born  in 
Christia"nia,  Norway,  July  6,  1857.  His  father, 
Christian  Saxon,  was  a  mechanical  engineer  in 
Christiania;  his  mother,  Alice  Tomlinson,  was 
from  Manchester,  England.  Our  subject  attend- 
ed a  private  school  in  Christiania  until  he  was 
confirmed  in  the  old  Aker's  Church,  and  went 
to  Manchester,  England,  at  the  age  of  15.  Here 
he  attended  a  mechanical  and  technical  school 
and  graduated  in  the  technical  course.  He  then 
served  as  an  apprentice  for  five  years  with  Parr, 
Curtis  &  Madely,  leading  machinists  in  Manches- 
ter. After  this  he  returned  to  Christiania,  where 
he  was  employed  as  draftsman  and  machinist  by 
the  Oluf  Ansum  Company  and  J.  &  A.  Jensen 
&  Dahl,  while  he  remained  there. 

He  came  to  this  country  in  1883,  via  New 
York  and  direct  to  Chicago,  where  he  has 
Tjeen  located  since.  He  worked  in  a  number  of 
machine  shops  here  until  1889,  when  he  secured 
work  with  the  Miehle  Printing  Press  and  Manu- 
facturing Company,  where  he  has  been  for  over 


sixteen   years    and   is   now   the   general    superin- 
tendent. 

He  was  married  to  Marie  Jacobson,  of  Brevig, 
Norway,  Nov.  24,  1881.  Her  parents  were  Ja- 
cob and  Kristine  Jacobson,  of  Brevig.  They 
have  had  five  children:  Alice,  born  1882  and  in 
1895  married  to  John  E.  Press,  now  residing  in 
Oak  Park,  111.;  James,  born  1889;  Harriet,  born 
1886  and  died  in  1889;  William,  born  1892;  Mar- 
garet, born  1895. 


William  Saxon. 


Mr.  Saxon's  father  died  in  Norway  in  1871; 
his  mother  in  Manchester,  England  in  1903. 

Our  subject  is  a  member  of  the  Royal  Ar- 
canum and  the  North  American  Union.  He  is 
also  a  member  of  the  American  Society  of  Me- 
chanical Engineers. 

The  family  attend  St.  Paul's  Methodist  Epis- 
copal Church  on  North  avenue  and  reside  at  117 
Maple  avenue,  Oak  Park,  111. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


475 


ARNOLDUS  SCHLANBUSCH 

Of  Sheridan,  111.,  was  born  in  Vossevangen,  near 
Bergen,  Norway,  March  11,  1836.  His  father, 
Fredrick  Schlanbu'sch,  a  merchant  there,  and  his 
mother,  Larsina  Boe  Schlanbusch,  are  both  dead. 

Arnoldus,  being  a  trained  sailor  and  navigator, 
came  to  America  in  the  spring  of  1860,  direct 
to  Chicago,  where  he  followed  his  occupation 
during  the  summer. 

In  1861  he  enlisted  in  Company  A,  Fifteenth 
Wisconsin  Volunteers,  which  was  the  only 
Scandinavian  regiment  in'  the  service.  He  held 


Larsina  and  Florence  are  dead.  Pauline  is  mar- 
ried to  Dr.  W.  H.  Cartmell,  Magnolia,  Iowa. 
Walter  assisted  his  father  in  running  his  busi- 
ness at  Sheridan  until  the  older  Schlanbusch 
died  in  the  spring,  1906.  He  now  owns  it.  The 
family  attends  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
of  which  he  was  a  trustee.  He  h?d  also  been  a 
member  of  the  village  board  and  for  many  years 
was  the  village  treasurer.  Mr.  Schlanbusch  was 
a  charter  member  of  the  G.  A.  R.,  Clayton 
Beardsley  Post  of  Sheridan;  also  a  member  of 
the  Modern  Woodmen  of  America  and  the  An- 
cient Order  of  United  Workmen. 


Arnoldus  Schlanbusch. 


the  position  of  first  sergeant  until  May,  1864, 
when  he  was  transferred  to  the  navy,  serving  al- 
together three  years  and  seven  months. 

After  the  war  he  started  in  the  general  mer- 
chandise business — first  in  Norway,  111.,  then  in 
Serena,  and  in  1881  he  came  to  Sheridan  and 
was  there  engaged  in  the  business  until  hL  death. 

In  1866  he  was  married  to  Miss  Nicotine  Syn- 
nestvedt,  with  whom  five  children  were  born: 
Pauline  Magdalina,  Larsina  Maria,  Florence 
Maria,  Astra  Gunfrilda  and  Walter  Theodore. 


GERHARD  B.  SCHLANBUSCH. 

Was  born  in  Vossevangen,  near  Bergen,  Nor- 
way, Aug.  13,  1847.  His  father,  Fredrick  Schlan- 
busch, and  his  mother,  Larsina  Boe  Schlanbusch, 
died  long  ago.  Mr.  Schlanbusch  left  his  native 
country  when  but  13  years  of  age,  in  1860,  and 
came  over  to  America  in  a  sailing  vessel,  it  tak- 
ing seven  weeks  to  make  the  voyage.  There 
were  27  deaths  on  board. 

Mr.  Schlanbusch  received  his  education  first 
in  the  public  schools  in  Norway  and  after  his 
arrival  in  Chicago  in  the  Kinzie  school  here. 
Since  then  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  mer- 
cantile bu'siness  most  of  his  time  with  the  fol- 
lowing firms:  Christian  Erickson,  Parker  &  Jevne, 
J.  V.  Farwell  &  Co.,  J.  H.  Walker  &  Co.,  and 
during  the  past  twenty  years  with  the  whole- 
sale house  of  Carson,  Pirie,  Scott  &  Co. 

In  1872  Mr.  Schlanbusch  was  married  to  Miss 
Camilla  Fredericksen  of  Copenhagen,  Denmark, 
of  which  union  two  daughters  were  born:  Amy, 
in  July,  1873,  and  Stella,  in  March,  1875.  The 
former  was  married  Sept.  26,  1905,  to  Mr. 
Charles  Renner.  They  have  one'  daughter,  Alice, 
born  Sept.  2,  1906.  Stella  was  married  May  2, 
1900,  to  John  Culver,  M.  D.  They  also  have 
one  daughter,  Amy,  born  Feb.  10,  1902. 

Mr.  Schlanbusch,  having  become  a  widower, 
married  Miss  Alice  Rohne  of  Sheridan,  111.,  in 
1884.  They  have  no  children. 

Du'ring  the  summer  of  1906  he  visited  his 
childhood  home  for  the  first  time  since  his  ar- 
rival in  America. 


476 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


He   was   confirmed   in   the   Lutheran   faith  but       has   resided  here  since,    working  as  a  draftsman 
since  has  joined  the  Baptist  Church.  at  the  present  time  connected  with  the  Western 

Electric  Company. 


Gerhard  B.  Schlanbusch. 


He  is  a  member  of  Berwyn  Lodge  A.  F.  & 
A.  M.  No.  839  and  the  Haymarket  Council  of 
the  National  Union.  With  his  wife  he  resides 
in  Berwyn,  111. 


Olaf  Schroeder. 


• 


CARRIE  SCOTT, 


OLAF  SCHROEDER 

Was  born  at  Kragero",  Norway,  Dec.  26,  1882. 
His  father,  H.  T.  Schroeder,  a  ship  broker  at 
Krager0,  and  his  mother,  Marie  (Nelson),  are 
both  living.  Olaf  attended  the  high  school  in 
his  native  town  and  then  spent  three  years  at 
the.  technical  institute  at  Porsgrund,  where  he 
graduated  as  mechanical  and  electrical  engineer. 
He  came  to  America  and  Chicago  in  1902  and 


The  accomplished  pianist  and  music  teacher,  was 
born  in  Iowa  and  came  to  Lisbon,  111.,  while  a 
child.  Her  parents  —  Torris  and  Sara  (Storhaug) 
Scott  —  are  both  dead.  She  graduated  from  the 
Chicago  Musical  College  in  piano,  harmony,  com- 
position and  science  of  music  with  honor,  pay- 
ing for  every  lesson  from  her  own  earnings 
as  a  teacher  of  the  piano. 

She  was    connected    with  the  famous   Balatka 
Music  College.     Of  Miss  Scott's  pupils  six  have 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


477 


received  gold  medals  at  graduation,  one  of  them 
being  a  young.  Norwegian,  Olvin  Johnson,  of 
whom  Prof.  Balatka  said  that  no  pupil  was  ever 
more  deserving  of  the  distinction.  Our  sub- 
ject has  several  valuable  compositions  to  her 
credit,  one  being  a  cradle  song  (instrumental) 
with  variations  on  several  hymns,  which  pre- 
sumably will  be  published. 

Miss  Scott  is  an  ardent  promoter  of  the  tem- 
perance movement  and  a  liberal  contributor  to 
the  Hope  Mission,  of  which  she  was  secretary 
for  one  year.  She  is  a  member  of  the  Law  En- 


Miller  and  Algot  E.  Strand  incorporated  the 
Mendelssohn  Conservatory  of  Music,  of  which 
Miss  Scott  is  the  president.  This  new  addition 
to  the  Chicago  musical  world  has  its  studios  in 
the  Atheneum  Building,  26  E.  Van  Buren  street, 
and  is  rapidly  developing  both  in  number  of  stu- 
dents and  their  progress  in  mu'sical  attainments. 
The  directors  of  the  musical  board  are:  Carrie 
Scott,  Lydia  Gersch  Neeb,  Ady  Thorpe  Butter- 
worth,  Max  I.  Fishel  and  A.  Alfred  Holmes. 


Miss  Carrie  Scott. 


forcement  League  of  the  Northwest  Side,  Chi- 
cago, in  which  she  takes  a  great  interest,  believ- 
ing that  it  is  one  of  the  best  agencies  for  the 
enforcement  of  all  laws  in  the  city. 

She  is  a  member  of  the  Covenant  Aid  Society, 
a  life  member  of  the  Deaconess  Home  So- 
ciety and  the  Children's  Home  Society.  She 
is  a  member  of  the  Lutheran  Church  at  Lisbon, 
111.  Last  year  she  bought  a  fine  little  house  at 
1454  N,  Kimball  avenue,  where  she  resides  and 
has  one  of  her  studios. 

During  the  fall  of  1906  Miss  Carrie  Scott, 
Messrs.  M.  C.  Olson,  Geo.  T.  Scott,  Walter  J. 


INGVARD   MARTINIUS  SCOTT, 

The  well  known  druggist  at  941-43  Wabansia 
avenue,  was  born  in  Christiania,  Norway,  Dec. 
10,  1868.  His  father,  Paul  A.  Scott,  was  a  dealer 
in  patent  medicines  in  Chicago,  111.;  his  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Brita  Andersdatter  Barstad. 


Ingvard  M.  Scott. 


478 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


He  came  to  America  with  his  parents  on  Aug. 
24,  1883,  locating  in  Chicago.  He  had  attended 
school  in  Norway,  and  did  so  here,  where  he  was 
confirmed  in  Juul's  Church,  on  May  and  Erie 
streets.  Later  he  attended  Northwestern  Uni- 
versity, from  which  he  graduated  in  pharmacy. 
His  first  work  in  Chicago  was  as  clerk  with 
Den  Kristelige  Talsmand. 

He  was  married  on  January  15,  1897,  to  Vivian 
M.  Maguire.  He  has  been  engaged  in  the  drug 
business  for  many  years  and  is  located  at  941- 
43  Wabansia  ave.  He  is  a  Mason,  a  K.  P.,  a 
member  of  the  Royal  League  and  an  Odd  Fel- 
low. 


MARGARETHE  SEEHUUS, 

A  resident  of   Chicago   since  1872,   was   born   in 
Gryten    parish,    Romsdalen,    Norway,    Sept.   19, 


1832.  Her  father,  Ole  Halvorsen  Mejlva,  was  a 
member  of  the  Storthing,  as  was  her  grand- 
father. Her  mother  was  Marit  Olsdatter  Devoid. 
She  attended  schools  at  her  home  and  was  con- 
firmed in  the  Hovedkirke  in  Gryten  parish.  Sh& 
afterward  attended  the  school  of  obstetrics  in. 
Christiania,  and  graduated  as  a  midwife. 

She  was  married  in  Norway  to  Christopher 
Bude  Seehuus,  on  Jan.  24,  1858.  They  had  two- 
children — Knute,  born  May  3,  1859,  and  Ole 
Martin,  born  Dec.  24,  1863.  The  former  is  now 
a  Lutheran  pastor,  located  at  Locust,  Winne- 
shiek  county,  Iowa,  where  he  looks  after  four 
congregations,  three  Norwegian  and  one  Ger- 
man. The  other  son  is  a  practicing  physician 
at  Hatton,  N.  D.  Mrs.  Seehu'us  visits  her  sons, 
annually.  She  is  very  active  in  her  practice  and 
proudly  relates  that  she  has  welcomed  over  five 
thousand  infants  to  this  world.  She  came  to- 
America  with  her  husband  and  children  on  the- 
steamer  Peter  Jeppeson,  landing  at  New  York 
and  coming  directly  to  Chicago,  where  they  ar- 
rived in  May,  1872.  Her  husband,  who  was  a 
carpenter  and  cabinet-maker  by  trade,  found 
work  immediately,  but  was  in  poor  health  an<f 
died  on  March  14,  1875.  About  fifteen  years- 
ago  Mrs.  Seehuus  started  a  school  for  the  teach- 
ing of  obstetrics,  which  she  is  still  conduct- 
ing. Her  home  is  at  103  N.  Center  avenue,  Chi- 
cago. 


Margarethe   Seehus. 


CHARLES  OLINUS  SETHNESS 

Was  born  in  Christiansund,  Norway,  Aug.  5, 
1860.  His  parents  were  John  and  Olina  (R0r- 
dahl)  Sethness.  He  attended  school  in  Norway 
and  also  the  public  school  in  Chicago  and  was 
confirmed  by  Rev.  Torgersen  in  the  Norwegian' 
Lutheran  Church  on  Grand  avenue  and  Peoria 
street. 

In  1873  he  came  to  Chicago,  and  in  1874  ht 
entered  the  employ  of  Christopher  Stange,  to- 
learn  the  profession  of  a  druggist  and  chemist. 
He  worked  for  him  for  ten  years,  or  until  1884,. 
when  he  engaged  in  the  same  business,  first  at 
Robey  street  and  Milwaukee  avenue.  Later  he- 
moved  to  his  present  quarters  at  262-68  N. 
Curtis  street,  where  he  manufactures  flavoring. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


47» 


extracts  and  deals  in  bottlers'  machinery  and 
supplies.  Reference  to  his  business  and  a  cut 
of  his  building  appear  under  the  proper  heading 
in  this  history. 

Mr.  Sethness  was  married  in  Chicago,  Dec.  14, 
1882,  to  Miss  Helga  Midling,  daughter  of  Auker 
and  Hilda  Midling,  from  Christiania,  Norway. 
They  have  four  children — Charles  Henry,  born 
in  1883;  Ralph  Edward,  1885;  Walter  Douglas, 


Chas.  O.  Sethness. 

1887;  Hilda  Elvira,  in  1895.  Our  subject's  father 
died  in  Norway  many  years  ago;  his  mother 
died  in  Chicago  in  1884.  Mr.  Sethness  is  at 
present  a  member  of  the  board  of  education.  He 
is  also  a  Mason,  a  Knight  Templar,  a  Shriner, 
and  a  member  of  the  Irving  Park  Country  Club. 
The  family  resides  at  2642  N.  Forty-second 
avenue,  Irving  Park. 


with  his  parents  emigrated  to  this  country  in  the 
sailing  vessel,  the  Sleipner,  which  arrived  in 
Chicago  Au'g.  2,  being  the  first  vessel  to  make 
the  entire  journey  from  Norway  to  Chicago. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Chi- 
cago. 

In  1879  he  was  married  to  Emily  M.  Sims, 
of  Piasa,  111.  He  has  two  promising  sons — 
Charles  F.  and  Gilbert  S.  Charles  F.  is  a  grad- 
uate of  the  United  States  Military  Academy  at 
West  Point.  N.  Y.,  and  is  now  a  lieutenant  in 
the  United  States  Army,  stationed  at  Fort  Har- 
rison, Mont. 


OLAF  F.  SEVERSON, 

The   subject   of   this   sketch,  was   born   in   Ber- 
gen,   Norway,    on    Aug.    26,    1858.      In    1862,    he 


Olaf  F.  Severson. 

Mr.  Severson's  public  position  was  that  of 
deputy  coroner  under  Henry  L.  Hertz,  in  1883. 
He  was  appointed  justice  of  the  peace  and  police 
justice  at  the  West  Chicago  Avenue  Police  court 
in  1891,  which  position  he  held  until  the  new 
municipal  courts  were  established.  He  took  the 
examination  before  the  Appellate  court  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  in  1896.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  following  organizations:  The  A.  F.  &  A.  M., 
a  Royal  Arch  Mason  and  Knight  Templar;  the 
Royal  Arcanum,  the  Royal  League,  the  I.  O.  O. 
F.  and  the  new  Illinois  Athletic  Club.  He  re- 
sides at  1761  Humboldt  boulevard. 


480 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


CHRIST   SHERDEN 

Was  born  in  Stange,  Norway,  Nov.  18,  1864.  His 
parents  were  Knud  Knuclson  and  Martha  (Jo- 
hansen)  Sherden.  When  our  subject  was  5 
years  old  his  parents  with  two-  other  small  chil- 
dren migrated  to  America  and  settled  upon  a 
homestead  in  northern  Minnesota,  putting  up 
the  usual  log  house  as  a  home.  The  country  was 
practically  a  wilderness — Indians  and  wild  an- 
imals were  the  burden  of  their  lives.  The  In- 
dians were  a  thieving  lot  and  murder  of  the 
white  settlers  was  a  common  occurrence.  The 


Christ  Sherden. 


Sherdens  endured  these  hardships  for  four  years, 
and  then,  as  matters  seemed  to  get  worse,  they 
abandoned  their  homestead  and  sought  a  more 
civilized  community.  A  family  council  decided 
upon  Chicago  as  their  future  home,  and  here 
they  have  been  since. 

After  having  received  a  grammar-school  educa- 
tion young  Sherden  was  apprenticed  in  1880  to 
learn  sign  and  carriage  painting.  He  served  the 
required  time  and  mastered  the  trade  with  Chris 
Johnson,  at  208-10  N.  Sangamon  street.  Later 
he  was  with  A.  P.  Shogren  as  foreman  for 


eighteen  years.  He  is  now  in  charge  of  the  paint 
shop  for  Hans  Lund,  the  wagon  and  carriage 
manufacturer  at  38-40  W.  Huron  street,  corner 
of  Curtis.  Mr.  Sherden  is  an  artist  in  his  line 
and  turns  out  the  finest  work  to  be  seen  on 
Chicago's  streets. 

He  was  married  to  Miss  Otelia  Nelson,  of 
Chicago,  May  15,  1886.  They  have  had  four 
children;  three  are  living  —  Cora  May,  Clarence 
George  and  Arthur  Theodore  Sherden.  Mr. 
Sherden  is  an  active  republican  and  has  been 
president  of  his  precinct  club  in  the  fifteenth 
ward,  and  often  judge  of  elections.  He  is  a 
member  of  Chicago  court  no.  15,  Tribe  of  Ben 
Hur,  of  which  he  has  also  been  chief  and  in- 
structor in  degree  work  for  several  terms.  The 
family  resides  at  125  N.  Mozart  street. 


PROF.  NELS  EDWARD  SIMONSEN, 
A.  M.,  D.  D., 

Of  Evanston,  was  born  near  Alderly,  Dodge 
county,  Wis.,  May  17,  1854.  His  parents  came 
from  Fossum,  Skien,  Norway,  in  1842,  and  settled 
on  a  farm  in  the  section  of  country  which  in 
early  days  was  known  as  Ashippun,  thirty  miles 
northwest  of  Milwaukee.  Here  on  a  large  farm 
in  the  southern  part  of  Dodge  and  Washington 
counties  he  grew  up  with  such  advantages  as  a 
country  school  afforded.  With  one  brother  edu- 
cated at  Luther  College,  one  at  Appleton  Uni- 
versity and  one  at  the  Milwaukee  Business 
College  he  too  had  a  strong  desire  to  acquire 
higher  education.  Having  become  greatly  in- 
terested in  religious  work  and  joined  the  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church,  he  entered  the  North- 
western University  to  prepare  for  the  Christian 
ministry.  After  completing  the  classical  course 
in  the  academy  and  university  and  the  prescribed 
theological  studies  he  was  graduated  with  the 
degrees  of  A.  M.  and  B.  D.  He  then  spent  four 
years  in  study  in  Europe,  mostly  in  Christiania 
and  Copenhagen.  He  has  since  spent  three  sum- 
mers in  study  and  travel  in  Europe.  From  his 
alma  mater  he  was  given  the  degree  of  D.  D.  in 
1896.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa 
Society. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


481 


While  he  is  an  ordinary  minister  and  member 
of  the  Norwegian  and  Danish  Methodist  Episco- 
pal conference,  his  lifework  has  been  that  of  an 
educator  rather  than  a  minister.  He  took  up 
educational  work  in  1885  as  a  professor  in  the 
Norwegian  and  Danish  Theological  Seminary  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  Evanston,  111. 
He  has  for  twenty  years  been  president  of  this 
seminary,  and  during  this  time  sixty  young  men 
have  been  sent  out  into  the  ministry  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  among  the  Nor- 
wegian and  Danish  people  in  America  and 
Europe.  Prof.  Simonsen  was  a  member  of  the 


He  was  married  on  June  17,  1896,  to  Jenny 
Lindgren.  They  have  one  child  (Richard).  The 
family  resides  at  2243  Orrington  avenue,  Evan- 
ston, 111. 


Prcf.  N.  E.  Simonsen. 


•economical  conference  of  methodism  which  met 
in  Washington,  D.  C,  in  1891;  a  delegate  to  the 
general  conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  at  Cleveland,  Ohio,  in  1896,  in  Chicago 
in  1900,  and  at  Los  Angeles,  Cal.,  in  1904.  He 
represented  the  Ninth  General  Conference  district 
in  the  general  committee  of  the  Freedmen's  Aid 
and  Southern  Educational  Society  and  the  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
•Church. 


PETER  OLSEN  SKAADEN, 

Contractor,  carpenter  and  builder,  was  born  in 
0ier,  Gudbrandsdalen,  Norway,  May  27,  1840. 
His  father  was  Ole  Skj^nsberg;  his  mother  Sign 
Johannsen.  He  began  his  trade  in  Norway  when 
15  years  old,  and  served  in  the  Norwegian  army 
from  1861  to  1866. 


Peter  O.  Skaaden. 


He  was  married  to  Matea  Malum  on  Jan.  18, 
1867.  Mrs.  Skaaden  died  March  28,  1888.  They 
had  five  children;  all  are  living:  Minnie  is  mar- 
ried to  Thomas  T.  Engness,  in  Chicago;  they 


482 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


have  four  children.  Inga  is  married  to  Dr.  Mar- 
tin Seehuus,  living  in  North  Dakota;  they  have 
four  children.  Eugene  is  a  musician  on  the  piano 
and  organ,  and  has  a  school  in  Minneapolis,  Minn. 
Arthur  is  in  Black  Hills,  S.  D.,  in  the  mining 
business.  The  youngest  daughter,  Palma,  is  in 
school  in  Minneapolis. 

Mr.  Skaaden  is  a  member  of  Our  Saviour's  Lu- 
theran Church,  of  which  he  has  been  a  trustee  for 
several  years.  His  membership  dates  back  to 
1867.  He  lives  at  280  W.  Erie  street. 

In   1906   he   made   an   extended   trip    through 
Norway. 


SEAVER  ERICKSON  SMEBY, 

Proprietor    of   the    popular   meat   market   at    163 
W.   Erie  street,   was   born   in  Trakstad,   Smaale- 


Seaver  E.  Smeby. 


nenes  amt,  Norway,  March  16,  1855.    His  parents 
were    Erick    Jensen    and    Ingeborg    (Bjzirresen) 


Smeby.      Seaver   attended   the   public    schools   in , 
Norway. 

When  he  was  14  years  old,  April  23,  1869,  his 
parents  emigrated  to  America.  The  trip  was 
made  by  steamships  from  Christiania  to  Hull, 
England,  and  thence  to  Liverpool  and  New  York, 
by  an  ocean  liner.  They  made  their  way  west- 
ward and  settled  in  Goodhue  county,  Minnesota, 
where  Mr.  Smeby,  Sr.,  first  rented  and  after- 
ward purchased  a  piece  of  land.  Here  Seaver 
worked  on  the  farm,  attended  English  school  and 
was  confirmed  by  Rev.  0sten  Hansen  at  Aspe- 
lund. 

Several  years  afterward  he  went  to  Minne- 
apolis and  worked  at  whatever  he  could  find  to 
do  until  1877,  when  he  came  to  Chicago.  His 
brother-in-law,  J.  O.  Hoem,  was  then  running  a 
meat  market  on  Division  street,  and  Mr.  Smeby 
worked  for  him  one  year,  familiarizing  himself 
with  the  business.  The  next  year,  1878,  he 
started  a  meat  market  for  himself  at  his  present 
location,  163  W.  Erie  street.  In  1889  he  went 
back  to  Norway  on  a  visit. 

He  was  married  March  18,  1891,  to  Mrs. 
Georgiana  Olsen,  a  widow  with  four  children — 
Herbert,  Harvey,  Hulda  and  Minnie.  Mr.  Smeby 
is  a  member  and  treasurer  of  Nora  Lodge,  R. 
H.  K.,  a  member  of  the  Norwegian  Old  People's 
Home  and  the  Tabitha  Hospital  societies.  The 
family  attend  the  Lutheran  Chu'rch  and  reside 
at  526  N.  Sacramento  avenue. 


MRS.  BERTHA  CAREY  SMITH, 

The  well  known  church  and  temperance  worker 
and  lecturer,  was  born  on  a  farm  near  Vermil- 
ion, S.  D.,  March  2,  1862.  Her  father  was  Henry 
F.  Johnson,  from  the  farm  Flettre,  Voss,  Nor- 
way. Her  mother's  maiden  name  was  Kari 
Gjerde,  from  the  farm  Gjerde,  Tysver,  near  Hau- 
gesund,  Norway.  Her  mother  was  a  widow  when 
she  married  Bertha's  father,  having  four  children 
—  one  boy  and  three  girls.  They  were  married 
at  Vermilion  in  1860.  Before  Bertha  was  old 
enough  to  attend  school  they  moved  to  Story 
county,  Iowa,  three  miles  south  of  Story  City. 
Here  our  subject  first  attended  school,  the  same 
being  held  in  her  father's  house,  there  being  no 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


483 


schoolhouses  at  that  time  except  miles  away.  Her 
oldest  brother  was  the  teacher.  Her  youngest 
brother  was  born  on  the  farm  in  Iowa  in  1866. 
Here  Bertha  was  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran 
Church.  Her  mother  passed  away  in  1869  and 
was  the  first  one  buried  in  the  Story  City  ceme- 
tery. Her  father  then  sold  his  farm  and  moved 
on  a  farm  four  miles  west  of  Graettinger,  in  Palo 
Alto  county,  Iowa.  While  living  there  our  subject 
went  to  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  and  learned  the  mil- 
linery and  dress-making  trade.  She  returned  to 
Graettinger,  where  her  brother,  Jens  H.  Johnson, 


Mrs.  Smith  moved  to  Chicago  her  father  and 
brother  sold  the  farm.  Her  brother's  health  was 
poor  and  he  came  to  Chicago  to  live  with  his 
sister  while  consulting  a  doctor,  her  other 
brother  and  sisters  having  died  years  before.  Her 
father  went  to  Norway  in  1896  on  a  visit,  and 
while  there  met  and  married  Randie  Olsen.  They 
came  to  America,  but  his  wife  did  not  like  it 
here,  so  they  went  back  after  three  years  and 
bought  a  home  in  Haugesund  where  they  are 
still  living.  Mrs.  Smith's  brother,  Jens  H.  John- 
son, died  April  27,  1897.  His  death  was  a  great 
loss  to  her,  he  being  the  only  one  left  of  her 
brothers  and  sisters. 

In  1902  Mrs.  Smith  went  to  Norway,  where 
she  took  a  number  of  pictures  and  views  of  in- 
teresting scenes  and  familiarized  herself  with 
local  conditions,  to  be  able  to  talk  intelligently 
on  the  subject  in  her  lectures.  These  entertain- 
ments are  usually  given  under  the  auspices  of 
churches  or  church  societies  for  charitable  pur- 
poses. They  are  illustrated  by  moving  pictures. 
Besides  talking  on  Norway  she  also  lectures  on 
the  life  of  Martin  Luther,  John  Wesley  and 
others.  Mrs.  F.  Peterson  generally  accompanies 
her  on  her  trips,  aiding  her  in  showing  the  pic- 
tures. Mrs.  Smith  is  a  member  of  the  Immanuel 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  on  W.  Huron  street; 
she  is  one  of  the  stewards  and  is  superintendent 
of  the  Sunday  school.  She  is  first  vice-presi- 
dent of  the  Scandinavian  W.  C.  T.  U.,  second- 
vice-president  of  the  Immanuel  Epworth  League, 
and  an  active  member  of  the  Law-Enforcement 
League  of  the  Northwest  side,  Chicago.  Ther 
family  resides  at  269  Noble  street. 


Mrs.  B.  C.  Smith. 


was  clerk  in  a  general  store,  and  opened  a  mil- 
linery store.  She  always  took  an  active  interest 
in  church  matters  and  also  taught  the  Lutheran 
Church  school. 

She  was  married  on  her  father's  farm  on  Sept. 
1,  1890,  to  Mr.  Martin  Smith,  of  Chicago.  They 
lived  there  until  1893,  when  they  came  to  Chi- 
cago and  conducted  a  hotel  on  N.  Morgan  street 
during  the  World's  Fair.  Later  Mr.  Smith  en- 
gaged in  the  wood  and  coal  business,  at  261 
Noble  street,  which  he  is  still  operating.  After 


JENS  LAURITZ  SMITH, 

Alderman  from  the  Fifteenth  ward,  was  born 
in  Christiania,  Norway,  March  16,  1850.  He  at- 
tended the  public  schools  in  Norway  until  14 
years  old,  when  he  went  to  sea  on  a  Norwe- 
gian sailing  vessel,  two  days  after  he  was  con- 
firmed. His  first  trip  was  on  the  sloop  Haabet, 
and  Hamburg  was  the  destination.  This  was 
during  the  trouble  between  Germany  and  Den- 
mark, and  the  sloop,  Deing  Norwegian,  was 
naturally  supposed  to  be  friendly  to  Denmark, 


484 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


and  was  accordingly  nred  upon  for  failure  to 
hoist  its  flag  promptly.  The  jibboom  and  bow- 
sprit .were  shot  away,  compelling  the  vessel  to 
remain  for  a  time  for  repairs,  giving  the  crew 
an  opportunity  to  watch  the  maneuvering  of  the 
Danish  ships,  which  Mr.  Smith  says  was  a  glori- 
ous sight.  While  on  board  the  schooner  Juno, 
in  the  fall  of  1867,  the  ship  was  wrecked,  the 
crew  hanging  to  the  wreckage  for  eight  days, 
but  were  finally  rescued  by  a  Hanoverian  schoon- 
er, less  than  thirty  minutes  before  the  Juno 
sank. 


Jens  L.  Smith. 


Mr.  Smith  also  experienced  a  wreck  while  on 
a  trip  from  Philadelphia  to  the  West  Indies  in 
1867.  The  ship  was  run  down  by  an  Ameri- 
can steamer  in  the  Delaware  River,  being  cut 
in  two,  and  sank  in  a  few  minutes.  Two  of  the 
crew  lost  their  lives  in  this  accident.  Mr.  Smith 
then  went  back  to  Philadelphia  and  from  there 
shipped  on  an  American  ship,  going  to  New  Or- 
leans and  Antwerp  and  back  to  Quebec. 

He  came  back  to  Chicago  in  1869  and  sailed 
on  the  lakes  for  two  years  and  then  went  back 
to  salt  water  for  two  years,  which  ended  his 


sea-faring  career.  He  settled  in  Chicago  in 
1872,  working  for  variou's  firms,  mostly  in  the 
hardware  business,  until  1889,  when  he  started 
a  business  of  his  own  in  the  same  line  at  752 
W.  North  avenue,  which  he  still  continues.  In 
1905  he  was  elected  alderman  for  the  Fifteenth 
ward  by  a  majority  of  944,  which  Mr.  Smith  con- 
siders very  flattering. 

He  married  Bendikke  M.  Bj0rnson  on  Nov. 
29,  1872.  They  have  six  children.  Mr.  Smith  is 
a  member  of  Humboldt  Court  Tribe  of  Ben  Hur, 
is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian  Old  People's 
Home  Society,  helped  to  build  the  Tabitha  Hos- 
pital, and  belongs  to  the  Wicker  Park  Lutheran 
Church,  of  which  he  has  been  a  member  of  the 
board  of  trustees  for  the  last  twenty  years. 


CHARLES  GUSTAVE  SOEMO, 

The  coal  dealer  at  361-63  W.  Ohio  street,  Chi- 
cago, was  born  in  Porsgrund,  Norway,  Nov.  23, 
1865.  His  parents  were  Halvor  Bruun  Soemo  and 
Maren  Kristine  Moe.  Our  subject  attended  the 
public  schools  and  was  confirmed  in  the  East 
Side  State  Church  in  Porsgrund,  in  April,  1881. 

In  May  of  the  same  year  he  left  for  America, 
arriving  in  Chicago  on  June  7.  Young  as  he 
was, ,  he  had  only  himself  to  depend  upon  for  a 
living,  but  soon  found  a  job,  and  went  to  work. 
He  contrived  to  arrange  for  attendance  at  even- 
ing school  during  the  following  winter  months, 
and  later  took  a  course  in  an  evening  college. 
He  soon  got  a  good  place  in  a  machine  shop 
and  afterward  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  steam 
plant  of  S.  J.  Pope  &  Co.,  then  at  the  corner 
of  Lake  street  and  Fifth  avenue. 

In  1888  he  engaged  in  the  general  teaming  and 
coal  business,  with  his  brother  as  an  equal  part- 
ner, under  the  name  of  Soemo  Bros.,  and  the 
firm  continues  in  business  under  the  same  name 
and  at  the  same  place  to-day. 

Our  subject  has  been  married  twice,  his  first 
wife,  Josephine  B.  Osborn,  whose  parents  came 
from  Florida,  died  in  February,  1897,  leaving  him 
.two  girls:  Namah  Elvira,  born  'Sept.  25,  1888, 
and  Charlotte  Margrethe,  born  July  22,  1892.  An- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


485 


other  girl,  Lillian  Grace,  2  years  old,  was  buried 
on  the  same  day  as  her  mother. 

On  Sept.  26,  1898,  he  was  married  to  Rebecca 
Elizabeth  Hoffstad,  from  Westeraalen,  Norway, 
daughter  of  Peter  and  Hannah  Paulina  Hoffstad. 
They  have  two  sons:  Howard  Edwin,  born 
March  13,  1900,  and  Charles  Harold,  born  April 
9,  1901. 

Mr.  Soemo's  mother  died  in  Chicago  in  1888, 
only  six  months  after  her  arrival  in  this  coun- 
try, having  planned  to  return  to  Norway.  She 
was  the  mother  of  twelve  childen,  two  of  whom 


C.  G.  Soemo. 


died  in  infancy  and  one  sister  died  here  in  Chi- 
cago a  few  years  ago.  The  other  nine  are  all 
married  and  residents  of  Chicago.  The  father, 
now  past  84  years,  is  still  hale  and  hearty,  at- 
tends church  regularly,  and  visits  his  children 
and  grandchildren. 

Mr.  Soemo  is  a  member  of  the  Lincoln  Lodge, 
Knights  of  Pythias,  Walhalla  Court,  Tribe  of 
Ben  Hur,  was  president  of  the  Lincoln  Pleasure 
Club,  and  served  one  3'ear  in  the  Second  Regi- 
ment of  Illinois  National  Guards.  The  family 
resides  at  163  W.  Huron  street. 


REV.  CARL  K.  SOLBERG, 

Pastor  of  Zion  Norwegian  United  Lutheran 
Church,  Chicago,  was  born  at  Rushford,  Fillmore 
county,  Minn.,  June  2,  1872,  his  parents  being 
Knut  K.  and  Aasild  (Haugen)  Solberg.  Carl 


Rev.  Carl  K.  Solberg. 


early  indicated  a  desire  for  an  education,  and 
after  taking  advantage  of  the  public  schools  he 
attended  St.  Olaf  College,  Northfield,  Minn., 
graduating  on  June  17,  1896,  receiving  the  degree 
of  B.  A.  On  June  1,  1900,  he  graduated  from  the 
United  Lutheran  Church  Seminary  at  Minneapo- 
lis. 

On  Ju'ne  17,  1900,  he  was  ordained  to  the  min- 
istry of  the  gospel.  On  the  5th  of  August  he 
was  installed  as  pastor  of  Trinity  Norwegian 
Lutheran  Church  of  Vermilion,  S.  D.  Half  a 
year  later  he  organized  and  took  charge  of  a 
congregation  at  Yankton,  S.  D.  He  served  these 
two  congregations  till  the  spring  of  1905,  when 
he  accepted  a  call  from  Zion  United  Norwegian 
Lutheran  Church,  Chicago,  entering  upon  his 
duties  on  May  7. 


486 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Rev.  Solberg  practically  paid  his  own  way 
through  school,  spending  his  boyhood  days  on 
the  farm  in  Yellow  Medicine  county,  Minneso- 
ta. By  working  on  the  farm,  canvassing  for 
books  and  teaching  parochial  school  during  the 
summer  vacations  he  paid  for  his  schooling. 

He  was  married  to  Gunhild  Sophie  Berg  on 
June  30,  1893.  He  is  a  member  of  the  board  of 
publication  of  the  United  Lutheran  Church  and 
president  of  the  Norwegian  Children's  Home 
Society  of  Chicago.  He  is  also  chairman  of  the 
executive  committees  of  the  Luther  League  of 
Illinois  and  of  the  Chicago  Luther  League.  The 
family  resides  at  398  Potomac  avenue,  Chicago. 


REV.  CHARLES  ORRIN  SOLBERG, 

At  present  pastor  of  the  Covenant  English  Lu- 
theran Church  of  Chicago,  was  born  at  Rush- 
ford,  Minn.,  Dec.  24,  1869.  His  parents  were 


Halvor  K.  and  Anna  J.  (Nattestad)  Solberg.  His 
youth  was  devoted  to  school.  He  was  confirmed 
in  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  on  Jeffer- 
son Prairie,  near  Clinton,  Wis.  Afterward  he 
attended  Augustana  College,  at  Canton,  S.  D.( 
for  two  years;  then  spent  seven  years  at  Beloit 
College,  Beloit,  Wis.,  and  three  years  at  the 
Lutheran  Theological  Seminary  in  Chicago.  He 
was  honored  by  the  degree  of  B.  A.  and  M.  A. 
from  Beloit  College  and  B.  D.  from  the  seminary. 
After  graduating  he  was  instructor  in  Greek, 
Latin  and  English  at  Pleasant  View  Luther  Col- 
lege, Ottawa,  111.,  for  five  years.  He  was  or- 
dained as  a  minister  of  the  gospel  in  1901. 

His  first  call  was  as  pastor  of  Emmanuel  Lu- 
theran Church,  Rockford,  111.,  where  he  re- 
mained until  1903,  the  church  being  an  English 
charge  belonging  to  the  Swedish  Augustana  Syn- 
od. From  1903  until  the  present  time  Rev.  Sol- 
berg  has  been  pastor  for  the  Covenant  English 
Lutheran  Church  of  the  United  Norwegian 
Church.  Rev.  Solberg  has  been  president  of  the 
Luther  League  of  Illinois  for  four  years. 

He  was  married  to  Anna  L.  Jacobson,  of  Clin- 
ton, Wis.,  on  Sept.  2,  1896.  Mrs.  Solberg's  par- 
ents were  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Helge  Jacobson,  of 
Clinton,  Wis.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Solberg  have  been 
blessed  with  two  children — Helen  Eunice,  born 
July  6,  1898,  and  Anna  Louise,  Nov.  3,  1902.  The 
family  resides  at  435  Cornelia  street. 


9ft? 


Rev.  Charles  O.  Solberg. 


ERIK  SEVERIN  SOLBERG, 

Of  Seneca,  111.,  was  born  in  Bergen,  Norway, 
April  17,  1854.  His  parents  were  John  E.  and 
Gertrude  (Tutland)  Solberg.  He  attended  com- 
mon school,  high  school  and  three  years  at  the 
Latin  school.  He  was  bookkeeper  with  F.  G. 
Gade  &  Co.,  Bergen,  for  two  years. 

Mr.  Solberg  came  to  Chicago  in  December, 
1872,  and  in  the  spring  of  1873  went  to  Pent- 
water,  Mich.,  where  he  clerked  for  Sands  & 
Maxwell  for  two  years.  He  then  returned  to 
Norway. 

He  married  Miss  Caroline  Lucie  Danielson,  of 
Bergen,  Norway,  Dec.  26,  1874.  Her  parents 
(Ole  and  Maria  Danielson)  lived  to  celebrate 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


487 


their  diamond  wedding.  Mr.  Solberg's  mother 
died  in  Bergen;  his  father  is  still  living. 

In  the  spring  of  1875  Mr.  Solberg  returned  to 
Pentwater  with  his  bride  and  was  given  charge 
of  Sands  &  Maxwell's  branch  store  at  Crystal 
Valley,  Mich.  He  remained  until  1878,  when  he 
moved  to  Norway,  111.  Here  he  was  bookkeeper 
with  Chas.  J.  Borchsenius  until  1884,  when  he 
started  a  general  merchandise  store  in  Norway. 
He  operated  this  store  until  1892.  During  that 
year  he  built  a  brick  house  and  store  in  Seneca, 
closed  up  his  establishment  in  Norway,  and 
moved  to  Seneca,  where  he1  has  conducted  a  gen- 
eral store  since.  He  was  postmaster  at  Nor- 
way during  President  Cleveland's  first  term  and 
has  served  as  alderman  in  Seneca  for  nine  years. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Solberg  have  had  eight  children, 
namely:  Gertrude  Maria,  born  Sept.  20,  1875; 
Olaf,  Oct.  14,  1877;  Carl  August,  Sept.  7,  1879; 
Caroline  Lucie,  May  3,  1882;  Ernest,  July  20, 
1884;  Walter,  August  2,  1885;  Marshall,  Jan.  18, 
1887;  Margit,  April  13,  1890.  Ernest,  Walter  and 
Margit  have  passed  away. 


C.   O.  R.   STABECK, 

Cashier  of  the  Farmer's  Bank  of  Davis,  111.,  was 
born  on  his  father's  farm  in  Winnebago  county, 
Illinois,  Dec.  31,  1881.  His  father,  Thursten 
Stabeck,  now  deceased,  and  his  mother  (Torgen 
Patterson)  were  also  born  in  Winnebago  county. 
They  resided  on  this  farm  until  1884,  when  they 
moved  to  Davis.  Here  the  elder  Stabeck  engaged 
in  the  shipping  of  horses  to  the  Northwest,  and 
also  handled  real  estate  and  loans,  until  1895, 
when  he  organized  the  Farmer's  Bank  of  Davis, 
of  which  he  was  president  until  his  death,  on 
June  8,  1903.  His  widow  with  six  children  sur- 
vives him;  four  of  them  are  married — H.  N.  Sta- 
beck, president  of  the  First  National  Bank,  Ren- 
ville,  Minn.;  Clara  L.  Orth;  Raymond,  Minn.; 
Anna  H.  Bragstad  and  Estella  B.  Bragstad,  of 
Canton,  S.  D. 

The    subject    of    our    sketch    and    a    younger 
brother,  Lloyd  K.,  are  at  home  with  their  mother 


at  Davis,  111.  Mr.  Stabeck  graduated  from  the 
Davis  high  school  in  1900.  He  was  early  taught 
the  Norwegian  language,  attending  school  every 
summer  until  he  was  confirmed,  June  6,  1896.  In 
1900-'01  he  attended  Luther  College,  Decorah, 
Iowa,  where  he  received  his  diploma  from  the 
preparatory  department,  having  devoted  most  of 
his  time  to  the  study  of  languages,  more  especial- 
ly to  Norwegian  and  Germany^  The  following 
year  he  attended  Beloit  (Wis.)  college,  after 
which  he  taught  Norwegian  school  for  two 
terms.  He  then  entered  the  Farmer's  Bank  of 


C.  O.  R.  Stabeck. 


Davis  as  bookkeeper,  which  place  he  held  until 
his  father's  death,  when  he  was  appointed  cashier 
and  director.  He  is  closely  connected  with 
several  banks  and  land  companies  through- 
out the  Northwest,  being  vice-president  of  the 
Gold-Stabeck  Land  and  Credit  Company,  of  Ren- 
ville,  Minn.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian 
Lutheran  Church  of  Rock  Run,  is  a  republican 
in  politics,  and  is  township  and  village  treasurer. 
He  is  a  32d-degree  Mason. 


488 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


PETER  CHRISTIAN  BUCK  STANCE, 

With  the  First  National  Bank,  was  born  at  Amle 
sogn,  Bergens  stift,  Norway,  April  18,  1849.  His 
parents  were  Jacob  Stange,  merchant,  of  Flekke- 
fjord,  and  Dorothea  Christiaoe  Buck,  of  Molde. 
When  our  subject  was  18  months  old  his  father 
died,  and  the  widow  first  moved  to  Bergen  and 
later  to  Mandal,  where  he  attended  the  select 
school  until  the  age  of  nearly  15  years,  when  he 
entered  the  office  of  district  judge  Mons  Lie, 
father  of  the  poet  Jonas  Lie.  Here,  under  the 
kind  patronage  of  the  judge  and  his  able  son 


Peter  C.  B.  Stange. 


and  deputy,  Emil  Lie,  he  was  enabled  through 
further  study  under  private  tuition  to  acquire 
an  education. 

His  elder  brother,  Christopher  Lorentz  Buck, 
being  a  graduate  pharmacist,  accepted  the  posi- 
tion of  medical  attendant  on  the  sailing  vessel 
Rjukan  for  a  passage  to  America.  On  reaching 
Chicago  he  obtained  a  position  as  chemist  so 
remunerative  that  he  remained  in  America  and 
urged  his  brother  to  follow.  He  did  so,  arriving 
in  Chicago  in  June,  1868. 


Now  began  a  series  of  trials  for  him,  in  a 
strange  country  and  under  new  conditions.  In 
order  to  become  thoroughly  Americanized  he 
worked  on  a  farm  in  Illinois,  and  later  went 
to  Louisiana,  where  he  worked  a  cotton  plan- 
tation one  year  on  shares.  After  various  vicis- 
situdes in  the  South  he  returned  to  Chicago. 
In  1872,  following  the  great  fire,  he  secured  em- 
ployment in  a  dry  goods  store  on  Milwaukee 
avenue,  where  he  was  offered  a  partnership,  but 
declined  it  to  take  a  position  with  a  newly  or- 
ganized Scandinavian  banking  house,  which  was 
more  to  his  liking.  That  bank,  however,  failed 
in  1877,  and  he  accepted  a  position  with  the 
foreign  exchange  department  of  the  First  National 
Bank  of  Chicago,  which,  under  the  leadership 
of  Lyman  J.  Gage  and  later  under  James  B. 
Forgan,  was  destined  to  become  the  greatest 
financial  institution  west  of  New  York.  It 
afforded  the  desired  field  for  his  energies.  He 
has  remained  with  the  bank  since,  having  held 
the  place  of  chief  accountant  for  the  foreign  ex- 
change department,  had  charge  of  the  Scandi- 
navian department,  ana  is  at  present  assistant  to 
the  manager  of  the  foreign  exchange  department. 

In  1893  he  applied  for  the  post  of  vice-consul 
for  Norway  and  Sweden  in  Chicago,  being  sup- 
ported by  the  newspapers  Norden,  Amerika  and 
Skandinaven.  In  this  connection  we  quote  in 
translation  from  Norden  of  May  16,  1896:  "Chris- 
tian Stange  is  first  of  all  a  business  man  and  a 
bank  man,  but  he  is  also  interested  in  matters 
not  pertaining  to  the  daily  toil  and  strife.  He 
is  greatly  interested  in  literature  and  music  and 
is  a  warm  and  faithful  friend.  In  1893  he  applied 
for  the  vacant  Norwegian-Swedish  consulship 
in  this  city,  and  nothing  shows  better  the  high 
esteem  in  which  he  is  held  than  the  fact  that, 
on  the  strength  of  testimonials  from  Chicago  he 
was  recommended  for  the  post  both  by  the 
Norwegian  government  at  Christiania  and 
Minister  Grip  at  Washington.  The  King,  how- 
ever, wanted  a  Swede  for  consul,  and  that  set- 
tled it." 

Mr.  Stange  has  never  taken  an  active  part  in 
politics,  excepting  during  the  Bryan  silver 
campaign  in  1896,  when  he  took  a  decided  stand 
on  the  side  of  gold.  He  has  held  offices  in  the 
Norwegian  Dramatic  Society,  1868-9,  the  Norwe- 
gian Society,  1875-6;  the  Arion  Singing  Society; 
the  Scandinavian  Literary  Society;  the  'Nor- 
wegian Quartet  Club;  the  Tabitha  Hospital  As- 
sociation, and  others. 

In  1876  he  married  Miss  Jennie  Johnson,  a 
daughter  of  Captain  George  A.  Johnson,  of  Man- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


489 


itowoc,  Wis.  They  have  had  five  children;  only 
two  are  living  —  George  Adolphus,  now  in  the 
;nsurance  business,  and  Thora  Adelaide. 


WILLIAM  JAN  STANCE 

Is  a  native  of  Chicago,  having  been  born  in  this 
city  Oct.  14,  1870.  His  father,  C.  L.  B.  .Stange, 
was  born  in  Flekkefjord,  Norway,  and  his 


William  J.  Stange. 


mother  Wilhelmina  Mathilda  Mjziller,  in  Copen- 
hagen, Denmark.  They  came  to  America  in 
1867.  Upon  arrival  here  Stange,  Sr.,  engaged  in 
the  chemical  business  and  continued  in  it  until 
his  death  on  March  31,  1889.  William,  who  was 
then  19  years  old,  had  together  with  his  school- 


ing, also  been  with  his  father  and  studied  the 
business  so  that  he  was  able  to  continue  in  the 
same  line  and  has  been  engaged  in  the  same 
business  since.  He  manufactures  bottlers'  sup- 
plies, flavoring  extracts,  chemicals  and  colors. 
His  plant  is  located  at  839-41  W.  Lake  street. 

He  attended  the  University  of  Notre  Dame, 
Indiana,  for  fou'r  years,  and  then  took  a  course 
in  pharmacy  and  chemistry  at  the  Illinois  College 
of  Pharmacy.  A  year  or  so  after  his  father's 
death  he  associated  himself  with  others,  but  in 
1903  he  branched  out  for  himself,  alone  and 
independent. 

He  was  married  on  June  1,  1898,  to  Lucretia 
Stevens,  daughter  of  Jacob  and  Lucretia  Stevens, 
of  Chicago.  Mrs.  Stange  is  a  vocalist  of  some 
note,  possessing  a  very  fine  and  unusual  contralto 
voice,  as  well  as  being  an  accomplished  pianist. 
Mr.  Stange  prides  himself  upon  the  fluency  with 
which  he  speaks  Norwegian,  considering  that 
he  is  a  native  American.  He  speaks  German 
with  equal  fluency. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Orders,  the 
B.  &  P.  O.  of  E.,  Knights  and  Ladies  of  Security, 
and  a  charter  member  of  the  Chicago  Drug  Trade 
Club. 


HENRY  NICHOLAS  STOLTENBERG, 

The  attorney,  was  born  in  Chicago  on  March  9, 
1866.  His  parents  were  Jens  and  Anna  Erland 
Stoltenberg.  Henry  attended  the  public  schools 
in  Chicago  and  afterward  Lake  Forest  University 
where  he  received  the  degree  of  bachelor  of  law, 
From  1875  to  1884  he  sold  newspapers,  mornings 
and  evenings.  Then  he  took  up  shorthand  and 
secured  a  position  as  stenographer  with  Judge 
Windes  and  Mr.  Alexander  Sullivan's  law  firm, 
acting  also  as  court  reporter.  During  these  years 
he  also  studied  law,  and  in  1890  began  to  practice. 
He  opened  an  office  for  himself  in  1902. 

He  was  married  to  Ingeborg,  daughter  of  Herr 
and  Fru  Johan  H.  Jensen,  of  Stavanger,  Norway, 
on  Aug.  24,  1894.  They  have  four  children — 
Harriet  Evelyn,  born  1895;  Gladys  Lillian,  1897; 
Leila  Naomi,  1899;  Vivian  Beulah,  1902.  Mr. 
Stoltenberg's  father  died  in  1870;  his  mother  is 
living.  Our  subject  is  a  member  of  Austin 


490 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Lodge,  A.  F.  &  A.  M.;  Cicero  chapter,  R.  A.  M.; 
Royal  Arcanum;  A.  O.  U.  W.,  and  of  the  Degree 
of  Honor,  A.  O.  U.  W.,  in  which  order  he  has 
also  been  representative  to  the  grand  lodge  and 
deputy  master  workman.  He  spent  three  years 


Henry  Stoltenberg. 


in  the  interest  of  the  Norwegian  Hospital  and 
other  charitable  societies,  and  was  president  of 
the  Norwegian  Tabitha  Hospital.  The  family  re- 
sides at  303  Humboldt  boulevard. 


of  his  native  city  and  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran 
church. 

He  was  then  apprenticed  to  learn  the  trade  of 
a  watchmaker  at  Christiania.  At  the  age  of 
twenty  he  came  to  America  and  settled  first  at 
Marquette  and  later  at  Ishpeming,  Michigan, 
where  he  started  in  business  and  was  married 
May  2,  1891,  to  Miss  Olga  Marie  Kaspersen  of 
Christiania,  Norway. 

Seeking  a  larger  field  he  moved  to  Chicago  in 
1893  and  found  employment  as  an  expert  watch- 
maker with  the  large  jewelry  house  of  Spaulding 
and  Company  on  State  street.  Here  Mr.  Stuhr 


Peter  J.  W.  Stuhr. 


PETER  JOHAN  WICKMANN   STUHR. 

Was  born  at  Kristiansund,  Norway,  February  3, 
1870.  His  parents  are  Captain  C.  H.  Stuhr  and 
his  wife  Babette,  nee  Walther. 

Mr.   Stuhr  was   educated  in  the   High   Schools 


remained  until  August,  1906,  when  he  engaged 
in  business  on  his  own  account  and  opened  a 
jewelry  store  at  591  N.  California  avenue,  where 
he  is  doing  an  ever  increasing  business,  as  he  is 
gaining  the  confidence  of  his  countrymen  and 
neighbors  by  excellent  work  and  straight  deal- 
ings. It  is  in  fact  a  splendid  recommendation  to 
have  been  connected  with  such  a  prominent  busi- 
ness house  during  so  many  years,  as  Spaulding 
and  Company  employ  only  first-class  men. 

Mr.  Stuhr  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian  Quar- 
tet Club. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


491 


SVEND   SVENDSEN, 

The  eminent  landscape  painter,  was  born  at  Nit- 
tedal,  Norway,  March  21,  1864.  His  parents, 
Rasmus  and  Marie  Svendsen,  removed  to  Christi- 
ania  shortly  after  his  birth.  He  received  a  public 
school  education  and  at  the  early  age  of  twelve 
was  sent  to  work  to  help  swell  the  family  in- 
come. At  that  time  drawing  was  not  taught  in 
the  public  schools  in  the  capital,  and  Svendsen, 
whose  mind  had  been  bent  upon  becoming  a 
painter  from  the  time  he  was  able  to  read,  was 


Svend  Svendsen. 


compelled  to  learn  the  intricacies  of  perspective 
and  science  of  color  by  experiments  during  spare 
moments  at  night  and  on  Sundays.  The  Na- 
tional Gallery  was  the  magic  land  to  which  he 
looked  forward  during  the  week,  and  visited 
Sundays,  to  wander  among  the  old  masters. 
Blomquist's  well  known  art  gallery  was  the 
scene  of  numerous  pilgrimages  during  hours 
snatched  from  his  labor.  But  Svendsen  was 
hungering  to  learn.  Norway  offered  nothing  to 
the  poor  boy  without  influence  or  money,  noth- 
ing but  the  beauty  of  its  mountains  and  fjords. 
With  almost  nothing  but  the  memories  of  these 


Svendsen  left  the  land  of  his  birth  June  15, 1881, 
and  landed  in  America  on  the  Fourth  of  July. 

Then  came  a  period  of  struggles,  study  and 
starvation.  In  1890  he  married  May  Isabel  New- 
ton. He  began  to  exhibit  his  paintings  about 
this  time  but  attracted  little  attention  until  five 
years  later  when  his  "Sundown,  Evening  Sha- 
dows" won  the  "Young  Fortnightly"  prize  at  the 
Art  Institute  of  Chicago,  creating  a  furore 
among  art  lovers. 

From  then  Svendsen's  name  has  been  a  house- 
hold word'  in  art  circles  in  the  west.  Such  men 
of  wealth  and  culture  as  Joseph  Jefferson,  Fran- 
cis Wilson,  Charles  Hutchinson,  James  Deering, 
Edward  B.  Butler,  Chauncey  Keep,  Clarence 
Darrow,  William  G.  Mather,  Paul  Cornell,  John 
P.  Wilson,  A.  B.  Dick,  Dr.  Kuh,  among  Ameri- 
cans, and  H.  A.  Haugan,  Judge  Torrison,  Dr. 
Remmen,  Magnus  Swenson,  Ingolf  R.  Boyesen 
among  his  countrymen,  bought  his  now  famous 
sun-lighted  snow-scenes.  Svendsen  then  visited 
Norway  bringing  back  with  him  material  which 
resulted  in  a  special  exhibition  at  Thurber's,  Chi- 
cago, and  was  a  decided  success,  a  majority  of 
the  paintings  being  sold  during  the  first  week. 

While  Svendsen  is  entirely  selftaught,  with 
the  originality  which  results  from  having  no- 
thing to  unlearn,  Thaulow  was  the  one  man 
whose  art  had  the  greatest  .influence  upon  his 
work.  Thaulow  and  his  followers,  returning 
from  Paris  and  taking  up  the  "plein  air"  method, 
then  in  vogue  there,  practicing  their  art  in  the 
environs  of  Christiania,  in  all  kinds  of  weather, 
was  a  revelation  to  Svendsen,  and  the  pleasant 
change  from  the  unnatural  browns  of  the  Dus- 
seldorf  school  to  the  fresh,  glorious  color  of  the 
young  realists  left  a  potent  impress  upon  his 
mind. 

While  Svendsen  never  strived  for  the  photo- 
graphic exactness  of  the  most  rabid  of  the  real- 
ists his  paintings  show  nature  in  all  its  more 
poetic  moods  and  coloring,  touched  with  a  great 
deal  of  truthfulness  which  this  school  endeavors 
to  infuse  into .  its  work.  The  elusive  tints  of 
early  dawn,  sunrise  and  sundown,  the  glimming 
of  the  level  sun  across  snowcovered  fields,  and 
bowlder-strewn  mountains,  on  the  birches  and 
pines,  and  the  humble  cottages  of  Norway,  are 
the  colors  we  find  mostly  in  his  best  paintings. 

Two  more  honors  came  to  Svendsen.  An 
Honorable  Mention  at  the  Nashville  Centennial, 
1896,  and  a  medal  at  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Ex- 
position at  St.  Louis,  1904. 

Five  children  have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Svendsen:  Walter,  Beatrice,  Mable,  Winnie  and 
Erling.  The  family  reside  in  their  own  cozy 
cottage  at  431  W.  George  street,  Chicago. 


492 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


SIVERT  SVE, 

The  well  known  watchmaker  and  jeweler  of 
Pana,  Illinois,  was  born  on  0rlandet,  S^ndre 
Trondhjems  amt,  Norway,  Oct.  18,  1851.  His 
parents  were  Johan  Christian  and  Elen  Johanna 
(0ien)  Svee,  his  father  being'  the  keeper  of  a 
general  merchandise  store. 

Young  Sivert  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  and  confirmed  in  0rlandet's  church, 
whereupon  he  was  apprenticed  to  learn  the  trade 
of  a  watchmaker  with  Severin  Hoff,  at  Trond- 
hjem.  Having  completed  his  trade  and  become 


Sivert  Svc. 

a  master  mechanic  of  same  he  started  in  busi- 
ness as  a  watchmaker  at  Trondhjem,  but  being 
persuaded  he  could  do  better  in  America  he  con- 
cluded to  try  his  fortune  in  this  country. 

He  arrived  in  Chicago  May  18,  1880.  Here  he 
obtained  employment  with  Madson  &  Company 
on  State  street  and  remained  with  them  until 
January  1881,  when  he  was  offered  a  position  in 
the  Elgin  Watch  Factory,  which  he  accepted. 

In  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  came  to  Spring- 
field, 111.,  and  remained  with  the  Illinois  Watch 
Co.  until  May,  1883,  when  he  went  on  a  visit  to 
Norway. 

Returning    to    America    he    again    accepted    a 


position  with  the  Illinois  Watch  Co.,  and  re- 
mained until  October  1893,  when  he  started  a 
jewelry  store  at  Pana,  111.,  where  his  business 
has  been  on  the  increase  ever  since. 

Mr.  Sve  has  been  married  twice;  the  first  time 
in  1876  to  Miss  Nicoline  Zaura  who  died  in 
Trondhjem,  in  1882,  leaving  him  with  three  chil- 
dren: Johan  Christian,  born  in  1877;  Halfdan 
Olaus,  in  1879,  and  Magdalena,  in  1880.  Of  these 
Johan  is  married  to  Miss  Ella  Hunter. 

In  1886  Mr.  Sve  was  again  married,  this  time 
to  Miss  Karen  0iaas,  a  daughter  of  Anders  and 
Sigrid  0iaas.  They  have  had  two  children;  Sig- 
rid,  born  in  1887,  and  Erling,  born  in  1889. 

Mr.  Sve's  parents  have  departed  from  this  life, 
the  mother  in  1881,  69  years  of  age,  and  the  father 
in  1898,  79  years  old,  both  in  South  Dakota. 

Mr.  Sve  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Order 
K.  O.  T.  M. 

His  business  address  is  at  131  S.  Locust  street 
and  he  resides  at  407  S.  Chestnut  street,  Pana, 
Christian  county,  111. 


CHRISTOPHER    MARTIN     S0RENSEN, 

Of  Aurora,  111.,  was  born  in  Christiania,  Norway, 
Aug.  4,  1827.  At  the  age  of  14  he  was  appren- 
ticed to  learn  carpenter  and  cabinet  work,  and 
continued  at  that  until  1853  when  he  came  to 
America.  He  secured  work  in  a  piano  factory 
in  New  York  city  and  remained  there  for  five 
years;  returned  to  Norway,  where  he  was  offered 
a  good  place  with  the  Hals  Bros',  piano  factory 
and  remained  with  them  until  1868,  and  again 
came  to  America. 

He  made  a  short  stop  in  Chicago,  but  early 
located  at  Aurora,  where  he  was  employed  in 
the  shop  of  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  Railroad.  He  con- 
tinued with  this  company  continuously  until 
Thanksgiving  day,  1905,  when  he  resigned  and 
retired  to  enjoy  his  remaining  years  visiting  his 
children  and  at  his  pleasant  home  in  Aurora. 

Mr.  Sjzfrensen  was  married  in  Norway,  May 
10,  1850,  to  Emilie  Marianna  Wangensten.  His 
wife  died  in  1882,  leaving  six  children,  four  hav- 
ing preceded  her  to  the  unknown  shore.  Those 
living  were  all  girls — Mathilda  Severina,  Ovidia 
Amelia,  Emma  Maria,  Anna,  Martha  and  Jennie. 
All  are  married  and  comfortably  settled,  and 
grandchildren  greet  Mr.  S0rensen  at  all  his 
daughters'  homes.  Mr.  S0rensen  is  a  member  of 
Waubansia  Lodge,  No.  45,  I.  O.  O.  F.;  Rebekah 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


493 


Christopher  M.  S0rensen. 


Encampment,  No.  22,  and  Uniform  Degree  Can- 
ton, No.  13,  Aurora,  111.  He  has  filled  nearly 
all  chairs  in  these  lodges  and  was  for  one  term 
chief  patriarch.  He  belongs  to  and  attends  the 
Lutheran  church. 


EDWARD  (IVER)  J.  TASTAD 

Was  born  at  Tastad,  near  Stavanger,  Norway, 
Aug.  23,  1859.  His  father  was  Iver  Siversen  and 
his  mother  Bertha  Malena  Jensdatter.  Mr.  Ta- 
stad received  his  education  and  worked  on  his 
father's  farm  until  of  age. 

He  then  concluded  to  try  his  fortune  in  the 
new  world,  and  consequently  emigrated  in  the 
year  1882  and  landed  in  New  York.  He  went 
directly  to  Lee,  111.,  where  he  worked  on  farms 
about  a  year  and  went  to  South  Dakota  and  took 
up  a  homestead  in  Sanborn  county.  There  he  re- 
mained six  years,  sold  out  his  farm  and  moved 
to  Lee  county,  Illinois,  where  he  worked  at  farm- 
ing, but  finally  settled  down  in  De  Kalb  county, 
where  he  rented  one  farm  and  then  another, 


farming  in   that  county  the   last   six   years.      He 
has  at  the  present  time  retired  from  farming. 

In  1882  Mr.  Tastad  was  married,  just  nine 
days  before  he  emigrated,  to  Miss  Mary  Lund,  of 
Omo',  near  Stavanger.  Their  marital  union  has 
been  blessed  with  eight  children  —  four  sons 
and  four  daughters:  Ida,  married  to  Julius  Lund, 
of  De  Kalb;  Alma,  married  to  John  Johnson,  of 
De  Kalb;  Maggie;  Edwin;  Arthur;  Stanley;  Elle- 
nore  May.  All  except  the  married  ones  are  liv- 
ing with  their  parents  at  De  Kalb.  The  family 
belongs  to  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church. 


OLE   LARSON   TENDALL, 

Of  Yorkville,  111.,  was  born  in  Skaanevigs  parish, 
Norway,  Dec.  9,  1846,  to  Lars  Larson  and  Mar- 
grete  Haldorsdatter  Ebne  Teigendal.  His  father 
was  a  farmer.  Ole  attended  the  ambulatory  school 
a  few  weeks  each  year  from  9  to  14  years  old 
and  was  then  confirmed.  His  father  was  sickly 
and  died  when  our  subject  was  13  years  old,  so 
that  he  and  a  brother  two  years  younger  had  to 
work  hard  to  help  their  mother  on  the  little  farm. 
When  16  years  of  age  he  began  to  work  as  a 
builder  of  ships,  which  he  continued  utitil  he  left 
for  America. 

He  was  married  Nov.  35,  1869,  in  Skaanevigs 
Church  to  Siri  Larsdaiter  Tungesvig,  born  Feb. 
10,  1848.  Her  parents  were  Lars  and  Siri  (Nils- 
datter  Tungesvig)  Johannesen. 

They  left  Bergen,  Norway,  on  the  sailship 
Kong  Sverre,  in  April,  1871,  and  arrived  in  Que- 
bec, Canada,  five  weeks  later.  They  made  their 
way  by  steamer  to  Hamilton  and  by  railroad  to 
Yorkville,  111.,  where  they  arrived  on  June  19. 
He  soon  rented  a  farm  of  247  acres  in  Kendall 
township,  upon  which  he  has  lived  for  over  thirty 
years. 

They  have  thirteen  chil'dren  —  seven  sons  and 
six  daughters  —  all  living:  Sarah,  born  1870; 
Louis,  1871;  Sievert,  1873;  Tom,  1875;  Henry, 
1877;  Maggie,  1878;  Lars,  1880;  Mathie,  1882; 
•Otto,  1883;  Emma,  1885;  Clara,  1887;  Randolph, 
1889;  Ida,  1891.  Of  these  Sarah  is  married  to 
Ole  J.  Markhus;  Louis  to  Sarah  Nilson;  Sievert 
to  Carrie  A.  Ersland;  Tom  to  Hannah  Anderson; 
Henry  to  Alice  Nelson;  Maggie  to  Peter  Thomp- 
son; Mathie  to  Elbert  Beane;  Emma  to  Ollie 
Munson. 


494 


A   HISTORY   OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


H 
n 

3 

Q. 

a 


vT 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


495 


Mr.  Tendall  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  com- 
missioners for  highways  of  Kendall  township. 
The  family  are  members  of  the  Lisbon  Lutheran 
Church,  of  which  Mr.  Tendall  has  been  trustee 
and  deacon.  He  is  one  of  the  incorporators  of  the 
Pleasant  View  Luther  College;  also  of  the  Dea- 
coness Hospital  and  the  Children's  Home  in 
Chicago.  His  father  died  in  Norway  in  1859;  his 
mother  was  living  with  our  subject  on  the  farm, 
where  she  died  in  1893. 


DR.  ABRAHAM  L.  THOMAS. 

Dr.  Abraham  Lokkert  Harken  Thomas  was 
born  at  Offersjzi,  Buxness  prestegjeld,  West  Lo- 
foten, Norway,  Jan.  26,  1850.  His  parents  were 
Thomas  L  .and  Johanna  (nee  Amundsen)  Abra- 
hamsen. 

While  growing  up  young  Abraham  went  to  the 
district  school,  and  during  vacations  in  the  sum- 
mer time  went  roaming  the  mountains  and  the 
adjoining  wild  country,  boating  or  sailing  on  the 
sea  and  sometimes  fishing  and  helping  on  the 


THOR  TESDAL 

Was  born  in  Stavanger,  Norway,  March  8,  1870. 
His  father,  T.  Tesdal,  was  sheriff  in  Hjzigsfjord, 
near  Stavanger.  His  mother  was  Malma  (born 
Johnsen),  from  the  same  part  of  the  country. 
Our  subject  was  baptized  in  domkirken  in  Sta- 
vanger, and  confirmed  in  H01e  church.  His  youth 
was  spent  at  school,  attending  Almueskolen  at 
H01e,  also  took  private  lessons  and  attended 
Captain  Storms'  private  middelskole,  in  Stavan- 
ger. 

He  came  to  -America  and  passed  through  the 
celebrated  Castle  Garden  on  March  22,  1888.  He 
went  to  Morris,  Grundy  county,  111.,  and  has 
since  lived  in  Nettle  Creek  township  in  that 
county.  His  first  work  in  this  country  was  as  a 
farm  hand,  working  by  the  month.  He  afterward 
bought  eighty  acres  of  land  in  Nettle  Creek  town- 
ship, located  about  eight  miles  northwest  of  Mor- 
ris, where  he  now  resides. 

He  was  married  to  Chrlstianna  Cassem,  of 
Nettle  Creek  township,  on  Aug.  29,  1892.  They 
have  six  children — five  sons  and  one  daughter — 
namely:  Tillier,  born  June  14,  1893;  Palmer  Air 
fred,  Jan.  22,  1895;  Melvin,  July  29,  1897;  Arnold 
Chester,  April  25,  1899;  Blanchard,  Jan.  28,  1901; 
Lillie,  April  24,  1903. 

Our  subject  was  elected  town  clerk  in  1902  and 
has  been  re-elected  every  year  since.  He  has 
been  school  director  for  over  ten  years.  He  is 
a  member  of  the  United  Lutheran  Church  at 
Lisbon  and  has  been  trustee  for- the  Norwegian 
school  connected  with  the  church.  He  contributes 
to  Norwegian  charities  through  his  church. 


Dr.  Abraham  L.  Thomas. 


farm.  In  the  wintertime  he  enjoyed  the  popular 
Norwegian  sport  ski-running.  He  was  confirmed 
in  the  Lutheran  church  at  Buxness. 

In  June,  1868,  Mr.  Thomas  came  to  America, 
landing  at  Quebec,  Canada,  from  where  he  went 
direct  to  Rochester,  Minn.,  arriving  on  June  16. 
Here  he  spent  most  of  his  time  at  school  up  to 
1876,  incidentally  working  on  farms,  selling  books, 
farm  implements,  rafting  on  the  Missippi,  rail- 
road building,  marble  polishing  and  other  minor 


496 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


occupations.  Here  he  also  began  studying  medi- 
cine with  Dr.  W.  W.  Mayo. 

In  1876  he  entered  Chicago  Medical  College, 
graduating  from  same  as  a  M.  D.,  in  1879.  He 
immediately  started  practicing  medicine  and  has 
continued  in  his  profession  up  to  the  present 
time,  with  offices  at  3046  Wentworth  avenue  and 
4424  Indiana  avenue. 

In  December  1879  Dr.  Thomas  was  married  to 
Miss  Sarah  Lines,  a  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
John  Lines.  They  have  one  s6n,  Orville  Adrian 
Thomas,  born  Jan.  10,  1881. 

Dr.  Thomas  is  a  member  of  the  Masonic  Or- 
ders Blue  Lodge,  Chapter,  Commandery,  Con- 
sistory, Eastern  Star  and  Eastern  Star  Shrine. 
He  is  Past  Master  of  Blue  Lodge,  Principal  So- 
journer  in  Chapter  and  Junior  Ward  in  Com- 
mandery. He  is  a  member  of  the  Hamilton  Club, 
the  Chicago  Medical  Society  and  the  American 
Medical  Association. 

Dr.  Thomas'  mother  passed  away  about  25 
years  ago,  but  his  father  is  still  living  in  fair 
health  at  the  advanced  age  of  85  years,  with  wife 
of  a  second  marriage,  one  son  and  two  daugh- 
ters, at  Offersjzf,  Norway. 

With  his  wife  and  son  Dr.  Thomas  resides  at 
4424  Indiana  avenue. 


JOHN  THOMPSON, 

Johannes  Thomassen,  being  the  correct  way  of . 
spelling  it  in  Norwegian,  was  born  in  Western 
Toten,  Norway,  July  19,  1851.  His  father  was 
Thomas  Storsveen  and  his  mother's  maiden  name 
Helene  Christiansdatter  R0naas.  He  attended 
the  country  schools  in  Norway  until  about  15 
years  old  and  was  confirmed  in  Aas  Church  in 
Western  Toten. 

He  came  to  America  with  his  parents  and  a 
sister  and  a  brother  in  1868,  landing  at  Quebec 
and  going  direct  to  Winneshiek  county,  Iowa. 
Here  he  worked  on  a  farm  for  two  years. 

He  came  to  Chicago  in  1870,  where  he  has  re- 
sided since.  He  had  devoted  about  one  year  in 
Norway  toward  learning  cabinet  making,  and 
when  he  came  to  Chicago  he  got  a  place  in  a 
planing  mill.  Later  he  joined  Lars  Skielvik  and 
Anton  Petersen  in  a  desk  factory,  but  sold  out 


his  interest  the  next  year.  He  then  joined  an- 
other man  in  a.  furniture  factory,  but  came  out 
of  it  four  yearsi  later  with  lots  of  experience  and 
no  money.  He  then  accepted  the  foremanship 
with  the  Chicago  Desk  Manufacturing  Company 
and  remained  there  seven  years.  He  was  fore- 
man for  Anton  Petersen  &  Co.  for  two  years, 
and  later  in  charge  of  the  wood  work  with  the 
James  C.  Curtis  Casket  Co. 

In  1898  he  joined  his  brother  Hakon  in  the 
undertaking  business,  in  which  he  has  continued 
since.  In  1904  they  opened  another  office,  at 


John  Thompson. 


512  N.  California  avenue,  where  our  subject,  who 
owns  the  building,  is  in  charge.  Hakon  Thomp- 
son, who  lives  on  Ohio  street,  is  in  charge  of  the 
old1  establishment,  on  May  street,  near  Erie. 

Mr.  Thompson  was  married  in  Chicago,  in  1873, 
to  Rina  Hansen,  from  Torpen,  Nordre  Land  par- 
ish. She  died  in  1882. 

In  1883  he  married  Miss  Annie  O.  Berg,  from 
Sarpsborg,  Norway.  There  are  three  children. 
His  parents  are  both  dead.  He  is  a  life  member 
of  the  Children's  Home  Society  and  also  of  the 
Norwegian  Lutheran  Deaconess  Home  and  Hos- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


497 


pital,  and  has  been  a  member  of  the  Old  People's 
Home  Society  since  its  organization.  The  family- 
are  members  of  Bethlejiem  Norwegian  Lutheran 
Church.  They  reside  at  512  N.  California  avenue. 


THOMAS  F.  THOMPSON, 

Of  Leland,  111.,  was  born  in  Norway,  Sept.  7, 
1832,  and  came  to  America  with  his  parents — 
Thormod  S.,  and  Ingeborg  (Lydahl)  Flattre — 


In  1854  Mr.  Thompson  went  to  Leland,  where 
he  was  for  two  years  in  partnership  with  Mr. 
A.  A.  Klove.  After  this  he  went  to  Atchison 
county,  Kansas,  where  he  and  John  and  Ole 
Nelson,  o£  Chicago,  ran  a  sawmill  for  two  years. 
After  his  return  to  Leland  he  was  for  a  time 
employed  in  a  dry  goods  store  owned  by  Hans 
Thompson. 

In  1861  Mr.  Thompson  and  Thomas  Iverson 
began  to  deal  in  grain  at  Leland,  and  they  con- 
tinued the  business  with  varying  success  until 
1866,  when  Mr.  Thompson  disposed  of  his  inter- 
est and  was  associated  for  a  time  with  C.  F. 
Oakfield  in  the  same  business.  He  then  moved 
to  Creston,  111.,  where  for  eight  years  he  was 
engaged  in  merchandising.  Returning  to  Leland, 
he  formed  a  partnership  with  Knute  Buland  and 
bought  the  grain  business  of  Mr.  .Oakfield,  who 
had  died  just  before  that  time.  In  1883  Andrew 
Anderson  bought  Mr.  Buland's  interest  in  the 
business  and  the  firm  became  Thompson  &  An- 
derson. They  continued  business  until  1901. 
The  banking  department  was  added  in  May,  1896. 

Mr.  Thompson  is  a  republican.  He  served 
his  townsmen  from  1880  to  1900  as  town  clerk, 
and  has  filled  several  other  important  offices. 

He  married  Caroline  A.  Satter,  a  daughter  of 
Ole  T.  Satter,  June  19,  1861.  Mrs.  Thompson 
was  a  native  of  Norway.  She  was  six  months 
old  when  she  was  brought  to  this  country.  She 
bore  Mr.  Thompson  ten  children,  and  died  deeply 
mourned,  in  1886.  Six  of  their  children  are  liv- 
ing—  Louis  T.,  Stanley  O.,  Cora  May,  Mrs.  H. 
R.  Thompson,  Mrs.  Wm.  Grover  and  Mrs.  W. 
H.  Burke.  Mr.  Thompson  has  proven  himself 
a  public-spirited  citizen,  alive  to  the  best  inter- 
ests of  his  town,  county  and  state  and  deeply 
interested  in  national  affairs.  There  is  no  public 
movement  affecting  the  weal  of  the  people  of 
La  Salle  county  in  which  he  is  not  active  and 
helpful. 


Thomas  F.  Thompson. 


in  1844,  locating  in  Norway,  Racine  county,  Wis. 
At  the  age  of  14  he  was  confirmed  in  the 
Lutheran  Church.  Mr.  Thompson  remained  at 
the  family  home  in  Wisconsin  until  1852,  when 
he  left  for  Chicago,  his  father  moving  to  Leland, 
La  Salle  county,  111.,  in  1853,  his  mother  having 
died  in  Norway,  Wis. 


HENNING   LUDVIG  THORESEN, 

Of  Morris,  111.,  was  born  in  Christiania,  Nor- 
way, Jan.  23,  1863.  He  is  the  second  son  of 
Henning  Ludvig  and  Julia  Karoline  (Guidotti) 
Thoresen,  Christiania,  Norway.  His  father  was 
a  wholesale  merchant,  a  leading  man  in  his  line, 


498 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


a  forceful,  public-spirited  citizen  and  one  of  the 
"ice  breakers"  in  Norwegian  liberal  politics.  His 
son  and  namesake  frequented  in  his  early  school 
days  the  well  known  Quam  grammar  school,  and 
later  the  Christiania  cathedral  school,  and  after 
his  confirmation  entered  a  business  academy  to 
equip  himself  for  a  business^  career.  He  began 
his  active  work  in  life  as  a  clerk  in  a  publisher's 
office  and  afterward  was  bookkeeper  for  a  liberal 
paper  published  in  Christiania. 

During  the  two  years  he  was  with  this  paper  in 
the  stormy  political  days  of  the  "veto"  fight    Mr. 


William  Frey  and  wife,  both  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania and  of  Dutch  parentage.  Four  children 
have  been  born  to  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Thoresen,  — 
two  boys  (Henning  Earl  and  Sigurd  Harold)  and 
two  girls  (Leonor  Geraldine  and  Nathalia). 
Earl,  the  oldest  boy,  born  March  17,  1891,  met 
an  accidental  death  by  drowning  while  swim- 
ming in  the  Michigan  and  Illinois  Canal. 

Immediately  after  his  arrival  in  Grundy  county, 
in  order  to  master  the  language  and  familiarize 
himself  with  the  customs  of  the  country,  he 
secured  a  place  with  an  American  farmer  in  the 
neighborhood.  Only  a  few  months'  residence 
on  the  farm,  and  our  subject  began  the  battle 
for  a  livelihood  in  Morris,  where  he  accepted  a 
position  as  bookkeeper  and  clerk  in  the  mercan- 
tile house  of  Zens  &  Erickson,  and  later  with  O. 
Erickson  &  Son.  Mr.  Thoresen  was  town  clerk 
for  Morris  from  1892  to  1896,  and  on  Jan.  20, 
1903,  was  appointed  by  Governor  Yates  as  chief 
clerk  and  paymaster  of  the  Illinois  and  Michi- 
gan Canal  Commission,  a  position  he  held  until 
the  office  was .  abolished  on  account  of  lack  of 
funds  to  maintain  the  expenses  of  the  waterway. 
Our  subject  is  a  charter  member  of  the  Knights 
of  Pythias  Lodge,  No.  178,  of  Morris.  111. 


Henning  L.  Thoresen. 


Thoresen  came  in  close  touch  with  the  patriotic 
and  fearless  men  behind  the  guns  of  the  liberal 
party.  The  association  and  the  bringing  up  wider 
the  influence  of  a  true  democratic  father  moulded 
in  the  young  man  a  character  that  later,  after 
coming  to  America,  could  not  deny  itself. 

He  came  to  America,  landing  at  Boston,  Nov. 
7,  1883,  and  went  direct  to  Grundy  county,  Illi- 
nois, and  settled  at  Morris,  where  he  has  since 
lived. 

He  married,  on  March  10,  1890,  Miss  Sadie  A. 
Frey,  a  native  of  Morris  and  a  daughter  of 


WILLIAM  THORESEN, 

The '  manufactuTer  of  architectural  sheet  metal 
ornaments,  now  located  in  his  own  new  building 
at  419-21  W.  North  avenue,  was  born  in  Chris- 
tiania, Norway,  Sept.  20,  1867.  His  parents  were 
O.  C.  Thoresen  and  Sidonia  Andersen. 

In  1879  he  came  to  America  with  his  parents, 
arriving  in  Chicago  on  Oct.  9,  the  anniversary 
of  the  great  fire.  Our  subject  had  attended 
school  for  a  few  years  in  Norway  and  also 
attended  the  public  schools  here  for  a  year  or 
two,  and  when  but  a  boy  he  secured  work  with 
Crane  Bros.,  where  he  remained  for  ten  months. 
He  was  then  apprenticed  to  Price  &  Kaufman, 
to  learn  cornice  work.  At  18  he  had  mastered 
his  trade  and  was  offered  the  foremanship  in 
one  of  the  largest  cornice  shops  in  Chicago.  He 
remained  with  this  firm  for  seven  years,  when 
he  started  in  the  cornice  business  for  himself, 
at  816  N.  Western  avenue.  He  was  favored  by 
securing  a  contract  for  all  the  cornice  work  for 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


499 


the  board  of  education.  In  the  meantime  Mr. 
Thoresen  had  devoted  a  great  deal  of  study  to 
the  designing  and  making  of  metal  ornaments. 
In  1897  he  abandoned  the  cornice  business 
and  devoted  all  his  facilities  to  the  making  of 
architectural  sheet-metal  ornaments.  The  demand 
for  these  ornaments  increased  to  such  an  extent 
that  Mr.  Thoresen  was  obliged  to  seek  larger 
quarters,  and  to  meet  all  requirements  he  erected 
a  new  building  of  his  own  at  419-21  W.  North 
avenue. 


William  Thoresen. 


Mr.  Thoresen  was  married  in  Chicago,  on 
May  22,  1891,  to  Miss  Sarah  Ornes,  of  Stavanger, 
Norway.  They  have  four  children  —  Sadie,  Wilde, 
William  and  Edwin.  Mr.  Thoresen  is  a  member 
of  the  Masonic  Order.  The  family  resides  at 
50  Columbia  street. 

Mrs.  Thoresen's  parents  were  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
L.  E.  Ornes,  of  Stavanger.  Her  father  died 
some  years  ago,  but  her  mother  is  living  in 
Chicago.  Mr.  Thoresen's  parents  both  died  in 
1894. 


JOHN  THORESON 

Was  born  in  Christiania,  Norway,  April  16,  1820. 
Early  in  life  he  learned  the  carriage  and  wagon- 
maker's  trade  and  for  five  years  was  engaged  in 
this  business  in  Norway  in  his  own  name. 


John  Thoreson. 


In  1853  he  emigrated  to  America  and  located 
in  Chicago,  engaging  in  the  same  business.  Two 
years  later  he  moved  to  Rockford,  where  he  was 
employed  as  a  journeyman  for  some  of  the  car- 
riage and  wagon  works  there  until  1866,  when 
he  started  a  factory  of  his  own.  Success  met 
him  more  than  half  way,  necessitating  the  em- 
ployment of  many  men  from  the  very  beginning. 
He  invested  in  city  property  until  he  became  a 
large  property  owner  and  one  of  the  most  sub- 
stantial citizens. 

In  1862  Mr.  Thoreson  enlisted  from  Rockford 
in  Company  K,  Seventy-fourth  Illinois  Infantry, 
and  served  as  a  private  in  the  Cumberland  Army. 
He  was  in  the  battles  of  Perryville,  Stone  River 
and  Murfreesboro,  where  he  was  severely 
wounded  in  the  left  arm.  He  was  sent  to  the 
hospital  and  there  taken  prisoner  and  sent  to 


500 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Libby  Prison,  where  he  was  confined  for  two 
months.  He  was  then  exchanged  and  a  few 
months  later  was  honorably  discharged  for  dis- 
ability. He  was  a  member  of  G.  L.  Nevius  Post, 
G.  A.  R.,  at  Rockford. 

He  wa's  married  in  Norway,  in  1848,  to  Miss 
Martha  Oslund,  who  was  born  near  Christiania 
on  Dec.  4,  1822,  and  died  in  Rockford  Aug.  31, 
1887.  She  was  a  consistent  member  of  the  Swed- 
ish Methodist  Episcopal  Church  for  thirty  years 
and  a  true  helpmate  to  her  devoted  husband, 
who  was  a  charter  member  of  the  same  church. 
Seven  children  were  born  to  them,  of  whom  only 
one,  the  youngest  daughter,  Mathilda  J.,  is  liv- 
ing, the  wife  of  Alfred  Abrahamson,  who  is  a 
designer,  stock  holder  and  director  in  the  Mantel 
and  Furniture  Company  of  Rockford.  They  have 
two  children. 

Mr.  Thoreson  was  the  only  one  of  his  family 
to  come  to  the  United  States,  and  enjoyed  the 
honor  of  being  the  first  Norwegian  to  settle  in 
Rockford.  He  resided  -at  328  S.  Main  street  and 
there  enjoyed  the  rest  and  quiet  deservedly 
earned  by  hard  work  and  honorable  dealing,  un- 
til his  death  in  March,  1907. 


and    of    the    Scandinavian    Medical 
which   he   is   secretary. 


Society,     of 


94? 


Dr.  Karl  L.  Thorsgaard. 


KARL  LORENTZ  THORSGAARD,  M.  D. 

Was  born  in  Westby,  Wis.,  Jan.  24,  1875.  His 
parents — Lauritz  L.  and  Anna  (Johnson)  Thors- 
gaard— were  farmers.  Our  subject  was  brought 
up  on  the  farm,  but  spent  much  time  at  school 
and  college.  He  received  the  degree  of  B.  A. 
from  Luther  College,  at  Decorah,  Iowa,  in  1896, 
and  M.  D.  from  Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago, 
in  1900. 

After  his  graduation  in  medicine  he  served 
two  years  as  resident  physician  and  surgeon  at 
thie  Presbyterian  Hospital,  Chicago,  and  the 
following  two  years  he  became  associated  with 
Dr.  James  B.  Herrick  in  his  office  and  hospital 
work.  After  this  he  began  the  (practice  of 
medicine  independently,  having  his  office  at  1562 
N.  Halsted  street.  Dr.  Thorsgaard  is  attending 
physician  at  the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Tabitha 
Hospital  and  is  medical  examiner  for  the  Equit- 
able and  New  York  Life  Insurance  companies. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Medical  Society, 


REV.    CARL   EDWARD   TILLER 

Was  born  July  22,  1868,  near  Hader,  Goodhue 
county,  Minn.,  his  parents  being  Ole  Andreas 
and  Hanna  Bergitte  (Hegge)  Tiller.  He  was 
baptized  and  confirmed  in  Aspelund  congrega- 
tion by  Rev.  0sten  Hanson.  Most  of  his  time 
was  spent  on  his  father's  farm  until  the  fall  of 
1886,  when  he  entered  the  preparatory  depart- 
ment at  the  Red  Wing  Seminary.  He  graduated 
in  the  spring  of  1890.  Afterward  he  studied 
theology  two  years  at  Red  Wing  Seminary,  and 
then  one  year  at  Weidner's  Theological  Semi- 
nary in  Chicago.  Was  ordained  in  the  ministry 
at  the  annual  convention  of  the  Hauge  Synod 
at  Franklin,  Minn.,  June  13,  1894. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


501 


He  has  served  two  different  charges  in  the 
Hauge  Synod.  The.  first  was  Hauge's  congrega- 
tion, near  Creston,  111.,  where  he  remained  four 
years.  Then  he  was  called  to  Morrisonville, 
Wis.,  and  served  five  congregations  there  for 
three  years. 

In  the  fall  of  1900  he  received  a  call  from 
Bethel  Lutheran  Church,  of  Chicago,  belonging 
to  the  United  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church  of 
America.  He  entered  upon  his  duties  there 
June  30,  1901.  In  1902  he  severed  his  connection 


Rev.  Carl  E.  Tiller. 


with  the  Hauge  Synod  and  was  admitted  into 
the  United  Church  in  June  of  the  same  year. 

Since  he  came  to  Chicago  he  has  in  addition 
to  his  work  in  the  congregation  been  deeply 
interested  in  the  Deaconess  Home  of  the  United 
Church  and  has  for  three  years  been  secretary 
for  the  board  of  directors. 

The  31st  of  May,  1894,  he  was  married  to 
Miss  Lina  Nerhougen,  from  Zunebrota,  Minn. 
They  have  had  three  children,  of  whom  one, 
Muriel  Hildegard,  died  May  7,  1903.  The  family 
resides  at  64  Humboldt  boulevard. 


GABRIEL  JOHAN  TOBIASSEN, 

The  well  known  carpenter  contractor,  was  born 
at  Udland,  Aa  sogn  Lyngdals  prestegjeld,  Nor- 
way, Jan.  9,  1864.  His  parents  were  Tobias  and 
Anne  Sophie  (Jacobsdatter)  Gundersen.  Mr. 


Gabriel  J.  Tobiassen  and  Wife. 


Tobiassen  was  educated  in  the  common  school" 
and  Amtskolen,  and  was  confirmed  in  Aa  church' 
in  1878.  He  then  worked  on  his  fathers  farm  un- 
til he  in  the  spring  of  1883  emigrated  to  America, 
where  he  landed  in  New  York  during  the  latter 
part  of  May.  He  continued  his  journey  overland 
to  Sims,  N.  Dak.,  where  he  worked  on  a  farm 
until  in  the  fall  of  1885  when  he  went  to  State 
Center,  Iowa,  and  learned  the  trade  of  a  cooper. 

In  1889  he  returned  to  Norway  to  visit  his 
aged  father  but  came  back  to  Iowa  in  1890.  In 
1891  he  came  to  Chicago  which  city  he  has  made 
his  home  since. 

In  Chicago  he  learned  the  carpenter  trade 
which  occupation  he  has  followed  since  his  ar- 
rival here. 

In  1898  he  paid  a  new  visit  to  the  old  country 
where  he  remained  for  16  months. 

Upon  his  return  to  Chicago  Mr.  Tobiassen 
was  married  Jan.  9,  1900,  to  Miss  Karen  M. 
Michelsen  of  that  city.  She  was  born  at  Pors- 


502 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


grund,  Norway,  Aug.  7,  1867,  her  parents  being 
Hans  and  Anne  Marie  (Berg)  Michelsen.  At 
the  Worlds  Columbian  Exposition  in  Chicago,  in 
1893,  there  was  among  the  many  other  exhibits 
also  one  of  women  representing  their  various 
nationalities  and  dressed  in  national  costumes. 
This  enterprise  generally  went  under  the  popular 
nomenclature  of  the  "Beauty  Show".  Miss 
Michelsen  was  selected  to  represent  her  native 
country  at  this  show,  she  being  endowed  with 
distinctive  Norwegian  figure  and  features.  At 
the  close  of  the  Exposition  she  was  the  recipient 
of  a  gold  medal. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tobiassen  have  had  three  chil- 
dren born  to  them,  one  daughter  and  two  sons: 
Sophie  Marie,  born  Oct.  8,  1900;  Thorleif,  May 
3,  1903,  and  Helge  Cornelius,  Nov.  27,  1904,  all 
living.  The  family  are  members  of  the  Logan 
Square  Norwegian  Lutheran  Church,  of  which 
congregation  Mr.  Tobiassen  is  the  treasurer.  > 


REV.  J.   C.  TOLLEFSEN, 

Pastor  of  the  Kedzie  Avenue  M.  E.  Church,  Chi- 
cago, was  born  at  Botne,  Jarlsberg,  Norway, 
Sept.  30,  1853.  His  father  was  born  in  Tele- 
marken,  having  descended  from  the  old-time 
"Birkebeiners,"  and  his  mother  was  born  not  far 
from  Holmestrand.  His  great-grandfather  de- 
scended from  Germans  who  came  to  the  silver 
mines  at  Kongsberg  where  the  Norwegian  silver 
bullion  is  mined. 

About  nine  years  of  age  Mr.  Tollefsen  came 
with  his  parents  to  Horten  where  he  attended 
school  and  was  confirmed  by  Rev.  Storm  A. 
Munt  in  1868. 

Ten  years  later  he  was  converted  in  the  Meth- 
odist church  at  that  place.  The  church  had  been 
dedicated  on  Christmas  day  the  previous  year 
and  he  went  there  merely  to  see  what  was  going 
on  among  the  "new  sect."  A  glorious  revival 
was  going  on  and  he  soon  was  among  the  con- 
verted and  as  a  natural  consequence  joined  the 
church.  He  travelled  in  Norway  three  or  four 
years  preaching  and  selling  religious  books  un- 
til he  left  for  America  in  March  1881.  In  April 
he  arrived  in  Chicago  and  commenced  working 
as  he  did  not  feel  himself  fitted  for  the  ministry. 
The  annual  meeting  of  the  Norwegian  and  Dan- 


ish conference  of  the  M.  E.  Church  happened  to 
convene  in  Chicago  that  year,  and  he  was  sent 
to  Stoughton  and  Primrose,  Wis.,  and  became 
known  as  the  "boy  preacher"  because  of  his  ap- 
parent youth.  After  one  year  he  had  organized 
a  congregation  and  a  church  was  built,  and  then 
he  was  moved  by  the  order  of  the  elder.  After 
being  in  Sheboygan,  Wis.,  one  year  he  was  sent 
to  Norway,  111.,  where  he  remained  two  years. 
Since  that  time  he  has  been  in  Milwaukee,  Racine 
Trinity  Church,  Minneapolis,  Duluth,  St.  Paul 
and  five  years  in  Chicago,  being  pastor  of  old 


Rev.  J.  C.  Tollefsen. 


First  Church,  Grand  avenue  and  Sangamon 
street  for  three  years;  and  two  years  in  the  Ked- 
zie Avenue  Church,  his  present  pastorate.  In 
1883  Rev.  Tollefsen  joined  the  conference  on 
probation  and  after  two  years  was  admitted  in 
full  connection.  In  1887  he  was  ordained  elder 
in  the  First  Church,  Chicago,  by  Bishop  C.  H. 
Fowler. 

Mrs.  Tollefsen  was  born  at  old  Nidaros 
(TrondhjerrO,  Norway,  below  the  forts  of  Chris- 
tiansten.  Her  father  P.  Haugan  was  for  many 
years  superintendent  of  the  "Nordenfjeldske 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


503 


Dampskibsselskabs  Reparationsvaerksted"  in 
Trondhjem,  and  built  the  first  locomotive  in 
Norway.  Her  mother  hailed  from  R0ros. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Tollefsen  were  married  March 
2,  1881,  and  their  wedding  trip  was  to  America. 
Rev.  Tollefsen  became  an  American  citizen  in 
the  eighties  but  has  not  forgotten  the  "old  home- 
stead," having  visited  Norway  twice,  the  last 
time  in  1905. 


dinance  pending  before  Judge  Grosscup  and  in- 
volving $13,000,000,  and  also  special  counsel  for 
the  city  of  Chicago  in  the  tax  suits  brought  be- 
fore Judge  Grosscup  by  the  street  car  and  gas 
companies  to  defeat  the  collection  of  $1,500,000 
of  taxes  levied  against  them  by  the  state  board 
of  equalization. 

In  March,  1906,  Mr.  Tone  was  retained  as  spe- 
cial counsel  for  the  Central  Union  Telephone 
Company  in  litigation  involving  the  franchise  of 
said  company  in  the  city  of  Rock  Island,  which 
suit  he  won,  and  in  July,  1906,  he  was  retained 
as  special  counsel  for  the  Central  Union  Tele- 


DAVID  K.  TONE, 

The  attorney,  was  born  on  his  father's  homestead 
near  Estherville,  Iowa,  Jan.  5.  1867.  His  parents 
were  Thomas  and  Julia  (Klove)  Tone  from 
T0ne,  Norway. 

Our  subject  attended  the  public  school  and 
worked  on  his  father's  farm  in  Iowa,  until  he  was 
sixteen  years  old,  when  he  entered  Iowa  College 
at  Grinnell,  Iowa,  which  he  attended  in  1885-86. 
He  then  attended  the  State  University  of  Wis- 
consin, graduating  in  1891.  He  immediately  en- 
tered the  College  of  Law  with  the  same  univer- 
sity and  graduated  in  1893.  During  his  school 
years  he  taught  the  district  school  at  Dunbar, 
Iowa,  one  year,  was  principal  of  the  Cambridge, 
Wis.,  high  school  one  year,  1890-91,  principal  of 
the  Westfield,  Wis.,  high  school  one  year,  1891-92; 
instructor  in  history  and  constitutional  law  in  the 
Wisconsin  academy  in  1892-93.  He  was  also 
professor  in  the  Chicago  Law  School  from  1898 
to  1904. 

Mr.  Tone  has  been  engaged  in  the  active  prac- 
tice of  law  in  the  city  of  Chicago  ever  since  the 
year  1895.  He  has  practiced  both  civil  and  crim- 
inal law  and  has  practiced  in  all  the  courts,  state 
and  federal,  including  the  supreme  court  of  the 
United  States. 

A  large  share  of  his  practice  has  consisted  of 
being  employed  as  special  counsel  in  important 
litigation  for  other  lawyers.  In  the  spring  of 
1905  he  was  employed  as  special  counsel  in  the 
strike  litigation  before  judges  Kohlsaat  and 
Grosscup  in  the  U.  S.  circuit  court  of  appeals. 

In  the  fall  of  1905  he  was  appointed  special 
counsel  for  the  city  of  Chicago  by  Mayor  Dunne 
in  the  suit  over  the  validity  of  the  75  cent  gas  or- 


David  K.  Tone. 


phone  Company  in  a  similar  suit  in  the  federal 
court,  wherein  the  franchise  rights  of  the  city 
of  Moline  were  involved,  which  suit  he  also  won 
before  Judge  Humphrey  at  Peoria. 

Mr.  Tone  was  president  of  the  Lincoln  Club, 
Chicago,  in  1900-01;  is  a  member  of  the  Chicago 
Law  Institute,  the  University  of  Wisconsin  club 
of  Chicago,  and  the  New  Illinois  Athletic  Club. 
Mr.  Tone  is  not  married.  His  offices  are  at  99 
Randolph  street,  and  he  resides  at  300  Sixty- 
Sixth  Place. 


504 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


GEORGE  ABRAHAM  TORRISON,  M.  D., 

Was  born  at  Manitowoc,  Wis.,  March  23,  1865, 
his  parents  being  Osuld  and  Martha  (Findal) 
Torrison.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  school 
at  Manitowoc  and  at  Luther  College,  Decorah, 
Iowa,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1885  with  the 
degree  of  A.  B.  After  spending  a  year  at  home 
in  his  father's  store  he  began  the  study  of  med- 
icine at  the  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
of  New  York  City,  the  medical  department  of 
Columbia  College,  from  which  he  received  the 


Dr.  George  A.  Torrison. 


degree  of  M.D.,  in  1889.  He  pursued  his  medical 
studies  at  the  University  of  Vienna  in  1889-90  and 
in  1893-94. 

In  1891  he  began  the  practice  of  medicine  in 
Chicago,  and  since  1895  has  devoted  his  atten- 
tion to  diseases  of  the  throat,  nose  and  ear.  Dr. 
Torrison  is  instructor  in  diseases  of  the  chest, 
throat  and  nose  at  Rush  Medical  College,  Chi- 
cago, is  attending  physician  to  the  Central  Free 
Dispensary  (throat  department),  laryngologist  to 
the  Norwegian  Lutheran  Deaconess  Home  and 
Hospital,  and  lecturer  on  diseases  of  the  nose 


and  throat  at  the  Presbyterian  Hospital  training 
school  for  nurses.  He  has  been  a  director  of  the 
Norwegian  Lutheran  Tabitha  Hospital  and  for 
one  year  was  president  of  the  board.  He  holds 
membership  in  the  the  following  societies:  The 
American  Medical  Association,  the  Illinois  State 
and  the  Chicago  Medical  societies,  the  Chicago 
Otological  and  Laryngological  Society  and  the 
Scandinavian  Medical  Society  of  Chicago. 

Dr.  Torrison  was  married  to  Miss  Emma  Irene 
Johnson,  of  Chicago,  on  Jan.  5,  1898.  Her  par- 
ents were  Louis  and  Martha  Johnson.  They 
have  two  children,  Martha  Findal  and  Agnes 
Ivanda.  The  doctor's  office  is  at  103  State  street 
and  the  family  resides  at  46  Alice  place. 


JUDGE  OSCAR  M.  TORRISON. 

Oscar  M.  Torrison  was  born  Aug.  29,  1861,  at 
Manitowoc,  Wis.,  where  his  father,  Osuld  Tor- 
rison, for  forty  years  and  until  his  death,  in  1892, 
was  a  leading  business  man.  His  parents  settled 
in  Manitowoc  in  1849,  his  father  coming  as  a 
boy  from'  Heirefos,  near  Grimstad,  Norway,  and 
his  mother,  Martha  Hansen  Findal,  coming  from 
Findal  near  Stathelle  on  the  Skiensfjord.  Oscar 
M.  Torrison  attended  the  common  school  and 
graduated  from  the  high  school  at  Manitowoc, 
and  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws  at 
Luther  College,  Decorah,  Iowa,  in  1881.  In  1882 
he  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws  at 
the  State  University  of  Iowa,  at  Iowa  City,  and 
in  1884  he  took  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Laws 
(cum  laude)  at  Columbia  College,  now  Columbia 
University,  New  York  City.  He  has  been  admit- 
ted to  practice  in  the  Supreme  Courts  of  Illinois, 
Iowa,  Minnesota,  Wisconsin  and  in  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States. 

From  1886  to  1890  he  practiced  law  at  Elbow 
Lake,  Minn.,  and  acquired  a  large  practice,  en- 
joying a  splendid  reputation  as  a  trustworthy  and 
successful  lawyer.  He  was  elected  mayor  of  El- 
bow Lake  for  three  successive  terms,  and  in  1888 
was  selected  as  an  alternate  delegate  to  the  Re- 
publican National  Convention  in  Chicago  from 
the  then  Seventh  Congressional  District  of  Min- 
nesota. In  1890  he  removed  to  Chicago,  where  he 
soon  acquired  an  extensive  and  varied  practice 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


505 


and  has  taken  an  active  part  in  matters  of  public 
interest.  In  189G  he  was  appointed  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Education  of  Chicago  and  served 
in  that  capacity  and  in  important  committees  of 
the  board  in  1396  and  1897.  He  is  a  member  of 
the  board  of  directors  of  the  Chicago  Bureau 
of  Charities  and  for  the  past  three  years  has 
been  president  of  its  northwestern  district.  He  is 
also  one  of  the  directors  of  the  "Association 
House"  on  W.  North  avenue.,  which  is  exten- 
sively engaged  in  settlement  work  on  the  North 
West  side.  He  was  also  at  one  time  president 


In  1889  Mr.  Torrison  was  married  to  Miss  Ida 
Michelson,  a  daughter  of  Capt.  H.  Michelson  of 
Chicago.  Their  home  has  been  blessed  with  four 
children,  two  sons  and  two  daughters,  of  whom 
the  following  are  living:  Margaret,  Osuld,  and  a 
baby  girl.  Mr.  Torrison  is  a  member  of  the  Luth- 
eran Church  and  resides  at  56  A'ice  Place,  Chi- 
cago. 


Judge  Oscar  M.  Torrison. 


ERIC  TRESSING, 

The  manufacturer  and  dealer  in  locks  and  hard- 
ware specialties,  at  179-81  E.  Lake  street,  Chi- 
cago, was  born  near  Christiania,  Norway,  on  June 
15,  1866.  His  parents  were  Ole  and  Oleana  (Skjul- 
stad)  Tressing. 

Our  subject  came  to  America  and  Chicago 
with  his  parents  and  five  sisters  in  1875.  He 
had  attended  school  in  Norway  and  for  a  time 
went  to  the  public  school  in  Chicago.  In  1880 
he  secured  a  position  as  office  boy  with  Sargent, 
Greenleaf  &  Brooks,  and  remained  with  them 
in  various  capacities  until  1897,  when  he  bought 
them  out,  continuing  the  business  under  the  firm 
name  of  E.  Tressing  &  Co.  Messrs.  Sargent  & 
Greenleaf  are  still  manufacturing  locks  of  all 
kinds,  and  Mr.  Tressing  is  also  a  member  of 
that  firm. 

His  business,  which  is  the  manufacture  of  hard- 
ware specialties  and  the  selling  of  Sargent  & 
Greenleaf  locks,  has  been  on  the  increase  ever 
since  it  was  started. 

Mr.  Tressing  was  married  to  Miss  Minnie  J. 
Gunderson,  of  Chicago,  in  November,  1904.  The 
family  resides  at  1388  Humboldt  boulevard. 


of  the  alumni  association  of  Luther  College.  He 
is  a  man  of  broad  sympathies  and  af  varied  in- 
terests and  has  rendered  valuable  services  to 
numerous  Norwegian  charitable  institutions  both 
in  and  outside  of  Chicago.  In  November  1906  he 
was  elected  Judge  of  the  new  Municipal  Court 
of  Chicago,  and  received  the  solid  support  of 
the  Norwegians  of  the  city.  In  the  bar-primary 
ballot  taken  by  the  Chicago  Bar  Association  prior 
to  the  election,  he  received  the  largest  vote  of 
all  the  candidates  for  Municipal  Judge,  over  one 
hundred  in  number. 


GILBERT  KNUDSEN  TUFTY, 

The    retired   porcelain   and    glassware    merchant, 
was  born  in  Vestre  Slidre,  Valders,  Norway,  Oct. 


506 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


14,  1839.  His  parents  were  Knud  Larsen  Tuv 
and  Marit  (Snorthum).  He  received  the  advant- 
ages of  the  public  schools  and  was  confirmed  in 
Norway. 

He  came  to  America  in  1857  on  a  sail  ship  and 
landed  in  Quebec,  Canada,  after  a  five  weeks' 
voyage.  He  came  west  and  located  near  Decorah, 
Iowa,  where  he  worked  on  farms  and  attended 
the  public  schools  for  two  years.  In  1859  he 
secured  a  position  in  a  general  store  in  Decorah, 
where  he  remained  a  year,  when  he  went  to 
McGregor,  Iowa,  as  a  clerk  in  a  crockery  and 
glassware  store. 


Gilbert   K.  Tufty. 


In  1865  he  came  to  Chicago  and  clerked  in  a 
dry  goods  store  for  one  year  and  then  started 
a  porcelain  and  glassware  store  of  his  own,  on 
State  street,  near  Harrison.  It  was  here  that 
occurred  in  his  life  a  little  episode  that  he  can- 
not forget.  A  carriage  was  driven  up  to  the 
door  one  day,  a  lady  stepped  out  and  came  in 
and  selected  a  few  dollars'  worth  of  dishes,  and 
while  paying  for  them  asked  whether  he  could 
not  lend  her  a  basket  to  pack  them  in,  for  she 
wanted  to  take  them  with  her  in  the  carriage. 


He  said  he  could,  but  that  it  was  customary  with 
Jiim  to  ask  a  deposit,  which  would  be  refunded 
when  the  basket  was  returned.  This  was  readily 
agreed  to  and  the  basket  and  dishes,  with  the 
aid  of  the  coachman,  were  soon  in  the  carriage, 
and  his  customer  gone.  He  said  he  was  dum- 
founded  when  he  learned  from  some  of  his 
neighbors  that  his  customer  was  Mrs.  Abraham 
Lincoln.  He  was  especially  chagrined  because 
he  had  asked  and  accepted  a  deposit  on  the 
basket,  which  of  course  he  wou'ld  not  have 
thought  of  doing  had  he  known  who  she  was. 
This  was  in  1867,  when  Mrs.  Lincoln  made 
Chicago  her  home  for  a  time.  Nothing  remark- 
able about  this,  but  Mr.  Tufty  considers  it  a 
noteworthy  incident  in  his  career. 

In  1870  Mr.  Tufty  moved  his  business  to  Mil- 
waukee avenue,  near  Halsted  street,  where  he 
had  already  puchased  a  small  property.  He 
has  the  distinction  of  being  the  first  Skandinav- 
ian  to  engage  in  this  particular  line  of  business 
in  Chicago.  He  retired  from  the  mercantile 
business  some  years  ago  and  is  spending  his 
time  now  in  looking  after  his  properties  and  oc- 
casionally turning  a  real  estate  deal. 

He  was  married  on  Jan.  17,  1874,  to  Miss 
Ragnhild  Vick,  of  Decorah,  Iowa.  They  have 
no  children  living.  They  are  both  members  of 
the  Old  Peoples  Home  Society  and  St.  Paul's 
Norwegian  Lutheran  Church. 


SIVERT  UDSTAD, 

Of  Aurora,  111.,  was  born  in  Trondhjem,  Nor- 
way, Sept.  28,  1856.  His  father  was  Arnt  Ud- 
stad;  his  mother's  maiden  name  was  Sigrid  Gis- 
vold!0kken.  After  finishing  the  common  schools 
and'  having  been  confirmed  he  entered  a  machine 
shop  at  Trolla,  near  Trondhjem,  where  he  learned 
his  trade  as  a  machinist.  He  then  went  to  Chris- 
tiania  and  worked  at  his  trade  for  three  years; 
then  to  Stockholm,  Sweden,  where  he  worked  at 
Bolinder's  Machine  Works  and  Holmgren's  Fire 
Engine  Works.  He  also  served  as  steamboat 
fireman  and  engineer  on  a  coaster  in  Norway 
for  about  three  years. 

He  came  to  America  and  Aurora,   111.,   March 
9,  1881,  where  he  has  resided  since. 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


507 


He  found  work  at  the  C,  B.  &  Q.  R.  R.  shops 
immediately  and  continued  in  that  capacity  until 
1888,  when  he  started  a  machine  shop  of  his  own. 
This  was  after  the  big  strike  on  the  C.,  B.  &  Q. 
Railroad. 

He  was  married  on  April  9,  1881,  to  Anne  Back, 
from  0rkedalen,  Norway.  They  have  eight  chil- 
dren: Arnt,  George,  Elmer,  Jennie,  Norman,  An- 
nie, Einer  and  Nora.  Elmer  Udstad  is  married 
to  Clara  Bruger,  of  German  descent.  Arnt  and 
George  are  living  in  St.  Paul,  Minn. 

Mr.  Udstad  has  patented  several  improvements 


Sivert  Udstad. 


on  machinery.  He  served  two  years  in  the  Nor- 
wegian army.  He  is  a  member  of  the  K.  P., 
Royal  Arcanum,  Modern  Woodmen,  the  Elks, 
and  a  charter  member  of  the  chamber  of  com- 
merce of  Aurora. 

Our  subject's  mother  died  in  1894;  his  father 
is  still  living.  Mr.  Udstad's  shop  in  Aurora  is 
at  101  So.  Water  street.  The  family  are  mem- 
bers of  the  Norwegian-Danish  Lutheran  Church 
of  Aurora,  of  which  our  subject  has  been  a  dea- 
con for  many  years.  The  family  home  is  at  115 
T  street,  Aurora. 


SALVE  UGLAND, 

Of  Sheridan,  La  Salle  county,  111.,  was  born  at 
Hammeren,  Norway,  Jutie  3,  1868,  his  parents  be- 
ing Hans  Nilsen  Moller  and  Gurine  Salvesdatter. 


1 


Salve  Ugland. 


He  attended  the  common  schools  in  the  country 
and  afterward  the  officers'  school  of  artillery  in 
Christiansand. 

He  came  to  America  in  the  spring  of  1888, 
landing  in  New  York  and  coming  to  Norway, 
La  Salle  county.  He  rented  some  land  and  went 
to  farming,  but  afterward  went  into  the  mer- 
cantile business.  He  is  now  in  business  as  a  con- 
tractor and  builder. 

He  was  married  to  Cora  Larson,  of  Stavanger, 
Norway,  on  May  14,  1893,  her  parents  being  Lars 
Stensvig  and  Maren  Thompson.  They  had  one 
child,  Harold,  born  June  10,  1899.  Mrs.  Ugland 
died  in  1901.  Our  subject  has  held  several  of- 
fices—  having  been  collector  for  Mission  town- 
ship, cashier  and  director  for  the  Farmers'  and 
Merchants'  Telephone  Company,  at  Newark,  and 
has  also  been  an  alderman  at  Sheridan. 


son 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


DR.  O.  M.  ULVESTAD. 

Son  of  L.  O.  and  Anna  S.  (JacKson)  Ulvestad 
was  born  in  Rosendahl  Township,  Watonwan  Coun- 
ty, Minnesota,  August  20,  1871.  His  father  was 
born  in  Sogn,  Norway,  and  his  mother  near  Madi- 
son, Wis.  He  attended  the  district  schools  until 
16  years  old  at  his  home  in  Minnesota.  He  then 
studied  one  year  at  St.  Olaf's  College  at  North- 
field  and  the  following  two  years  at  the  State  Nor- 
mal at  Mankato.  Wishing  to  be  independent  he 
taught  school  for  two  years  in  Redwood  and  Lacqui 


Dr.  O.  M.  Ulvestad. 


Parle  counties  and  in  1893  taught  another  term  of 
school. 

He  afterwards  clerked  in  a  general  store  at  Ma- 
delia,  Minn.,  for  tw.o  years.  In  1895,  he  had  laid  by 
sufficiently  to  buy  himself  some  land  in  Stevens 
County  and  moved  upon  it  in  the  spring  of  1896. 
He  immediately  commenced  putting  up  buildings  and 
breaking  up  the  prairie  preparatory  io:  crops.  While 
on  the  farm  he  taught  school  again  luring  the 
winter  months.  On  June  30,  1897,  he  married 
Louisa  A.  Legvold,  daughter  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hans 
E.  Legvold  of  Bricelyn,  Faribault  Co.,  Minn.,  Mrs. 


Ulvestad's  birthplace.  They  moved  on  the  farm  and 
lived  there  until  the  fall  of  1899,  when  they  came 
to  Chicago.  Mr.  Ulvestad  entered  the  Northwestern 
University  Dental  School  from  which  he  graduated 
in  1892.  He  fitted  up  an  office  at  328  West  Erie  St. 
where  he  has  since  continued  his  practice. 

Dr.  Ulvestad  is  the  oldest  of  a  family  of  ten 
children,  eight  boys  and  two  girls,  all  living.  The 
Doctor's  home  has  been  blessed  with  one  child, 
four  years  old.  His  residence  is  at  593  Grand 
avenue. 


J.  LEONARD  UNDEM 

Is  a  native  of  Chicago,  and  was  born  May  21, 
1880,  his  parents  (S.  L.  and  Susan  Undem)  being 
from  Norway.  Leonard,  as  he  is  familiarly 


J.  Leonard  Undem. 


called  by   his  friends,   was   educated   in   the   Chi- 
cago   public    schools,    but    had    a    liking   for    the 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


50!). 


grocery  business,  and  early  sought  and  secured 
a  position  in  the  retail  store  of  his  uncle.  He 
worked  at  the  retail  grocery  business  for  five  or 
six  years,  but,  seeing  no  chance  for  advancement, 
he  resigned  and  took  a  business  course  at  the 
Chicago  Athenaeum.  He  worked  his  way  through 
college  by  clerking  for  a  butcher  after  school 
hours  and  on  Saturdays.  He  afterward  secured 
a  place  as  office  boy  with  a  wholesale  grocery 
firm,  the  Louis  W.  Stayart  Co.,  Haymarket  Square, 
where  he  has  since  remained,  having  successively 
filled  several  positions,  and  is  now  one  of  the 
head  salesmen  for  the  firm! 

On  Aug.  18,  3,903,  Mr.  Undem  married  Bertha 
J.  Latimer,  daughter  of  Dr.  H.  H.  Latimer,  of 
this  city.  He  is  a  32d-degree  Mason,  a  member 
of  Medinah  Shrine  and  the  Corner  Stone  Blue 
Lodge. 


DR.  MAGNUS  ANDREW  UNSETH, 

Son  of  Peter  T.  and  Johanne  Bjjzirge  Unseth, 
farmers,  near  Westby,  Wis.,  was  born  Oct.  8, 
1867.  He  attended  the  country  public  schools 
until  1883,  when  he  entered  upon  a  seven  years' 
course  at  Luther  College,  Decorah,  Iowa.  He 
graduated  in  the  spring  of  1890,  with  the  degree 
of  A.B.  In  the  fall  of  that  year  he  entered  upon 
a  three  years'  course  of  study  in  medicine  at 
Rush  Medical  College,  Chicago,  and  graduated 
in  1893  with  the  degree  of  M.D.  He  immediately 
opened  an  office  in  Chicago  and  commenced  the 
practice  of  medicine  as  a  physician  and  surgeon. 

On  Nov.  27,  1895,  he  was  married  to  Clara  T. 
Wulff,  daughter  of  John  and  Laura  Wulff,  of  Chi- 
cago. They  have  two  children  —  Malcom,  born 
Aug.  15,  1898,  and  Helen  Laura,  born  March  18, 
1904. 

In  1895  Dr.  Unseth  was  appointed  medical  in- 
spector of  the  department  of  health  in  Chicago, 
in  which  position  he  served  for  two  years.  He 
was  also  for  several  years  a  member  of  the  staff 
of  attending  surgeons  to  the  Norwegian  Luth- 
eran Tabitha  Hospital.  He  has  for  several  years 
been  an  examining  physician  for  a  number  of 
societies,  and  during  the  last  six  years  has  been 
one  of  the  regular  medical  examiners  for  the 
Prudential  Life  Insurance  Company  of  America. 


In  a  competitive  civil  service  examination  for  the 
position  of  assistant  city  physician  of  Chicago  he 
holds  the  distinction  of  being  number  two  on  the 
list.  He  has  also  taken  other  civil-service  ex- 
aminations and  is  on  the  eligible  list  as  attend- 
ing physician  to  the  insane,  poorhouse  and  con- 
sumption hospital  at  Dunning,  but  declined  to 
accept  the  position  when  offered. 


Dr.  Magnus  A.  Unseth. 


Dr.  Unseth's  parents  are  living.  Three  years 
ago  they  retired  and  are  now  living  in  their  beau- 
tiful home  in  the  town  of  Westby,  Wis.  Dr.  and 
Mrs.  Unseth  are  members  of  St.  Matthews'  Luth- 
eran Church,  of  Logan  Square,  Chicago,  and  re- 
side at  1171  N.  Maplewood  avenue. 


JACOB  LARSEN  URHEIM,  M.D., 

Was  born  to  Lars  J.  and  Helga  L.  (Lofthu's)  Ur- 
heim,    farmers    in    Ullensvang,    Hardanger,    Nor- 


510 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS   OF  ILLINOIS 


way,  April  24,  1855.  In  Norway  he  attended  the 
common  and  also  Ullensvang  Folkeholskole,  and 
was  confirmed  in  Kinsarvik's  church. 

He  came  to  America  in  1876,  going  to  Rush- 
ford,  Minn.,  where  he  located.  He  worked  on 
a  farm  in  the  summer  and  attended  school  during 
the  winter.  He  then  went  to  Harmony,  Minn., 
where  he  was  engaged  as  a  druggist  for  eight 
years.  During  this  time  he  attended  the  Monona 
Academy,  Madison,  Wis.,  one  year,  and  in  1891 
graduated  from  the  Bennett  Medical  College, 
Chicago. 


was  professor  at  the  Bennett  Medical  College. 
He  is  a  member  of  the  Scandinavian  Medical  So- 
ciety, the  State  Society,  the  Eclectic  Medical 
Society,  the  National  Union  and  the  Order  of 
Foresters.  His  mother  died  in  Norway  in  188!) 
and  his  father  on  Sept.  5,  1904.  The  family  re- 
sides at  933  W.  Division  street,  opposite  Hum- 
boldt  Park,  where  the  doctor  also  has  his  office. 


Dr.  J.  L.  Urheim. 


Dr.  Urheim's  first  wife,  whom  he  married 
March  20,  1881,  was  Tilda  Laugen,  the  daughter 
of  Ole  Laugen,  of  Houston,  Minn.  She  died  Dec. 
12,  1891,  leaving  him  two  children  —  Olaf,  born 
Nov.  20,  1883,  now  a  practicing  physician,  having 
graduated  from  the  Bennett  Medical  College  in 
1906,  and  Alice  Henriette,  born  March  5,  1889. 

On  April  23,  1893,  the  doctor  married  Miss 
Lena  Williams,  the  daughter  of  Viking  Will- 
iams, of  Lee,  111.  From  January,  1900,  to  Jan- 
uary, 1905,  the  doctor  was  attending  physician 
at  the  Cook  County  Hospital.  In  1904-5  he 


OLE  LARSEN  UTHUS, 

The  well  known  commission  merchant  at  178 
W.  Randolph  street,  was  born  in  Voss,  Norway, 
July  26,  1863.  His  father,  Lars  Thorkelson  Ut- 


Ole  L.  Uthus. 


hus  was  a  farmer  and  one  of  the  earliest  and 
largest  merchants  dealing  in  cattle  in  Hallingdal 
and  the  surrounding  country.  His  mother's 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND  PORTRAITS 


511 


maiden  name  was  Torbj0r  Klasdatter  Gjerdnes 
from  Voss.  Our  subject  attended  the  Vosse- 
stranden  common  school  and  middelskole  and 
was  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran  church  on  Vosse- 
stranden. 

He  emigrated  to  America  in  1882  arriving  in 
Chicago  on  Nov.  7.  From  here  he  went  to  the 
pineries  in  Wisconsin  and  returned  the  follow- 
ing spring  to  Chicago.  Here  he  worked  for 
seven  years  in  the  linseed  oil  mill  of  Wright  & 
Louter  until  1889  when  he  engaged  in  the  milk 
business  on  his  own  account.  He  continued 
with  same  until  in  1896  'when  he  started  to  work 
in  the  commission  business.  He  was  employed 
by  various  firms  in  that  line  until  1900  when  he 
engaged  in  the  same  business  for  himself  at  178 
W.  Randolph  street  where  he  is  still  located. 
Mr.  Uthus  has  been  very  successful  as  a  mer- 
chant, possessing  such  qualifications  as  will  nec- 
essarily lead  to  success,  viz.,  energy,  persever- 
ance and  fairmindedness. 

He  was  married  in  Chicago  to  Miss  Kari  Nils- 
datter  Bidne,  daughter  of  Nils  Siversen  and  Ber- 
tha (Olsdatter)  Bidne.  Mrs.  Uthus  was  born  at 
Vossestranden,  Norway,  March  12,  1862.  They 
reside  at  785  Cornelia  street,'  Chicago. 


•    REV.  LAURITZ  A.  VIGNESS. 

One  of  the  notable  educational  institutions  for 
which  the  pretty  little  city  of  Ottawa  is  justly 
famed  is  the  Pleasant  View  Luther  College, 
which  thou'gh  young  in  years  has  advanced  to 
the  front  ranks  in  an  incredibly  short  period. 
The  building  is  new  and  modern,  in  every  re- 
spect, is  heated  by  steam  and  lighted,  by  gas,  and 
affords  every  comfort  to  the  fortunate  student 
who  is  enrolled  as  a  pupil.  The  gentleman  whose 
name  appears  at  the  commencement  of  this 
sketch  is  the  president  of  the  college,  and  is 
working  indefatigably  for  the  good  of  the  same. 
His  heart  and  soul  are  in  the  enterprise,  and  the 
genuine  interest  which  he  takes  in  every  student 
must  make  a  favorable  impression  upon  the 
scholar  throughout  his  life. 

In  tracing  the  life  history  of  the  worthy  pres- 
ident it  is  found  that  he  comes  from  the  sturdy, 
manly  old  Viking  stock  of  Norway.  His  father, 


Ole  L.  Vigness,  was  born  in  Finn0,  Norway. 
At  the  age  of  23  the  desire  to  see  something  of 
the  world  and  to  enter  some  other  field  of  labor 
led  him  to  set  sail  for  America.  Arriving  here  in 
1856,  he  went  to  Rock  county,  Wisconsin,  and 
found  employment  in  the  vicinity  of  Janesville. 
In  1859  he  took  up  a  homestead  of  government 
land  in  Fillmore  county,  Minnesota,  and  at  the 
end  of  three  years,  when  he  had  made  improve- 
ments and  had  a  comfortable  home,  he  married 
Miss  Anna  Hallum,  likewise,  a  native  of  Norway. 
The  mother  died  in  1884,  leaving  three  sons  and 


Rev.  Lauritz  A.  Vigness. 


three  daughters.  Carl  L.,  the  second  son,  is 
now  county  superintendent  of  schools  in  Bur- 
leigh  county,  North  Dakota;  Mary,  the  wife  of 
John  Stennes,  of  Milan,  Minn.,  died  in  1900;  Inga, 
who  resides  in  Alberta,  Canada,  is  the  wife  of 
J.  Johnson;  Emma  and  Edward  are  the  younger 
members  of  the  family. 

Until  he  was  15  years  of  age  Lauritz  A.  Vig- 
ness attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native 
county,  and  early  evinced  unu'sual  aptitude  for 
books.  His  youthful  ambition  to  enjoy  the  ad- 


512 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


vantage  of  a  collegiate  education  finally  received 
fulfillment,  and,  after  passing  two  years  in  Mar- 
shall (Wisconsin)  Academy,  he  pursued  a  thor- 
ough four-year  course  of  -study  in  Augu'stana 
College  at  Canton,  S.  D.  H^e  then  spent  six 
months  at  Dixon  College,  at  Dixon,  111.,  after 
which  he  took  a  course  at  Augustana  Theological 
Seminary,  at  Beloit,  Iowa.  From  1886  to  1890 
he  was  professor  of  Latin  and  Greek  at  August- 
ana  College.  In  1890  he  became  a  member  of 
the  faculty  of  the  Highland  Park  College  at  Des 
Moines,  Iowa,  having  charge  of  the  classical  de- 
partment, and  for  four  years  his  labors  in  that 
well  known  institution  met  with  excellent  suc- 
cess. The  presidency  of  Jewell  Lutheran  College, 
at  Jewell,  Iowa,  was  then  tendered  him,  and  he 
accepted  the  responsible  charge.  The  authorities 
and  managers  of  Pleasant  View  Luther  College 
obtained  Mr.  Vigness'  consent  to  become  pre- 
sident of  the  institution,  and  from  that  time  had 
no  doubt  of  its  future  prosperity.  As  an  edu- 
cator he  has  few  superiors  in  this  or  any  state, 
and  systematic  methods  are  noticeable  in  every- 
thing which  he  undertakes. 

On  the  9th  of  June,  1887,  the  marriage  of  Mr. 
Vigness  and  Miss  Margret  Krogness  was  solem- 
nized at  Larchwood,  Lyon  county,  Iowa.  Mrs. 
Vigness  is  a  daughter  of  Rev.  S.  M.  and  Johanna 
(Amundson)  Krogness,  both  of  whom  have 
passed  to  their  reward.  To  our  subject  and  wife 
five  sons  and  a  daughter  were  born:  Joseph  Al- 
fred, Orrin  Sylvanus,  Lewis  Martell,  Paul  Ger- 
hard, Lydia  Ruth  and  Charles  Krauth. 

The  Pleasant  View  Luther  College  has  several 
distinct  departments  of  study,  including  scien- 
tific, literary,  commercial,  musical,  parochial  and 
classical.  A  competent  instructor,  a  specialist 
as  far  as  possible,  is  in  charge  of  each  depart- 
ment. The  rooms  of  the  students  are  homelike 
and  in  the  boarding  hall  they  are  provided  with 
an  abundance  of  well  prepared,  nourishing  food. 
Chapel  exercises  are  a  part'  of  the  daily  routine, 
and  here  the  students  are  admonished,'  brought 
to  a  keener  sense  of  their  responsibility  toward 
God  and  man,  and  are  trained  in  the  fundamental 
principles  of  noble  citizenship.  The  college  is 
wonderfully  prospering,  and  its  present  capacity 
is  now  well  taxed. 

Since  the  fall  of  1901  he  has  had  pastoral 
charge  of  the  Scandinavian  Lutheran  congrega- 
tion in  addition  to  his  duties  as  president  of 
Pleasant  View  Luther  College. 

As  an  educator  he  is  both  conservative  and 
progressive.  He  believes  in  holding  fast  to  the 
old  principles  which  have  been  tested  and  tried 
and  have  stood  the  test  of  time.  This,  however, 


does  not  prevent  him  from  being  at  all  times 
ready  to  consider  critically  and  estimate  at  their 
proper  value  the  newer  views  that  are  from  time 
to  time  promulgated  by  educational  thinkers. 
The  policy  of  the  institution  under  his  care  is 
stated  in  the  following  extract  from  the  cata- 
logue: "To  give  the  rising  generation  a  thorough 
training  on  a  basis  doctrinally  conservative,  edu- 
cationally progressive,  is  the  purpose  of  Pleasant 
View  Luther  College." 


TOBIAS  H.  VARLAND 

Was  born  in  Varland  sogn,  near  Stavanger,  Nor- 
way, Jan.  10,  1855.  His  father  (a  farmer  in 
Norway)  was  Halvor  Varland  and  his  mother's 
maiden  name  Sir!  Torbjjzfrnsdatter  Eie.  Our  sub- 
ject worked  on  his  father's  farm  until  18,  at- 
tended school,  and  was  confirmed  in  Finn0 
church,  in  Norway. 

He  came  to  America  in  the  summer  of  1873, 
arriving  in  Leland,  111.,  June  14.  He  went  to 
his  uncle,  Ole  Thomson,  a  farmer  who  now  lives 
at  Deer  Park,  Ala.  Our  subject  worked  on  the 
farm  by  the  month  for  six  years. 

He  married  Miss  Malinda  Johnson,  of  Platt- 
ville,  111.,  Feb.  24,  1880.  His  wife's  parents  were 
Andrew  H.  and  Sarah  (Baker)  Johnson,  Mrs. 
Varland  being  a  sister  of  ex-Judge  Johnson,  of 
Ottawa. 

He  then  secured  some  land  of  his  own  in  Mil- 
ler township,  La  Salle  county,  and  has  been 
farming  it  since,  having  added  to  his  holding 
from  time  to  time,  and  now  cultivates  240  acres. 
He  also  owns  a  300-acre  farm  in  Baker  county, 
Minn.,  and  a  store,  in  partnership  with  Judge 
Johnson,  in  Seneca,  III.  Our  subject  is  a  mem- 
ber, songleader  and  deacon  of  Stavanger  Luth- 
eran Church,  in  La  Salle  county.  He  was  also 
one  of  the  incorporators  of  the  Pleasant  View 
Luther  College,  at  Ottawa,  and  has  always  pat- 
ronized it  by  donations  and  by  sending  his  chil- 
dren to  it. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Varland  have  been  blessed  with 
thirteen  children,  all  living — Harvey  Elmer,  born 
Nov.  21,  1880;  Sina  Margaret,  Sept.  4, 1882;  Arthur 
Zenus,  June  29,  1884;  Orville  LeRoy,  Dec.  1, 
1886;  Walter  Baker,  Jan.  9,  1889;  Hazel  Theresa, 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES    AND    PORTRAITS 


513 


2 


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514 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Feb.  17,  1891;  Edgar  Alexander,  Oct.  3,  1894; 
Merrill  Chester,  Oct.  18,  1896;  Esther  Marie, 
April  21,  1898;  Ruth  Naomi,  July  16,  1899;  Freda 
Gertrude,  Nov.  10,  1901;  Truman  Milo,  June  18, 
1903;  James  Gordon,  May,  9,  1905.  Of  the  chil- 
dren all  are  at  home  except  Harvey,  who  is 
farming  in  North  Dakota,  and  Sina,  who  is  teach- 
ing school  and  living  with  her  brother  in  Dakota. 
Orville  is  a  student  at  Pleasant  View  College. 


Taught  school  for  several  years.  Commenced 
reading  law  at  Leland,  111.;  studied  nights  and 
Saturdays.  Went  thence  to  Chicago  and  finished 
his  reading  with  the  law  firm  of  English  &  Hef- 
feran.  Was  admitted  to  the  bar  May  7,  1897,  and 
since  then  has  been  engaged  in  the  general  prac- 
tice of  law  with  offices  in  the  Ashland  Block, 
Chicago. 

Jan.   24,  1900,   he  was    married    to   Miss   Anna 
Thompson,  of   Leland,  111. 


GOODMAN  WALLEM. 

Goodman  Wallem  was  born  in   Adams   town- 
ship, La  Salle  county,  Illinois,  Oct.  7,  1864.     At- 


THOMAS   ENGELSON   WATERDAL. 

With  Adams   Bros.  &  Co.,  the  building  material 
and    elevator    manufacturers,    at    355    Thirty-first 


Goodman  Wallem. 


Thomas   E.  Waterdal. 


tended     district     school,    the     Morris     Normal 
School  and  the  Dixon  (111.)   Business  University. 


street,    was    born    in   Waterdal,    Onarkeim    sogn, 
Tysnaes  prestegjeld,  Norway,  on  Jan.  5,  1855.    His 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES    AND    PORTRAITS 


515 


parents  were  Engel  Thorbjjzirnsen  and  Christi 
Henricksdatter. 

His  early  life  was  spent  in  the  country,  but  at 
the  age  of  18  years  he  went  to  sea  as  a  sailor 
from  Bergen.  When  of  military  age  he  served 
for  three  years  in  the  infantry  of  the  Norwegian 
army. 

He  came  to  America  in  1884  and  sailed  on  the 
lakes  until  1895,  when  he  associated  himself  with 
Adams  Bros.  &  Co.,  Chicago. 

He  belongs  to  the  Norwegian  Lutheran 
Church. 


Lutheran  Home  and  Hospital  since  1904.  He 
has  many  private  students.  From  1895  to 
1897  he  was  manager  of  the  male  department 
at  the  Home  Sanitarium  at  Racine,  Wisconsin, 
and  in  1893-95  was  with  the  Wabash  Rail- 
way Hospital  at  Moberly,  Mo.  When  he  first 
came  to  Chicago  he  found  English,  German  and 
Swedish  masseurs,  but  not  one  Norwegian.  He 
decided,  however,  that  Chicago  was  a  good  field 
for  his  work,  and  determined  to  spread  the 
knowledge  of  massage  and  the  Swedish  move- 
ments among  his  countrymen  and  thus  establish 


HENRY    CORNELIUS   WEARDAHL, 

The  professional  masseur  and  instructor  in  prac- 
tical massage  and  Swedish  movements,  at  800  N. 
Washtenaw  avenue,  was  born  in  Trondhjem, 
Norway,  Nov.  8,  1865.  His  father,  Andreas  M. 
Weardahl,  was  a  watchmaker  in  Norway.  Our 
subject  attended  betalingsskolen  in  Trondhjem 
and  studied  Swedish  movements  and  massage 
under  his  uncle,  Fanejunker  Ole  Tellesb0e  in 
Trondhjem,  in  1886.  He  also  took  a  course  at 
the  Chicago  School  of  Psychology  in  1900.  He 
was  confirmed  in  the  Cathedral,  (Domkirken) 
at  Trondhjem. 

He  came  to  New  York  on  May  5,  1889,  and 
Chicago  on  the  7th.  In  1890  he  went  to  Spring- 
field, 111.,  but  returned  to  Chicago  in  1893.  In  the 
fall  of  that  year  he  went  to  Moberly,  Mo.,  where 
he  was  attendant  at  the  Wabash  Railroad  Hos- 
pital until  1895,  when  he  went  to  the  Home  Sani- 
tarium, at  Racine,  Wis.  In  1897  he  returned  to 
Chicago  and  located  permanently. 

He  was  married  to  Hanna  Olsen  D01e,  daugh- 
ter of  Ole  P.  and  Sofie  Djzlle,  of  F0resfjord,  Hau- 
gesund,  Norway,  on  Oct.  4,  1900.  They  have  one 
child,  a  son,  Arlin  Andreas,  born  March  23,  1903. 

Mr.  Weardahl  served  ninety  days  as  a  guard  in 
the  Norwegian  army  on  Varnesmoen,  near  Trond- 
hjem. He  has  been  a  member  of  the  Interna- 
tional Order  of  Good  Templars  since  May,  1881, 
is  state  deputy  for  Illinois,  and  has  held  all  of- 
fices in  the  subordinate  Ipdge  of  which  he  is  a 
member.  He  has  been  an  instructor  in  practical 
massage  and  Swedish  movements  since  1895.  As 
such  he  has  held  positions  with  the  Norwegian 


Henry  C.  Weardahl. 


for  himself  a  permanent  business.  It  has  taken 
him  several  years  and  he  has  frequently  been 
obliged  to  leave  the  city  in  order  to  earn  enough 
money  to  continue  the  work.  His  efforts  have 
been  crowned  with  success,  however,  and  Mr. 
Weardahl  is  now  satisfied  with  the  results  ob- 
tained. 

He  has  always  been  an  active  worker  in  the 
temperance  cause  since  he  engaged  in  the  work 
in  1881.  For  the  last  four  years  he  has  been  the 
leader  in  the  Norwegian  lodges  of  the  city.  In 


516 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


recognition  of  his  services  in  this  work  he  was, 
on  the  25th  of  last  May,  presented  with  a  gold 
watch  by  Norr^nna  Lodge. 


CLARENCE  S.  WILLIAMS, 

At  present  county  clerk  for  Kendall  county,  at 
Yorkville,  111.,  was  born  in  Chicago,  Au'er.  10, 
1873.  His  parents  were  William  and  Belle  (Lee) 
Williams.  His  father  was  a  clothing  merchant. 


Aug.  24,  1898.  They  have  two  daughters  —  Jean- 
nette,  born  July  38,  1899,  and  Gladys  Evelyn,  born 
April  2,  1905. 

Mr.  Williams  was  elected  county  treasurer  of 
Kendall  county  Aug.  8,  1898,  and  count>  clerk 
Nov.  7,  1902.  He  was  renominated  for  clerk  by 
the  republican  county  convention  on  Aug.  4, 
1906,  and  in  November  elected  by  a  large  major- 
ity of  votes.  He  has  served  four  years  as  treas- 
urer and  four  years  as  clerk,  with  another  term 
to  his  credit.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Yorkville 
city  council,  having  served  four  years.  He  has 
also  been  vice-president  and  president  of  the 
Yorkville  Business  Men's  League.  He  is  a  mem- 
ber of  the  M.  W.  A.  of  A.  and  the  Uoyal  Neigh- 
bors. His  father  died  in  Springfield,  111.,  in 
April,  1892. 


Clarence  S.  Williams. 


Clarence  attended  the  public  school  at  Newark 
until  14  years  old,  when  he  began  clerking.  He 
worked  for  nine  years  in  the  mercantile  business 
at  Newark  and  Millbrook. 

He  married  Miss  Mary  Etta  Budd,  daughter  of 
Jacob  and  Margaret  A.  Budd,  of  Millbrook,  111., 


EDWARD  IVER  WILLIAMS. 

Edward  I.  Williams,  residing  at  104  N.  Centre 
aventie,  Chicago,  was  born  June  20,  1867,  of 
Norwegian  parentage,  and  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  this  city.  At  one  time  he  was 
engaged  in  the  grocery  business,  and  for  twelve 
years  held  the  position  of  head  cashier  and  credit 
man  for  the  well  known  commission  firm  of  H. 
L.  Brown  &  Co.  After  retiring  from  the  com- 
mission business  Mr.  Williams  opened  up  the 
Edward  I.  Williams  &  Company  Subdivision,  in 
the  northwest  part  of  Chicago,  commonly  known 
as  Irving  Park. 

In  1896  Mr.  Williams  was  appointed  a  deputy 
coroner  under  George  Berz.  After  remaning  in 
that  position  four  years  he  was  appointed  minute 
clerk  of  the  county  board  under  Peter  B.  Olsen. 

Mr.  Williams  has  large  business  interests  in 
the  northwest  part  of  Chicago,  was  secretary  of 
the  Milwaukee  Avenu'e  Co-Operative  Store,  one 
of  the  largest  department  stores  on  the  north- 
•  west  side,  where'  over  250  hands  were  employed. 
He  has  been  a  director  of  the  Mount  Olive 
Cemetery  for  over  sixteen  years,  and  is  now 
vice-president. 

Mr.  Williams  has  always  taken  an  active  part 
in  politics,  and  on  Nov.  7,  1905,  was  elected 
trustee  of  the  sanitary  district  of  Chicago.  Mr. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES    AND    PORTRAITS 


517 


Williams  has  been  connected  with  several  fra- 
ternal organizations,  and  has  occupied  high  of- 
fices in  same,  namely  chancellor  commandery  of 
the  Knights  of  Pythias,  Godival  Lodge,  No.  512, 
and  was  regent  of  Prairie  State  Council,  Royal 
Arcanum,  No.  912,  and  also  a  member  of  the 
Eagles,  and  various  other  fraternal  organiza- 
tions. 


E.  I.  Williams. 


Mr.  Williams'  father,  Ole  Williams,  was  one  of 
the  earliest  Norwegian  settlers  in  Chicago,  at  one 
time  had  extensive  marine  interests  in  the  city, 
and  was  considered  one  of  the  largest  lake  vessel 
owners  among  the  Norwegians  at  that  time.  He 
kept  the  old  Williams  Hotel,  at  59-61  E.  Kinzie 
street,  which  was  the  headquarters  for  all  the 
Norwegians  arriving  in  Chicago  from  the  old 
country. 


Torris  Wold  &  Co.,  large  manufacturers  of  can 
machinery.  Our  subject  was  born  Jan.  20,  1876. 
He  attended  the  public  schools  and  the  Metro- 
politan Business  College.  Was  confirmed  by 
Rev.  Torgersen.  Began  the  active  work  of  life 
as  a  clerk  with  J.  L.  Fulton,  a  cement  con- 
tractor, in  1892,  and  later  was  bookkeeper  and 
cashier  for  Torris  Wold  &  Co.  He  then  engaged 
in  the  undertaking  business  with  his  uncle  and 
cousin  on  Grand  avenue.  He  is  a  member  of  the 


ALFRED  N.  WOLD 

Is  a  native  of  Chicago,  a  son  of  Torris  and  Han- 
na    (Hvid)    Wold.      His    father    is    president    of 


Alfred  N.  Wold. 


Men's  Burial  Society,  Blair  Lodge  A.  F.  and 
A.  M.,  Chicago  Lodge,  No.  91,  A.  O.  U.  W.; 
Friendship  Court,  T.  B.  H.,  and  Northfellow's 
Supreme  Lodge.  He  is  receiver  for  the  Chi- 
cago Lodge,  No.  91,  A.  O.  U.  W. 

June  26,  1901,  he  was  married  to  Louise  B. 
Olsen,  a  daughter  of  Knud  and  Andrea  Olsen, 
from  Christiania,  Norway.  They  have  two  chil- 
dren— Hallie.  Andrea,  born  May  22,  1902,  and 
Torris  Alfred,  born  March  11,  1905.  The  family 
resides  at  476  Potomac  avenue. 


518 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


NELS  BERNHARD  WOLD, 

Of  the  well  known  undertaking  firm  Wold  & 
Wold,  was  born  in  Chicago  March  10,  1876.  His 
father  was  Bernt  M.  and  his  mother  Josephine 
<Hansen)  Wold,  both  deceased. 

Mr.  Wold  received  his  primary  education  in  the 
Chicago  public  schools  and  was  then  sent  to  Ber- 
gen, Norway,  where  he  remained  three  years 
studying  under  a  private  tutor  and  being  con- 
firmed in  the  cathedral  of  Bergen. 

Upon  his  return  to  Chicago  he  entered  a  busi- 
ness college  and  having  finished  a  course  there 
joined'  his  father  in  the  undertaking  business. 


Mr.  Wold  and  wife  are  members  of  Bethany 
Congregational  church  and  reside  at  596  N. 
Sacramento  avenue. 


Nels  B.  Wold. 


On  June  10,  1903,  Mr.  Wold  was  married  to 
Miss  Marion  Wingard,  a  daughter  of  Frederick 
and  Mary  Wingard,  of  Chicago.  They  have  had 
one  child,  a  girl,  who  died  in  infancy. 

Mr.  Wold  is  a  Free  Mason,  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias,  the  Singing  Society  "Bjorg- 
vin",  the  National  Union,  the  "I  Will"  lodge, 
Knights  of  Honor,  Leif  Erikson,  R.  H.  K.(  the 
Northfellows  Supreme  lodge,  and  "Haabets 
Anker". 


TORRIS  WOLD, 

President  of  Torris  Wold  &  Co.,  machinists  and 
manufacturers  of  can-making  machinery,  at  58-70 
N.  Jefferson  street,  Chicago,  was  born  in  Quams0 
Sogn,  Norway,  on  June  19, 1847.  His  father.  Nils 
Wold,  was  a  merchant  in  Norway;  his  mother's 
maiden  name  was  Dorothea  Lemmicka.  His  moth- 
er died  in  Norway  in  1849  and  his  father  in  1881. 


Torris  Wold. 


Torris  attended  the  common  schools,  and  after 
being  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran  Church  in  Vik, 
he  sailed  for  one  year.  He  then  went  to  Bergen 
and  mastered  the  profession  of  an  optician.  He 
came  to  America  in  1869  via  Montreal  and  di- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES    AND    PORTRAITS 


519 


rect  to  Chicago,  where  he  has  remained  continu- 
ously since. 

He  was  married  on  Sept.  19,  1871,  to  Hanna 
Zahl  Hvid,  of  Nordlandet,  Norway,  her  parents 
being  Arnt  Hvid  and  Hanna  Zahl  Hvid.  Three 
children  were  born  to  them,  two  now  living-^ 
Hallie  Wold,  who  married  H.  H.  Lyche,  of  H. 
H.  Lyche  &  Co.,  manufacturers,  908  Security 
Building,  and  Alfred  N.  Wold,  who  married 
Louise  Olsen,  of  Christiania,  Norway. 

Upon  arrival  in  Chicago  Mr.  Wold  took  up  the 
machinist  trade  and  later  had  charge  of  the  die 
work  in  the  shop  of  the  G.  A.  Crosby  Co.  from 
•1876  to  1886.  At  that  time  he  engaged  in  busi- 
ness for  himself,  making  a  specialty  of  manu- 
facturing machinery  for  making  all  kinds  of  cans. 
Mr.  Wold  is  a  member  of  the  Norwegian  Luth- 
eran Church  and  the  Old  People's  Home  So- 
ciety. The  family  resides  at  251  Humboldt  boule- 
vard. 


the  said  company  he  was  sent  as  one  of  their 
representatives  to  the  World's  Fair  at  St.  Louis 
in  1904.  After  the  Fair  was  closed,  he  was  put 
in  charge  of  dismantling  the  large  Allis-Chalmers 


ALBERT  HALVOR  0STBERG 

Was  born  at  Fredriksstad,  Norway,  Oct.  8,  1880. 
His  parents  were  Alexander  P.,  a  wholesale  and 
retail  paper  dealer,  and  Gunda  (So'rlie)  0stberg. 
Our  subject  received  his  primary  education  first 
in  the  Middelskole,  then  one  year  at  the  Gymna- 
sium and  finally  in  the  Fredriksstad  technical 
evening  school,  whereupon  he  was  apprenticed, 
in  1897,  at  the  large  machine  shops  of  Fredriks- 
stad. 

In  order  to  complete  his  technical  education  he 
was  sent  abroad  to  Germany  where  he  after 
some  years'  intense  study  graduated  from  the 
Polytechnicum  of  Mittweida,  Saxony,  in  1902. 

In  1903  Mr.  0stberg  concluded  to  seek  a  larger 
field  for  his  activities  and  came  to  this  country, 
landing  in  New  York  March  16.  He  worked 
there  for  a  while  as  mechanical  draftsman,  but 
soon  went  west  to  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  arriving  there 
in  June  of  the  same  year.  We  next  find  him 
with  the  Allis-Chalmers  Company,  of  Milwaukee, 
Wis.,  in  the  capacity  of  erecting  engineer.  By 


A.  H.  0stberg. 


Co.'s  engine,  which  among  the  authorities  went 
under  the  name  of  "The  Old  Reliable".  This 
engine  which  could  develop  7,500  h.  p.  was  the 
most  powerful  compound  engine  ever  exhibited 
at  any  World's  Fair.  It  required  47  railroad 
cars  to  ship  it  to  the  shops  at  Milwaukee,  the 
total  weight  of  the  engine  being  720  tons.  Mr. 
0stberg  has  also  been  engaged  in  erecting  one 
of  the  5,000  h.  p.  steam  turbines,  which  Allis- 
Chalmers  Co.  installed  for  the  Brooklyn  Rapid 
Transit  Co.  During  one  year  Mr.  0stberg  has 
been  connected  with  the  C.  B.  &  Q.  R.  R.  as 
inspector  of  patterns,  and  in  this  capacity  he 
traveled  over  this  whole  system.  At  the  present 
time  he  is  employed  as  car  designer  with  the 
Armour  Car  Lines  of  Chicago. 


SUPPLEMENT 


l\  . 


Ill  this  part  we  present  some  articles,  sketches  and  pictures,  which 
reached  us  too  late  to  be  given  the  places  where  they  really  belong,  as 
well  as  a  few  additions  to  articles  and  sketches  in  the  main  body  of  the 
volume. 

In  a  new  edition  these  addenda  will  be  put  into  their  proper  places. 
We  invite  any  one  noticing  errors  or  omissions  in  the  book  to  send  in  the 
corrections  to  the  editor,  who  will  see  that  they  are  promptly  made  for 
a  contemplated  new  issue. 

Societies  or  individuals,  who  did  not  furnish  us  with  their  data  for 
this  first  edition,  will  have  another  chance,  if  they  respond  more  promptly 
to  this  last  call. 


683 


THE 

NORWEGIAN   TABITHA  HOSPITAL, 
CHICAGO,    ILLINOIS 


By  Dr.  Karl  F.  M.  Sandberg. 


The  early  history  of  the  Norwegian  Tabitha 
Society  has  been  so  fully  and  ably  described  on 
page  135  of  this  work  that  I  shall  not  repeat  it 
here  but  simply  refer  the  readers  to  that  page. 
At  the  laying  of  the  corner  stone  of  the  Tabitha 
tiospftal,  Francisco  and  Thomas  streets,  June  's, 
1893,  the  differences  of  opinion  and  the  bitter  feel- 
lings,  that  for  a  number  of  years  had  existed  be- 
tween the  two  main  factions  of  the  Norwegian 
Lutheran  Thurch  in  America,  The  United  Church 
and  the  Synod  for  the  Norwegian  Evangelical 
Lutheran  Church  of  America,  again  found  a  new 
•expression.  To  the  suggestion  that  prayers  should 
have  a  part  on  the  program  for  this  occasion,  it 
was  objected  on  the  part  of  the  Synod  that  pray- 
ers should  be  left  out  for  the  reason  that  the 
members  of  the  Synod  and  those  of  the  Unit.e'l 
Church  differed  so  much  on  vital  religious  points 
that  they  would  not  even  pray  together.  The 
corner  stone  was  therefore  laid  not  in  the  name 
of  God,  as  desired  by  one  faction  of  the  society, 
but  in  the  name  of  the  Norwegian-American 
People,  and  from  this  time  on  it  became  more  and 
more  evident  that  the  bone  of  contention  within 
the  society  was,  which  one  of  the  two  church 
factions,  the  United  Church  or  the  Synod,  should 
gain  control  of  the  institution.  The  Synod  by 
hoisting  the  national  flag  and  advocating  a  na- 
tional rather  than  a  religious  hospital  drew  t. 
number  of  non-synod  people  to  its  side  and  at 
the  annual  meeting  in  1895  came  out  victorious, 
the  issue  fn  the  election  being,  whether  the  hos- 
pital should  have  trained  nurses  or  deaconesses 
to  take  care  of  the  sick.  The  opening  festival  of 
the  hospital  took  place  on  the  24th  day  of  Oc- 
tober, 1894,  and  the  first  patient  was  admitted  in 


December  of  the  same  year.  190  patients  were 
treated  during  the  year  1895,  338  during  the  year 
1900,  and  573  during  the  year  1906.  During  the 
first  years  of  the  hospital's  existence  old  people 
to  the  number  of  nine  were1  taken  in  and  given  a 
home  for  the  rest  of  their  natural  lives.  After  the 
establishment  of  the  Norwegian  Old  People's 
Home,  at  Norwood  Park,  this  branch  of  the  in- 
stitution was  discontinued;  two  went  to  the  Nor- 
wegian, one  to  the  Danish  Old  People's  Home; 
one  has  died,  so  that  but  five  of  the  old  people 
still  remain  in  the  institution.  Shortly  after  the 
opening  of  the  hospital  a  training  school  for 
nurses  was  established  with  a  two  years'  course 
and  the  nursing  of  the  patients  has  always  been 
done  by  pupils  of  this  school.  Miss  Maltha  B. 
Ellingson,  a  graduate  of  the.  Illinois  Training 
School  for  Nurses  of  Chicago,  was  the  first  super- 
intendent of  nurses,  and  a  great  deal  of  the  suc- 
cess of  the  hospital  has  been  due  to  the  skill  and 
thoroughness,  with  which  she,  from  the  very  be- 
ginning, arranged  the  various  departments  of 
the  institution.  The  present  superintendent  of 
nurses,  Miss  Clara  Savereide,  is  a  graduate  of  tht 
hospital's  own  training  school,  and  to  her  finan- 
cial talent  the  hospital  is  mainly  indebted  for  iti 
present  favorable  economical  condition.  A  med- 
ical staff  of  Scandinavian  physicians,  men  and 
women,  has  always  been  connected  with  the  hos- 
pital. The  present  members  of  this  staff  are:  Dt. 
Marie  A.  Olson,  Dr.  Helga  Ruud,  Dr.  Valborg 
Sogn,  Dr.  Peter  Bassoe,  Dr.  Anders  Doe,  Dr. 
Andreas  KloVstad,  Dr.  N.  T.  Quales,  Dr.  Charles 
F.  Roan,  Dr.  Karl  F.  M.  Sandberg,  Dr.  Karl  L. 
Thorsgaard.  Dr.  Christian  Fenger  was  for  a 
number  of  years  and  up  to  his  death  surgeon-in- 


525 


526 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


chief  to  the  hospital.  Since  his  death  this  posi- 
tion has  been  filled  by  Dr.  Karl  F.  M.  Sandberg. 
Seven  branches  of  the  Tabitha  Society  con- 
sisting mainly  of  members  of  the  United  Church 
withdrew  in  a  body  from  the  society  after  their 
defeat  at  the  annual  election  in  1895,  and  the  af- 
fairs of  the  society  and  the  hospital  were  left  in" 
the  hands  of  the  remaining  five  branches,  made 
up  of  members  of  the  Synod  and  others.  These 
co-operated  harmoniously  for  a  while,  but  from 
year  to  year  little  frictions  began  to  develop.  The 
Synod  ministers  and  some  of  their  followers  be- 
gan to  raise  objections  against  charity  balls  and 
against  the  selling  of  chances  at  bazars;  charity 


majority  of  the  members  of  the  board  of  direc- 
tors shall  be  members  (in  good  standing)  of  con- 
gregations belonging  to  the  Synod  for  the  Nor- 
wegian Evangelical  Lutheran  Church  of  Amer- 
ica." The  motion  did  not  receive  the  necessary 
number  of  votes,  but  was  again  proposed  at  the 
annual  meeting  in  1902.  A  long  agitation  with 
newspaper  writings,  public  meetings  and  discus- 
sions and  a  large  increase  in  the  membership  of 
the  society  had  preceded  this.  The  feelings  were 
running  high,  and  the  Synod  party  on  the  one 
side,  and  the  National  party  on  the  other,  were 
gathering  their  forces  for  the  final  battle,  the  an- 
nual meetin  of  1902.  After  two  or  three  hours' 


The  Norwegian  Tabitha  Hospital. 


balls  and  bazars  being  the  main  undertakings 
whereby  funds  were  raised  for  the  support  of  the 
institutions.  They  went  to  the  extent  of  warning 
members,  over  whom  they  had  influence,  from  at- 
tending these  affairs.  The  Synod  faction  had  a 
majority  in  the  board  of  directors  and  also  in  the 
nominating  committee;  the  function  of  this  last 
one  was  to  nominate  all  candidates  for  the  board 
of  directors  as  well  as  for  other  committees,  and 
by  having  control  over  this  the  Synod  people 
were  able  to  perpetuate  themselves  in  control. 
To  make  their  influence  absolute  and  give  them 
not  only  control,  but  possession,  it  was  finally 
proposed  to  the  annual  meeting  of  1901,  that  "a 


skirmishing  between  the  two,  almost  evenly  num- 
bered factions,  the  National  party  finally  got  con- 
trol of  the  meeting,  and  the  Synod  party,  after 
vainly  attempting  to  block  the  proceedings,  bolted 
in  a  body  and  left  the  hall.  The  National  party 
proceeded  with  the  regular  order  of  business, 
elected  new  members  for  the  board  of  directors 
and  the  committees,  and  after  the  meeting  pro- 
cee'ded  to  organize  its  board  of  directors  and 
take  charge  of  the  affairs  of  the  institution.  The 
Synod  faction,  however,  claiming  that  these  pro- 
ceedings had  been  illegal,  issued  a  call  for  an- 
other annual  meting  and  elected  another  board 
of  directors  and  committees  and  later  instituted 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


527 


quo  warranto  proceedings  against  the  National 
board  of  directors.  The  case  was,  however,  decided 
in  favor  of  the  National  party,  and  the  war  was 
over.  Since  then  the  society  and  the  hospital  has 
been  in  the  hands  of  the  National  party,  the 
Synod  party  having  withdrawn  in  a  body  from 
the  society  after  their  defeat  in  court.  The  word 
Lutheran,  which  originally  formed  a  part  of  the 
name  of  the  society  as  well  as  of  the  hospital, 
and  which  was  inscribed  on  the  front  of  the  hos- 
pital building,  has,  by  action  of  the  society,  been 
removed  from  the  name  as  well  as  from  the 
building.  The  Synod  ministers  of  Chicago,  who 
for  years  had  conducted  daily  religious  services 
at  the  hospital,  discontinued  these  after  their 
defeat  in  the  society  and  in  the  court.  The  mem- 
bers of  the  present  board  of  directors  are  Dr. 
Marie  A.  Olson,  president;  Mr.  John  Olson,  vice- 
president;  Mr.  Johan  Waage,  treasurer;  Miss 
Johanna  Olson,  secretary;  Mr.  S.  E.  Smeby,  Mr. 
Charles  Hanson,  Miss  Laura  Koyelsen,  Mr.  H. 
G.  Holtan,  Dr.  Valborg  Sogn. 

The  hospital  is  well  equipped  in  all  its  de- 
partments and  running  on  a  very  sound  financial 
basis,  the  indebtedness  of  different  kinds  grad- 
ually having  been  reduced  so  that  only  a  mort- 
gage of  $3000.00  still  remains  on  the  property 
which  is  valued  at  $40,000.  Much  credit  for  this 
is  due  to  the  great  interest  and  untiring  efforts 
of  the  present  president,  Dr.  Marie  A.  Olson, 
vho  for  several  years  has  filled  this  position. 


The  United  Church. 

ST.  PAUL  LUTHERAN  CHURCH, 
Rowe,  Illinois. 

By  Rev.  C.  Michaelsen. 

The  Norwegian  settlement  in  the  vicinity  of 
Pontiac  is  originally  a  branch  or  an  extension  of 
the  Fox  River  or  Lisbon  and  Leland  settlements 
north.  As  early  as  1853  two  or  three  families 
moved  in  from  Otter  Creek,  Illinois.  In  1862  six 
or  eight  families  were  scattered  over  an  area  of 
fifteen  miles.  Houses  were  built  wherever  con- 
venient regardless  of  roads.  The  prairie  was 


covered  with  a  luxuriant  growth  of  grass,  but 
swampy.  A  writer  at  the  time  says:  "Where  the 
frogs  do  crow  and  the  ducks  do  quake  down  in 
the  pond  country  Pontiac."  Then  the  price  of 
the  land  was  from  five  to  ten  dollars  an  acre; 
now  it  sells  from  one  hundred  and  twenty-five  to 
two  hundred  dollars  an  acre.  Due  to  efficient 
tiling  practically  no  swampy  land  is  to  be  found 
now. 

Among  the  settlers  were  two  married  daugh- 
ters of  Gunnar  Oakland  of  Leland.  Moved  by 
concern  for  them  as  well  as  others  he  asked  Rev. 
Aasmund  Johnsen  to  visit  the  colony,  which  he 
did,  accompanied  by  Oakland.  They  reached  their 
destination  on  the  Saturday  before  Palm  Sunday, 
having  been  three  days  on  their  way.  Three  per- 
sons on  horseback  were  sent  out  to  announce  the 
service  which  was  to  be  held  the  following  day, 
Palm  Sunday,  in  a  school  house.  All  the  people 
responded.  This  was  the  first  divine  service  held 
by  a  Norwegian  Lutheran  minister  in  the  settle- 
ment. 

No  congregation  was  organized  then,  as  things 
looked  discouraging  to  Rev.  Johnsen.  In  the  fall 
of  the  same  year  Mr.  Oakland  persuaded  Rev. 
Peter  A.  Asbj0rnsen,  a  man  endured  to  hardship, 
to  go  with  him,  which  he  did,  and  the  result  was 
that  in  1864  the  first  Lutheran  congregation  was 
organized  in  the  settlement  with  ten  families. 
The  congregation  joined  the  Norwegian  Luther- 
an Augustana  Synod.  Soon  Mr.  Oakland  moved 
from  Leland  and  joined  the  church. 

Shortly  after,  Mr.  Asbjffrnsen  went  to  live  in 
his  new  charge,  working  a  farm  which  he  rented 
and  preaching  evenings  and  Sundays.  In  1865  the 
first  church  was  built.  Trouble  commenced  about 
the  site.  This  and  offense  at  remarks  made  by 
Asbj^rnsen,  who  was  a  very  outspoken  man, 
caused  three  families  to  leave  the  congregation. 
They  called  Rev.  P.  A.  Rasmussen  of  Lisbon  to 
their  assistance,  and  in  1868  Rev.  Rasmussen  or- 
ganized a  Norwegian  Lutheran  Synod  Church. 

People  continued  to  move  in  from  the  older 
settlements  and  from  Norway.  Some  joined  the 
old  congregation,  others  the  new  one. 

The  ministers  in  charge  of  the  Norwegian 
Synod  church  were:  Rev.  O.  Estrjzfm,  C.  Olsen, 
Welo,  Helgesen,  N.  Arvesen.  and  O.  Saue. 

The  pastors  of  the  Augustana  congregation 
were:  David  Lysnes,  O,  C.  Anderson,  O.  Tjoms- 
land,  Berthel  Thorsen.  In  1890  the  Anti-Mis- 
sourian  Brotherhood,  the  "Konferents,"  and  Au- 
gustana Synod  united,  forming  the  United  Nor- 
wegian Lutheran  Church.  This  was  the  signal 
for  the  Synod  Church  at  Rowe  (a  little  railroad 
station  that  had  sprung  up  in  the  settlement) 


528 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


which  had  taken  a  stand  with  the  Anti-Missour- 
ians  and  the  Augustana  Church,  to  join  hands, 
which  they  did,  naming  the  new  congregation  St. 
Paul  Lutheran  Church.  Rev.  D.  A.  Skare  of  the 
Augustana  congregation  became  the  pastor  of  the 
new  congregation.  Rev.  O.  R.  Sletten  was  his 
successor.  The  pastor  at  present  in  charge  is 
Rev.  C.  Michaelsen.  The  congregation  at  pres- 
ent numbers  about  fifty  voting  members,  and 
some  two-hundred  souls;  it  has  two  ladies'  aid 
societies,  a  Luther  league  society  for  young  peo- 
ple; Sunday-school.  Norwegian  parochial  school 
is  held  from  six  to  eight  weeks  every  summer. 
Services  are  conducted  in  the  Norwegian  lan- 
guage Sunday  forenoons,  in  English,  evenings. 
Among  the  very  earliest  members  who  reso- 
lutely, have  weathered  the  difficulties,  the  congre- 
gation passed  through,  J.  Q.  Johnsen,  O.  H. 
Olsen  Hammerwa,  Newton  Mitchell,  Henrik 
Larson  Hovda,  and  Andrew  Erickson,  deserve 
to  be  remembered. 

Later  members,  heads  of  families,  are:  Olaus 
K.  Olsen,  John  O.  Johnsen,  Mrs.  Jakobsen  Tys- 
dal,  Lars  Engelsen,  Jakob  Jakobsen  Str0m,  Hans 
Wickse,  Halvor  Buland,  Andrew  Fosseen,  Alfred 
Erickson,  Ed.  Melland,  Knut  Tuttle,  Lars  Har- 
restad,  Berthel  Munson.  Some  of  these  have 
died,  but  their  descendants  are  active  members 
of  the  church. 

Included  in  the  same  charge  as  St.  Paul  church, 
is  Ransom  Lutheran  congregation,  Ransom,  Illi- 
nois. It  numbers  about  one  hundred  members  all 
told.  It  has  a  Luther  league  and  ladies'  aid  so- 
ciety, Sunday-school,  and  a  Norwegian  parochial 
school  is  conducted  six  weeks  every  summer. 

The  third  congregation  in  the  charge  is  Mud 
Creek  Lutheran  church,  ten  miles  north-east  from 
Rowe  numbering  about  fifty  souls. 

All  three  congregations  have  comfortable 
church  edifices.  St.  Paul  congregation  owns,  be- 
sides, a  large  good  parsonage. 

These  settlements  are  not  large.  At  first  glance 
their  history  may  not  seem  worth  mentioning. 
But  they  prove  the  thrift  of  our  people  that,  how- 
ever small  compared  to  some  of  their  .  sisters 
nevertheless  deemed  it  essential  to  organize  con- 
gregations, build  churches  and  maintain  the 
preaching  of  the  Gospel  and  the  administration 
of  the  sacraments  in  their  midst.  May  this  char- 
acteristic always  be  true  of  their  descendants. 


ST.  MARK'S  EVANGELICAL  LUTHERAN 
CHURCH 

of  the  Synod  for  the  Norwegian  Evangelical  Lu- 
theran Church  in  America,  corner  Tripp 
and  Wabansia  avenues,  Chicago. 

By  Rev.  John  A.   Moldstad. 

The  origin  of  this  congregation  dates  back  to 
the  early  Nineties.  A  Sunday  school  was  organ- 
ized on  Fortieth  avenue  near  Grand  avenue  and 
later  moved  to  the  German  Missouri  Church,  cor. 
of  Springfield  avenue  and  Hirsch  street.  Rev.  Olaf 
E.  Brandt,  of  Lake  View,  who  now  is  a  professor 
at  Luther  Seminary,  St.  Paul,  Minn.,  conducted 
the  school  for  some  time,  and  his  sucessor,  Rev. 
S.  T.  Reque,  continued  the  work  until  the  autumn 
of  1897.  Then  the  school  was  made  a  part  of  a 
mission  in  charge  of  Rev.  John  R.  Birkelund,  who 
had  returned  from  the  mission  field  of  Japan  in 
the  spring  of  1897  in  order  to  study  medicine. 
Services  were  now  also  held  in  a  hall  on  Hancock 
avenue  and  Bloomingdale  road.  The  work  pro- 
gressed, and  the  field  soon  became  too  large  for 
Rev.  Birkelund  alone,  so  Rev.  O.  K.  Ramberg  was 
called.  He  divided  the  territory  into  two  parishes, 
first  organizing  St.  Matthew's  at  Logan  Square 
and  then  some  time  later  St.  Mark  s. 

The  first  congregational  meeting  was  held 
March  2,  1900,  at  the  German  Lutheran  Church, 
and  those  present  were  Rev.  O.  K.  Ramberg, 
Theodor  Olsen,  Hans  E.  Herwig  and  Bernhard 
Anderson.  At  this  meeting  it  was  decided  to 
organize  a  congregation,  to  adopt  a  constitution, 
and  to  rent  a  vacant  store  building  on  North 
avenue,  between  Harding  and  Springfield  avenues. 
This  store  building  remained  the  meeting  place  of 
the  congregation  for  more  than  tour  years. 
During  the  first  year  and  a  half  the  congregation 
was  served  by  Rev.  O.  K.  Ramberg;  but  in  Sept. 
1901  it  was  made  a  separate  parish  in  charge  of 
Rev.  Theo.  Ringoen,  who  is  at  present  the  prin- 
cipal of  The  H.  A.  Preus  Lutheran  Academy  at 
Albion.  Wis.  He  remained  here  until  July  1904, 
when  he  resigned  in  order  to  accept  a  pastorate 
at  Deerfield  Wis. 

During  the  summer  of  1904  the  congregation 
was  served  by  Rev.  M.  K.  Bleken  of  St.  John's 
and  Mr.  John  A.  Moldstad,  who  was  a  student  at 
Concordia  Seminary,  St.  Louis,  Mo.  Previously 
the  congregation  had  bought  two  lots  on  the 
corner  of  Tripp  and  Wabansia  avenues,  and  in 
August  1904  the  erection  of  the  basement  of  the 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES    AND    PORTRAITS 


529 


future  church  was  begun.  On  Sept.  11,  1904  the 
new  pastor,  Rev.  Lauritz  S.  Guttebo,  was  installed 
and  on  Nov.  20,  the  church  was  dedicated  and 
occupied. 

In  Feb.  1906  Rev.  Guttebo  became  ill,  and  the 
congregation  voted  him  a  vacation,  while  Rev. 
John  R.  Birkelund,  the  Synod's  City  Missionary, 
was  called  as  pastor  during  his  absence.  Rev. 
Guttebo's  health  improved  very  slowly,  and  he 


Rev.  John  A.  Moldstad. 


therefore  found  it  necessary  to  resign  from  his 
pastorate.  He  preached  his  farewell  sermon  on 
Easter  Sunday,  April  15.  On  the  following  even- 
ing a  meeting  was  held  when  it  was  decided  to 
extend  a  call  to  Mr.  John  A.  Moldstad,  of  Con- 
cordia  Seminary,  St.  Louis,  Mo.  After  his  gradu- 
ation he  accepted  the  call  and  was  ordained  here 
on  Sunday,  July  15,  1906. 

Almost  from  the  very  beginning  of  the  congre- 
gation   services    have    been    conducted      in      both 


Nowegian  and  English,  and  the  past  year  the 
morning  service  on  the  first  Sunday  of  every 
month  has  been  held  in  English.  Strenuous  efforts 
have  been  made  to  provide  for  the  Christian  edu- 
cation of  the  young.  During  the  summer  months 
vacation  school  is  held,  and  the  remainder  of  the 
year  school  has  been  conducted  every  Saturday 
morning.  The  morning  Sunday  school  has  an  en- 
rollment of  one  hundred  seventy-five  and  an  actu- 
al attendance  of  about  one  hundred  thirty-five 
children.  Since  Feb.,  1907,  an  afternoon  Sunday 
school  also  has  been  conducted. 

The  congregation  has  been  supported  partly 
by  subsidies  from  the  Home  Mission  Treasury  of 
the  Synod  and  by  a  loan  of  $1,800  from  the 
Synod's  Church  Extension  fund.  The  work  has 
prospered,  so  that  the  congregation,  which  at 
present  numbers  about  125  souls,  owns  property 
valued  at  about  $4500  upon  which  the  only  debt 
is  the  Church  Extension  loan  of  $1,800. 

A  very  active  and  important  factor  in  the  pro- 
gress of  the  congregation  has  been  its  Ladies'  Aid 
Society,  which  was  organized  in  July  1900.  During 
the  year  1906  alone  this  society  paid  off  $511.50 
of  church  debt  besides  numerous  other  donations. 
There  is  also  a  Young  Ladies'  Society,  a  Young 
Men's  Society,  and  a  Church  Choir  all  of  which 
have  aided  the  church  in  a  financial  way. 

Rev.  Moldstad's  biography  appears  on  page  421. 


THE    YOUNG    PEOPLE'S    SOCIETY    ULA- 
BRAND. 

The  Young  People's  Society  Ulabrand  is  one 
of  the.  youngest,  but  nevertheless  one  of  the 
strongest  as  regards  membership  and  "The  most 
popular  Norwegian  Society  in  Chicago,"  a  title 
which  it  won  at  a  contest  arranged  by  the  Nor- 
wegian Turn  Society  in  1906.  From  a  modest 
beginning  with  less  than  a  dozen  members  it 
possesses  at  this  day  a  membership  list  with  about 
150  names. 

Ulabrand  was  organized  April  27,  1905.  by  a  few 
young  men,  the  majority  of  whom  were  from 
Skien,  Norway,  and  it  was  decided  from  the  out- 
set to  admit  ladies  as  members  of  the  society. 
Thus  this  became  the  first  Norwegian  Society  in 


530 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS   OF  ILLINOIS 


Chicago  organized  upon  the  same  principles  as 
the  Norwegian  Young  People's  Societies  (Norske 
Ungdomsforeninger),  which  in  the  later  years 
have  taken  such  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  literary, 
political  and  social  life  of  our  Fathers'  land. 

At  the  second  meeting  therefrom  a  few  young 
ladies  joined  the  new-born  Society,  and  these 
enterprising  young  men  and  women  at  once  pro- 
ceeded to  carry  out  the  aims  of  the  society  as  set 
forth  in  its  constitution  and  by-laws.  Their  never 
ceasing  work  was  crowned  with  success,  so  much 
indeed,  that  Bowes  Hall  on  Noble  and  Erie 
streets,  which  was  rented  after  a  couple  of  meet- 
ings in  the  small  Annex  Hall  became  too  little, 
and  new  quarters  were  engaged  in  Wabansia 
Hall,  Wabansia  and  California  avenues.' 

The  first  president  of  Ulabrand  was  Benjamin 
Johnsen  Nesgrave,  who  was  succeeded  by  John 
Gjulem.  They  each  served  one  term.  Then 
came  Lars  A.  Bergan,  who  was  elected  for  two 
consecutive  terms.  The  present  officers  are  as 
follows:  Lars  J.  Siljan,  president;  Miss  Maren 
Abrahamsen,  vice-president;  Anton  Darell, 
secretary;  Carl  Restvedt,  financial  secretary,  and 
Eugene  Jacobsen,  treasurer. 

Ulabrand's  present  representatives  in  the  Nor- 
wegian National  League  are  Lars  A.  Bergan  and 
Lasse  C.  Grundeland.  Lars  J.  Siljan. 


and  later  promoted  to  various  other  positions 
until  he  was  made  assistant  purchasing  agent  in 
1902.  That  such  an  important  position  was  given 
to  a  man  less  than  twenty  years  of  age  is  the  best 
testimonial  of  his  ability  and  honesty. 


A.  M.  Anderson. 


Biographical  Sketches. 


ARTHUR  MATHIAS  ANDERSON, 

Assistant  purchasing  agent  for  Rand  McNally  & 
Company,  Chicago,  was  born  in  this  city  Novem- 
ber 18,  1883.  His  father  is  the  well-known  manu- 
facturer of  Cracker  Machinery,  Hans  M.  L.  An- 
derson and  his  mother  Jennie  Emelia  (nee  Mun- 
son)  Anderson. 

Mr.  Anderson  was  educated  in  the  public 
schools  of  Chicago  and  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran 
Church.  He  then  took  a  course  at  the  Metro- 
politan Business  College,  from  which  he  gradu- 
ated in  1898. 

Ever  since  then  he  has  been  connected  with  the 
large  publishing  and  printing  house  of  Rand  Mc- 
Nally &  Company  first  in  the  capacity  of  bill  clerk 


Mr.  Anderson  who  is  still  single  resides  with 
his  parents  at  470  Austin  avenue. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
Van  Buren  Lodge. 


KNUD  O.  BOLSTAD 

Is  one  of  the  older  Norwegian  settlers  in  Chicago 
and  a  member  of  the  Olson  Manufacturing  Co., 
which  for  over  forty  years  has  been  making 
trousers  for  the  American  people,  from  Chicago 
to  the  Pacific  coast.  He  was  born  a±  Voss,  Nor- 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES    AND    PORTRAITS 


531 


way,  November  5,  1844.  His  father  was  Ole 
Michaelson  Bolstad,  and  his  mother's  maiden 
name  was  Anna  Henricksdatter. 

After  having  attended  the  public  schools  he  wa» 
apprenticed  to  a  tailor,  and  worked  at  that  trade, 
until  he  was  twenty  years  of  age,  when  he 
emigrated  to  America,  coming  over  in  theVictor 
Emanuel,  Captain  Ibsen.  In  Chicago  he  was  met 
by  Knud  B.  Olson,  an  old  friend  from  Voss,  who 
had  come  to  America  two  years  previously,  and 
started  a  tailor  shop.  Mr.  Bolstad  took  up  his 
home  with  and  commpnced  to  work  for  Mr. 
Olson.  Since  1866  he  has  been  associated  with 


K.  O.  Bolstad. 


him  in  business.  In  1894,  the  Olson  Manufactur- 
ing Co.  was  organized.  They  have  a  large  and 
commodious  establishment  at  741-745  Elk  Grove 
ave.,  near  North  and  Milwaukee  avenues,  and 
employ  a  large  number  of  workers,  mostly 
women.  They  turn  out  an  immense  amount  of 
work  during  the  year,  exclusively  trousers  for  the 
trade,  Mr.  Bolstad  acting-  as  foreman  since  the 
organization  of  the  corporation. 

On  March  9,  1868,  Mr.  Bolstad  was  married  to 
Miss    Elizabeth    Rasmussen,    of    Stavanger,    with 


whom  he  had  seven  children:  Arthur,  Oliver, 
Stella  Marion,  Emma  Josephine,  Alma  Henrietta, 
Theodore,  Herbert  Clarence  and  Luella.  Five 
of  them  are  alive,  Arthur  Oliver  and  Emma  Jose- 
phine having  passed  away.  He  is  a  Lutheran 
by  faith,  and  for  many  years  was  a  trustee  of  Our 
Savior's  Church;  he  is  also  a  member  of  the 
Tabitha  Hospital  Society. 

Mrs.  Bolstad  departed  from  this  life  in  1873. 
Mr.  Bolstad  believes  that  he  has  a  better  knowl- 
edge of  the  time  when  Mrs.  O'Leary's  cow  kicked 
over  the  lamp  which  started  the  Chicago  fire,  and 
had  a  better  chance  for  observing  its  progress 
than  most  others.  He  had  just  finished  a  house  for 
himself  three  weeks  before  the  fire,  and  on  that 
memorable  Sunday  evening,  Oct.  8,  1871,  sat  out- 
side with  his  tenant,  Ole  Foss,  and  a  friend,  Louis 
Lund.  At  that  time  the  court-house  bell  would 
be  rung  when  a  fire  was  reported.  As  a  rule  each 
house  had  a  fire-alarm  in  the  kitchen,  and  a  device 
which  indicated  in  what  part  of  the  city  the  fire 
had  started.  Mr.  Bolstad  is  positive  that  it  was 
at  10:30  on  that  sultry,  windy  evening,  when  the 
court-house  bell  first  commenced  tolling.  Almost 
all  good  citizens  in  the  city  had  gone  to  bed,  and 
Mr.  Bolstad  presumes  that  when  they  heard  the 
bell,  and  went  up  examining  the  indicator,  finding 
that  the  fire  had  started  on  the  south-west  side, 
the  people  went  back  to  rest.  Mr.  Bolstad  and 
his  friends  sat  listening  to  the  bell,  which  after 
a  while  tolled'  incessantly,  and  then  walked  down 
to  the  river  and  took  position  first  on  one  and 
then  on  another  bridge  from  where  they  could 
observe  the  approaching  avalanche  of  fire.  They 
remained  there,  until  they  had  to  run  for  their 
lives  among  falling  sparks  and  burning  shingles 
in  crossing  the  Rush  street  bridge,  the  Clark 
street  bridge  being  on  fire,  and  found  their  way 
back  to  Superior  and  Sedgwick  streets,  where 
both  he  and  his  partner  had  their  homes.  They 
met  very  few  people,  and  had  to  rouse  Olson's 
family.  When  they  arrived  home  at  about  four 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  even  then,  the  people 
would  not  believe  that  there  would  be  any  danger 
for  their  part  of  the  city,  but  at  nine  o'clock  their 
houses  were  already  burning.  In  the  meantime, 
they  had  been  able  to  get  hold  of  a  couple  of 
express-wagons,  and  with  the  help  of  their  shop- 
men, brought  their  sewing  machines  and  stock, 
including  about  3,500  pairs  of  unfinished  trousers 
to  a  place  of  safety  with  a  friend  far  up  the  river. 
On  Oct.  10,  the  day  after  the  fire,  they  were  able 
to  get  back  to  the  place  where  their  homes  and 
household  goods  had  vanished.  With  the  help 
of  their  men,  they  started  to  build  immediately. 


532 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


and  on  November  1,  had  moved  into  their  new 
shop,  a  il/2  story  house,  32x80,  where  on  the 
second  floor  8  families  were  glad  to  find  shelter 
during  the  winter. 

Mr.   Bolstad   resides   at   No.   130   N.   Humboldt 
street. 


JOHN  PETER  SEVERIN  GRAVES, 

Manager  of  the  subscription  department  of 
"Skandinaven,"  was  born  at  Christiania,  Norway, 
Oct.  22,  1866,  his  parents  being  Johannes  Olsen 


J.  P.  S.  Graves. 


and  Caroline  (Moses)  Grav.  His  mother's  grand- 
father was  one  of  the  Eidsvold  men,  represent- 
ing Christiansund  in  that  assembly. 

Mr.    Graves    attended    the    public    school   and 
Borgerskolen   at    Christia'nia   and   was   confirmed 


in  St.  James'  Church  of  that  city.  He  later  on 
entered  the  Christiania  Business  College,  where 
he  took  a  two  years'  course. 

At  the  age  of  16  he  was  employed  in  the  office 
of  Consul  Johannes  Schi0tt  at  Christiania  and  at 
the  age  of  17  was  put  in  charge  of  an  agency  of 
Bergen's  Fire  Insurance  Company  and  Deutsche 
Transport  Marine  Insurance  Company  by  Consul 
Schi^tt.  In  addition  to  the  insurance  business 
Mr.  Schitftt  also  conducted  a  large  commission 
business  with  Holstein,  Germany,  and  by  attend- 
ing to  same  Mr.  Graves  was  initiated  in  the  in- 
tricacies of  correspondence  and  shipping. 

At  the  age  of  19  he  left  Norway  for  America 
arriving  in  Chicago  in  October,  1885.  Almost  im- 
mediately he  secured  employment  with  "Skandi- 
naven" and  worked  as  clerk  in  the  subscription 
department  of  this  paper  until  1888,  when  he 
entered  the  service  of  Moore  &  Janes,  fire  in- 
surance brokers  on  La  Salle  street,  Chicago, 
where  he  remained  three  years,  part  of  the  time 
as  policy  clerk  and  later  representing  the  firm 
in  the  Northwestern  part  of  the  city.  During 
this  period  he  was  partly  in  the  service  of  the 
John  Anderson  Publishing  Company  as  news- 
paper circulator.  In  1891  he  reentered  their  ser- 
vice and  has  remained  with  them  since,  part  of 
.the  time  clerking  in  the  subscription  department, 
later  in  charge  of  the  city  circulation  of  "Skan- 
dinaven," until  he,  in  1906,  was  appointed  man- 
ager of  the  subscription  department. 

Mr.  Graves  was  married,  in  1893,  to  Miss  Marie 
Olson,  a  daughter  of  Ole  and  Maren  (Amundsen) 
Hansen,  of  Urskoug,  Norway.  They  have  one 
child,  Agnes  Caroline,  born  in  1894. 

Mr.  Graves'  father  died  in  1899,  but  his  mother 
is  still  living  at  Christiania. 


94? 


LASSE  C.  GRUNDELAND,  LL.  B. 

Lasse  C.  Grunaeland  was  born  in  Fresvik, 
Sogn,  Norway,  February  28,  1875.  He  is  a  son 
of  Kristian  and  Solvei  Grundeland,  who  still  live 
in  the  old  home  in  Norway. 

Lasse  is  the  second  of  six  children,  being  pre- 
ceded by  his  twin  brother,  Ole,  who  resides  in 
Bergen,  Norway.  The  only  sister,  Mrs.  Theodore 
Kenseth,  lives  at  Cambridge,  Wis. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES    AND    PORTRAITS 


533 


Mr.  Grundeland  came  to  Koshkonong  Prairie  in 
1892,  and  attended  the  public  school  and  later 
Albion  Academy,  graduating  from  that  institu- 
tion in  1899.  During  this  time  he  worked  on  the 
farm  in  the  summer  months  to  obtain  the  nec'es* 
sary  funds  to  continue  his  studies. 

In  order  to  get  a  better  command  of  the  Eng- 
lish language,  Mr.  Grundeland  entered  the  news- 
paper business  after  graduating  from  Albion.  He 
was  for  some  time  connected  with  the  Cambridge 


CHARLES  M.  HANSON 

Was  born  at  Christiania,  Norway,  June  11,  1850. 
His  father,  Christian  Hanson,  was  chief  of  the 
city  water  works  in  the  Norwegian  Capital. 
Charles  attended  the  public  and  also  evening 
schools  in  Christiania  and  was  later  apprenticed 
to  the  Nyland  Machine  Works,  where  he  worked 
for  over  five  years.  When  21  years  old  he  came 
to  America  going  froi  New  York  direct  to 
Chicago. 

He  soon  found  employment  at  his  trade,  and 
was  for  many  years  foreman  with  Crane  Bros, 
and  the  Cottrell  Printing  Press  Co.  In  1887  he 
engaged  in  business  for  himself,  starting  a  general 
machine  shop  under  the  firm  name  of  C.  M. 
Hanson  &  Co.  He  is  now  associated  with  Mr. 
C.  E.  Tunelius,  under  the  incorporated  name  of 
Hanson  &  Tunelius  Machine  Company,  at  232- 
234  South  Clinton  street.  They  are  designers  and 
builders  of  insulating  cabling  and  special 
machinery  for  electrical  and  other  purposes. 
Having  had  a  long  and  practical  experience  with 
ample  facilities  they  are  prepared  to  carry  out 
any  contract  in  their  line. 

Mr.  Hanson  married  Miss  Lovise  Olsen,  also 
of  Christiania,  here  in  Chicago  on  Sept.  27,  1872. 
They  have  one  daughter,  Clara  Olivia,  married  to 
Mr.  Thomas  Gough  who  is  the  proprietor  of  a 
hotel  at  Colorado  Springs,  Colo.  Mr.  Hanson's 
parents  died  in  Norway  over  twenty-five,  years 
ago.  He  is  a  member  of  D.  C.  Cregier  Lodge  No. 
643,  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Hanson  lived  for  a  number  of 
years  at  626  Roscoe  street,  but  have  lately  moved 
into  their  new  residence  at  1186  Maple  Square. 


L.  C.  Grundeland. 


News,  Cambridge,  Wis.,  and  for  two  years  editor 
of  the  Orfordville,  Wis.,  Herald. 

In  1904  he  came  to  Chicago,  and  took  up  the 
study  of  law  at  the  John  Marshall  Law  School. 
He  graduated  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Laws,  in  the  spring  of  1907.  During  his  years  of 
study  in  Chicago,  he  was  also  in  the  employ  of 
"Skandinaven,"  as  live  stock  and  commercial 
editor.  He  is  not  married. 


AXEL  HEIBERG, 

Of  Ottawa,  111.,  was  born  in  Buksness  parish. 
Vest  Lofoten,  Norway,  Sept.  7,  1867.  His  father, 
Dr.  Jacob  Andreas  Heiberg,  is  now  in  Trond- 
hjem;  his  mother,  Marie  Andrea  Nikoline  (Lund) 
Heiberg,  is  the  daughter  of  State's  Attorney 
Lund,  of  Sogndal. 

Our  subject  attended  the  Latin  school  in  Trond- 
hjem  and  entered  the  University  of  Christiania 
in  1886,  where  he  studied  medicine  until  the  fall 
of  1893,  when  he  emigrated  to  America.  He  came 


534 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


to  Chicago,  where  he  entered  the  drug  business 
as  a  clerk.  He  passed  the  required  examination 
of  a  registered  pharmacist  in  1893,  and  in  1895 
engaged  in  the  drug  business  for  himself  at  Car- 
penter street  and  Milwaukee  avenue,  Chicago. 
He  sold  out  to  advantage  the  following  year  and 
accepted  the  management  of  the  Central  Phar- 
macy at  the  corner  of  Wabash  avenue  and 
Twelfth  street. 

In  1897  he  started  the  first  Norwegian  drug 
store  in  Newark,  Kendall  county,  which  he  still 
owns.  In  1905  he  bought  a  drug  store  in  Ot- 
tawa, considered  one  of  the  best  equipped  phar- 
macies in  Illinois,  outside  of  Chicago.  He  then 


Axel  Heiberg. 


moved   his   family  to   Ottawa,  leaving   Mr.   Arne 
Lee  in  charge  of  his  Newark  store. 

Mr.  Heiberg  was  married  to  Miss  Anna  Even- 
sen,  in  Chicago,  Nov.  26,  1895.  Mrs.  Heiberg  is 
a  daughter  of  Ole  Veblungsness  Romsdalen,  Nor- 
way, and  is  a  sister  of  Dr.  H.  O.  Evensen,  of 
Ottawa.  They  have  two  children,  twin  boys, 
Axel  Evensen  and  Frantz  Wilhelm  Mutithe  Hei- 
berg, born  Aug.  6,  1896.  Mr.  Heiberg  is  a  mem- 
ber and  officer  of  the  Newark  lodge  of  Modern 
Woodmen  of  America,  a  member  and  secretary 


of  Loyal  Americans  of  the  Republic,  secretary  of 
the  Kendall  county  Pharmaceutical  Association, 
member  of  the  Illinois  Pharmaceutical  Associa- 
tion; has  been  a  member  of  the  republican  county 
central  committee  and  several  times  delegate  to 
county  and  congressional  conventions. 


MRS.  ANNE  MARIE  HEIDE, 

Of  Durand,  111.,  was  born  in  Durand.  Winnebago 
county,  March  17,  1845.  Her  father  was  Niels 
Patterson,  from  Bergen,  Norway.  He  was  a  black- 
smith, and  worked  at  his  trade  for  several  years 


Mrs.  Anne  M.  Heide. 


on  his  homestead  in  Laona  township,  but  aband- 
oned this  and  devoted  all  his  time  to  the  farm. 
He  was  a  well  educated  man,  became  a  very 
progressive  and  prosperous  farmer,  and  was  re- 


BIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCHES  AND    PORTRAITS 


535 


peatedly  honored  by  his  townspeople  and  neigh- 
bors with  offices  of  trust.  Her  mother  was  Helga 
Rostad,  from  Nummedahl,  Vestlandet,  Norway. 
The  family  consisted  of  six  children  —  two  daugh- 
ters and  four  sons  —  Mrs.  Heide  being  the 
oldest. 

In  1861  Miss  Anne  Marie  Patterson  was  mar- 
ried to  Christopher  Heide,  a  native  of  Kongsberg, 
Norway,  born  in  1835.  He  was  a  gunsmith  by 
trade,  but  in  this  country  settled  on  a  farm.  In 
August,  1862,  he  enlisted  as  a  volunteer  in  Com- 
pany H,  Seventy-fourth  Regiment,  Illinois  In- 
fantry. He  took  part  in  no  less  than  seventeen 
battles,  and  wis  wounded  at  Stone  River,  Dec. 
31,  1862.  He  remained  in  the  hospital  that  winter 
and  joined  his  company  again  in  the  spring,  serv- 
ing until  the  end  of  the  war,  when  he  was  honor- 
ably discharged  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  the  10th  day 
of  June,  1865.  He  died  in  1898. 

Mrs.  Heide  is  the  mother  of  eight  children, 
namely:  Theodore  Christian,  living  at  Durand 
and  the  owner  and  manager  of  the  opera  house, 
also  agent  for  the  Rockford  Wood  and  Fuel  Com- 
pany; Nicotine  H.  C.,  married  to  C.  Nelson,  a 
contractor  and  builder  at  Durand;  Patterson  Os- 
car, a  banker  at  Antler,  N.  D.;  Thilda  Marie,  de- 
ceased; Karen  Amanda,  who  lives  with  her 
mother;  Helga  Nelsine,  assistant  cashier  with  her 
brother  in  the  bank  at  Antler,  N.  D.;  Johanna 
and  Ottilia,  both  deceased. 

Mrs.  Heide  is  president  of  the  Trinity  Lutheran 
Aid  Society  of  Durand,  which  in  1895  erected  a 
Lutheran  church,  where  the  services  and  Sunday 
school  are  conducted  in  the  English  language. 
Their  pastor  is  Rev.  J.  E.  Hegg,  of  Beloit,  Wis. 
Mrs.  Heide  still  owns  the  farm  on  which  she  and 
her  husband  lived  and  worked,  two  miles  west 
of  town,  but  is  now  living  in  town,  having  rented 
the  farm  on  shares.  Having  worked  hard  to  build 
up  the  church,  she  now  devotes  with  pleasure 
much  of  her  time  to  the  aid  society  and  the  Sun- 
day school. 

Mrs.  Heide  has  had  four  grandchildren:  Char- 
lotte Adrea  Heide,  Durand,  111.;  Olive  Adelia 
Nelson,  deceased;  Carl  Heide  Nelson,  Durand; 
Hellen  Marie  Heide,  Antler,  N.  D. 


preliminary  studies  he  was  admitted  to  the  Uni- 
versity of  Christiania,  where  he  took  exaraen 
artium  in  1874,  and  examen  philosophicum  in 
1875.  He  then  studied  medicine  until  1881,  when 
he  left  for  America. 

In  1882  Dr.  Holmboe  was  appointed  mining 
surgeon  to  the  West  Republic  Mine  and  other 
mines  at  Republic,  Mich.,  which  position  he  held 
until  1886,  when  he  graduated  from  the  College 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  Chicago.  Later 
during  the  same  year  he  became  assistant  to  the 
renowned  surgeon,  Dr.  Christian  Fenger,  and 
remained  with  him  until  the  summer  of  1889. 


DR.  ANTON  HOLMBOE 

Was  born  at  Tromso,  Norway,  January  1,  1857, 
to  Consul  Conrad  Holmboe  and  his  wife.     After 


Dr.  A.  Holmboe. 


In  the  fall  of  1889  Dr.  Holmboe  opened  an  office 
on  the  North  Side,  Chicago,  and  was  in  general 
practice  until  the  latter  part  of  1897,  when  he 
reft  for  Europe.  While  there  he  was  married  at 
Copenhagen,  Denmark,  to  Miss  Julie  Opstad, 
Dec.  20,  1897.  Mrs.  Holmboe  is  a  native  of  Nor- 
way. With  his  wife  Dr.  Holmboe  spent  the  year 
1898  at  Berlin,  Germany,  pursuing  surgical 
studies,  and  returned  to  Chicago  in  January  1899. 
Since  then  his  practice  has  been  limited  to  general 
surgery.  The  Doctor  was  surgeon  to  the  out- 


536 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


door-department  of  the  Michael  Reese  Hospital 
from  1889  to  1902;  attending  surgeon  to  the  Nor- 
wegian Lutheran  Tabitha  Hospital  from  1895  to 
1901,  and  was  appointed  attending  surgeon- to  the 
Norwegian  Deaconess  Hospital  in  June  1906. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation; the  Chicago  Medical  Society;  the  Ger- 
man-American Medical  Society  of  Chicago  and 
of  the  Scandinavian-American  Medical  Society,  of 
which  he  has  been  president  for  two  terms. 

Dr.  and  Mrs.  Holmboe's  marital  union  has  been 
blessed  with  two  sons:  Thorolf,  born  in  Berlin, 
Sept.  30,  1898,  and  Erling,  born  in  Chicago,  May 
23,  1901. 

Dr.  Holmboe  with  family  resides  at  186  N. 
Humboldt  street,  Chicago. 


ELIAS  JOSEPHSON. 

Of   Leland,   111.,  was   born  .it   Stavanger,   Nor- 
way,  May   1,   1857.     His   parents  were   Carl   and 


Anne    (Andersen)   Josephson,  hif   father  being  a 
police  officer. 

Young  Elias  was,  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Stavajiger  and  confirmed  in  St.  Peter's  Luther- 
an Church. 

With  his  parents  he  came  to  America  in  1871, 
landing  at  Quebec,  Canada.  From  there  the  . 
family  went  to  Leland,  where  they  settled.  Ever 
since  Mr.  Josephson  has  had  to  support  himself 
by  hard  work  in  different  capacities  such  as  farm 
laborer,  butcher,  camp  coolc,  etc.,  moving  from 
one  part  of  the  country  *o  another,  visiting  most 
of  both  the  Northern  and  Southern  states.  He 
also  resided  at  Seattle,  Wash.,  for  four  years. 

On  June,  16,  1898,  Mr.  Josephson  married. Miss 
Margaret  Harper,  a  daughter  of  James  and  Eliza- 
beth Harper,  of  Leland.  They  have  no  children. 

In  1903  Mr.  Josephson  started  the  City  Meat 
Market  at  Leland  in  which  business  he  is  prosper- 
ous, being  very  popular  among  his  towns-people 
and  the  farmers  in  the  surrounding  country. 

He  has  served  as  collector  for  Adams  township 
and  is  member  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
Village  of  Leland. 

His  father  departed  from  this  life  November, 
28,  1897,  and  his  mother  in  March  14,  1898. 

He  is  member  of  the  M.  W.  A.  of  which  society 
he  has  been  treasurer. 


Elias  Josephson. 


REV.    PETER    A.    KITTILSBY 

Was  born  October  16,  1865,  in  Calmar,  Iowa,  and 
is  the  next  oldest  son  of  the  pioneer  Andrew  L. 
Kittilsby  who.  came  to  Winneshiek  county,  Iowa, 
in  the  early  fifties,  and  wife,  Marie  (nee  Ander- 
son). He  entered  Luther  College,  in  1883  and 
graduated  as  president  and  "saltitatorian"  of  the 
class  of  1888.  Graduated  from  Luther  Seminary 
(then  at  Robbingdale)  in  1891.  Accepted  a  call  to 
Renville,  Minn.,  the  same  year.  In  1894  called  to 
Red  Wing,  partly  as  pastor  and  partly  as  teacher 
at  the  newly  erected  Ladies'  Seminary.  Circum- 
stances however,  brought  him  to  accept  a  call  to 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  where  he  labored  for  six  years. 
While  in  Buffalo,  member  of  the  University  Club 
through  courtesy  of  the  late  Dr.  Herman  Mynter. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES    AND    PORTRAITS 


537 


The  urgent  advice  of  friends  brought  him  to  ac- 
cept a  call  to  the  Lake  View  Norwegian  Evangel- 
'ical  Lutheran  Church,  Chicago,  where  he  preached 
his  first  sermon  on  the  first  Sunday  in  September, 
1902.  At  present  he  is  in  charge  of  the  church, 
located  on  the  corner  of  Roscoe  and  Osgood 
streets.  Rev.  Kittilsby  was  married  in  1891  to  Miss 


Rev.  P.  A.  Kittilsby. 

Josephine  Tenold.  also  of  Calmar,  Iowa.  Four 
children  have  blessed  this  union,  Katharine  Marie, 
born  in  Renville,  in  1894,  Esther  Lorena,  born  in 
RedWing,  in  1899,  Helen  Lucile,  born  in  Buffalo, 
in  1898,  and  Dorothy  Adeline,  born  in  Chicago,  in 
1905.  The  family  resides  in  the  parsonage  at 
1345  Roscoe  street. 


decided  that  he  should  prepare  himself  for  a 
mercantile  career,  for  which  purpose  he  entered 
Bergen's  Handelsskole  (The  Bergen  Business 
College),  where  he  completed  a  course.  After 
graduating  he  spent  several  years  with  business 
houses  abroad. 

In  1882  Mr.  Lange  arrived  in  Chicago.  Here  he 
worked  for  several  years  in  the  circulating  de- 
partment of  different  American  daily  newspapers, 
until  he,  in  1887,  joined  the  editorial  staff  of 
"Nordvesten"  in  St.  Paul,  Minn.  In  1889  his 


A.  B.  Lange. 


ANTON  B.  LANGE, 

Editor  and  publisher  of  '"Scandia,"  was  born  at 
Bergen,  Norway,  in  1857.  After  having  received 
his  primary  education  in  the  public  schools  it  was 


services  were  secured  by  Messrs.  Lagro  &  Wal- 
seth  for  a  new  weekly,  "Superior  Posten,"  which 
they  commenced  to  publish  that  year  at  Superior, 
Wis.  In  partnership  with  some  Norwegian  busi- 
ness men  of  Duluth,  Minn.,  he  started  "Scandia" 
in  the  same  year.  The  following  year  he  became 
its  sole  proprietor  and  in  1899  changed  its  place 
of  publication  by  moving  it  to  Chicago,  where  it 
is  still  being  issued. 


538 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


REV.  O.  N.  NELSON 

Was  born  at  Willmar,  Minn.,  March  11,  1877. 
He  was  educated  in  the  public  school  of  his  home 
district. 

At  the  age  of  17,  he  entered  the  preparatory 
department  of  Augsburg  Seminary,  at  Minnea- 
polis. In  1899  he  finished  at  the  college  depart- 
ment. 

In  the  spring  of  1903  he  graduated  from  the 
theological  seminary  of  the  United  Church  at 


Rev.  O.  N.  Nelson. 


St.  Anthony  Park,  St.  Paul,  Minn.  He  then  ac- 
cepted a  call  from  the  three  congregations  at 
Mekinock,  N.  D.  On  June  21,  1903,  he  was 
ordained  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  United 
Church  at  Duluth,  Minn. 

Rev.  Nelson  served  the  congregations  at  Meki- 
nock, N.  D.,  until  January,  1905,  when  he  moved 
to  Chicago  to  accept  the  pastorate  of  Emmaus 
Lutheran  Church.  He  has  now  accepted  a  call 
from  Gardener,  111.,  where  he  moved  July  22, 
1907. 


IVER  OLSEN, 

President  of  the  Scandinavian  branch  of  the 
Young  Men's  Christian  Association,  was  born  in 
Bynesset,  Norway,  Nov.  9,  1856.  He  came  to  the 
United  States  in  1881,  stopping  at  Ishpeming, 
Mich.,  a  short  time,  From  here  he  moved  to  Re- 
public, Mich.,  where  he  remained  four  years  work- 


Iver  Olsen. 


ing  hard  all  the  time.  During  this  period  his  soul 
was  awakened,  and  he  was  converted  to  a  true 
belief  in  God.  He  joined  a  Swedish-Lutheran 
church  at  that  place  and  became  an  earnest 
worker  in  the  Vineyard  of  the  Lord. 

In  1884  Mr.  Olsen  went  to  Minnesota,  but 
things  did  not  suit  him  there,  so>  he  concluded  to 
come  to  Chicago.  He  arrived  in  1886  and  has 
remained  here  since. 

One  of  his  first  cares  was  to  find  a  church 
home  in  this  great  city,  and  he  was  induced  to 
join  the  Norwegian-Lutheran  Bethania  Free 
Church,  whose  pastor  was  the  lamented  Rev.  J. 
Z.  Torgersen.  During  many  years  Mr.  Olsen  was 
an  ardent  worker  in  the  Sunday  school  of  said 
church.  In  the  meantime  he  had  become  ac- 
quainted with  the  Scandinavian  Y.  M.  C.  A., 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES    AND    PORTRAITS 


539 


•which  branch  all  that  time  held  its  meetings  in 
^'Skandinaven's"  building.  He  did  not,  however, 
become  a  member  before  in  1893. 

He  had  now  found  a  field  suitable  for  his  activ- 
ities, and  his  energy  came  into  full1  display,  when 
he  was  elected  on  a  number  of  committees,  where 
real,  hard  work  was  required,  as  for  instance  on 
the  building  committee.  He  was  also  twice 
elected  to  the  office  of  vice-president  and  in  that 
•capacity  acted  as  chief  for  the  missionary  work. 
His  fellow-members  have  demonstrated  their  ap- 
preciation of  his  valuable  services  by  electing  Mr. 
Olsen  to  the  presidency  of  the  association  for 
•eleven  consecutive  terms. 


ger  and  "Dagsposten"  in  Trondhjem.  Mr.  Ray's 
mother  is  Ragnhild  Ray  Olssen,  now  in  Chicago, 
still  active,  and  founder  and  president  of  "De 
Norske  Kvinders  Industriforening."  Mr.  Ray  was 
married  in  1890  to  Ernestine  LeDue,  of  French- 
English  extraction,  and  has  two  daughters,  Anita 
and  Aimee,  16  and  9  years  respectively. 

Mr.  Ray  commenced  life  as  a  sailor  serving 
12  years  on  the  water  and  passing  nautical  ex- 
aminations both  in  Norway  and  England.  In 
1881  he  came  to  Chicago,  passed  examination  for 
evening  school  teacher  and  taught  several  years 
at  the  Wells  public  school.  In  1890  he  graduated 
from  Chicago  College  of  Law  and  has  since  been 


HENRY   B.   PETERSON 

Was  born  in  the  vicinity  of  Big  Grove,  Ken- 
-dall  county,  111.,  Dec.  25,  1876.  His  father  is 
Lars  T.  Peterson,  who  was  born  in  Norway,  and 
his  mother  Anne  Lee,  of  Voss,  Norway.  Mr. 
Peterson  received  his  education  in  the  district 
school  and  was  confirmed  in  the  Lutheran 
•Church  by  Rev.  P.  A.  Rasmussen.  He  helped  by 
working  on  the  farm  a  few  years,  but  he  has 
mostly  been  working  in  mercantile  lines.  He  has 
worked  in  stores  in  Chicago  and  Indiana,  and 
was  in  partnership  with  M,  S.  Fries  in  Helmar. 
At  the  present  time  he  is  manager  for  Mr.  Fries' 
store  in  Newark.  • 

In  1900  he  was  married  in  Helmar  to  Miss 
Eveline  Ellertson,  a  daughter  of  Sam  Ellertson. 
Mrs.  Peterson  was  born  in  March,  1877,  in  Hel- 
mar. Their  marital  union  has  been  blessed  with 
•one  son,  Lyle.  The  family  attends  the  Lutheran 
Norwegian  Church  of  Helmar. 


Olaf  E.  Ray. 


OLAF  EDWARD  OLSSEN  RAY 

Was  born  on  the  farm  Ree,  near,  Levanger,  Nor- 
way, June  27,  1856.  His  father,  Olai  Olssen,  was 
a  school  teacher  and  afterwards  became  editor 
and  founded  "Nordenfjeldsk  Tidende"  at  Levan- 


in  active  practice  as  attorney  at  law;  he  is  senior 
member  of  the  firm  of  Ray  and  Pease,  160  Wash- 
ington street. 

Politically  Mr.  Ray  was  a  Jeffersonian  democrat 
up  to  1897,  when  he  turned  republican.  In  1892 
he  was  one  of  the  attorneys  for  the  City  of 
Chicago  and  in  1896  he  was  the  democratic 
nominee  for  Congress  in  the  seventh  Illinois 
district  against  George  Edmund  Foss,  who  won 
out,  the  district  being  a  republican  stronghold. 


540 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


In  1906  Mr.  Ray  was  one  of  the  representatives 
from  the  Norwegian  National  League  of  Chicago 
to  the  coronation  of  king  Haakon  VII. 

He  has  written  a  number  of  articles  for  Nor- 
wegian papers  principally  for  "Skandinaven". 


DR.  HELGA  MARIANE  RUUD 

Was  .  born  at  Kongsberg,  Norway,  Dec.  28, 
1860.  Her  parents  were  Nils  and  Birgithe 
Ruud.  There  were  nine  children  in  the  family, 
six  of  whom  grew  up  to  mature  age.  The 
subject  of  our  sketch  received  her  first  school- 
ing at  a  private  school  for  girls  and  later  at- 
tended middelskolen,  from  which  she  grad- 
uated in  1879. 

In  1880  Miss  Ruud  came  to  America,  hav- 
ing previously  obtained  a  position  as  governess 
to  the  children  of  Rev.  Valdeland,  a  Lutheran 
minister  in  Clayton  coimty,  Iowa.  She  re- 
mained with  this  family  a  year.  The  follow- 
ing five  years  she  was  governess  in  an  Ameri- 
can army  officer's  family,  stationed  at  various 
places — Fort  Douglas,  Utah;  Fort  Leavenworth, 
Kan.;  St.  Louis  and  Chicago. 

In  1885  she  began  the  study  of  medicine  at 
the  women's  •medical  college  of  the  North- 
western University,  graduating  in  1889.  The 
following  year  she  was  appointed  resident  phy- 
sician to  the  women's  department  of  the  county 
insane  asylum  at  Dunning,  and  remained  there 
for  five  years.  On  leaving  Dunning  Dr.  Ruud 
went  to  New  York  city,  where  she  spent  the 
summer  and  fall  in  study  at  the  Post-graduate 
Hospital.  Since  1896  she  has  been  located  in 
Chicago,  engaged  in  the  general  practice  of 
medicine  among  women  and  children.  She  was 
clinical  professor  of  obstetrics  at  the  women's 
medical  college,  Northwestern  University,  from 
1896  to  1900. 

She  was  a  member  of  the  Chicago  medical  so- 
ciety, the  American  Medical  Association,  the 
Scandinavian  Medical  Society,  the  Women's 
Medical  Club,  the  Women's  Clinical  Dispensary, 
of  which  she  was  president,  and  also  secretary 
of  the  Women's  Medical  Club.  For  years  she 
has  been  interested  in  the  Tabitha  Hospital, 
where  she  has  been  obstetrician  since  1900. 

Dr.  Ruud  has  an  office  at  34  Washington  street 
and  resides  at  281  Warren  avenue. 


REV.  GEORGE  ALFRED  TAYLOR RYGH 

Was  born  in  Chicago,  March  21,  1860,  his  par- 
ents, Andrew  and  Andrine  Rygh,  having  emi- 
grated from  Norway.  His  early  life  was  spent 
in  Chicago,  where  he  attended  school,  but  he 
graduated  as  an  A.  B.  -from  Luther  College, 
Decorah,  Iowa,  in  1881,  and  from  the  Capital 
University,  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  with  the  degree 
of  B.  D.,  in  1884.  From  this  time  until  1889 
he  served  congregations  in  Portland  and  Cum- 
berland Mills,  Maine,  and  Berlin,  N.  H.  He 
taught  at  the  academy  in  Wittenberg,  Wis.,  in 
1889-90  and  filled  a  pastorate  in  Grand  Forks, 
N.  D.,  in  1890-91.  He  was  instructor  in  Scan- 
dinavian languages  and  literature  at  the  Uni- 
.versity  of  North  Dakota  from  1891  to  1895. 
He  also  taught  English  subjects.  He  was  pastor 
and  teacher  in  the  Academy  at  Mt.  Horeb,  Wis., 
from  1895  to  1898. 

He  then  came  to  Chicago,  where  he  is  pastor 
for  the  Bethlehem  Evangelical  Lutheran  Church, 
which  is  affiliated  with  the  United  Norwegian 
Lutheran  Church  of  America.  He  has  been  a 
member  of  the  United  Lutheran  Board  of  Home 
Missions,  president  of  the  Norwegian  Lutheran 
Children's  Home  Society  of  Chicago,  and  a  di- 
rector of  the  Deaconess  Home  and  Hospital. 

He  was  married  Nov.  13,  1895,  to  Clara  Louise 
Aaker,  daughter  of  Lars  Aaker,  They  have  had 
three  children;  two  are  living.  The  family  re- 
sides at  143  N.  Centre  avenue. 


LARS  J.  SILJAN 

Was  born  on  the  Siljan  farm  in  Maelum,  near 
.Skien,  Norway,  Jan.  30,  1883,  his  parents  being 
Johan  and  Aslaug  (nee  Siljan)  Haukenses.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  schools  of  Maslum, 
Gjserpen  and  Skien  until  twelve  years  of  age,  and 
then  attended  Larsen's  Middelskole,  from  which 
he  graduated  two  years  later.  He  was'  confirmed 
in  the  same  year  by  Rev.  Kullerud  in  the  Luthe- 
ran church  of  Skien. 

He  then  secured  employment  as  a  clerk,  first 
in  the  custom  hou:  e  office  at  Skien  and  later  in 
his  uncle's  grocery  store  at  the  same  city. 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES    AND    PORTRAITS 


541 


Here  he  also  entered  upon  his  career  as  a 
newspaper  man  being  enlisted  on  the  editorial 
staff  of  "Bratsberg  Amtstidende"  as  reporter  and 
news-gatherer,  said  paper  being  the  oldest  in  that 
part  of  the  country.  He  remained  in  said  posi- 
tion about  one  year  or  until  the  paper  was  sold  to 
the  proprietor  of  "Fremskridt",  another  news- 
paper published  at  Skien.  He  remained  with  that 
daily  paper  for  a  short  time,  and  in  1901  he 
migrated  to  the  United  States,  where  many  of  his 
relatives  had  settled  before.  Mr.  Siljan  came  to 
Chicago,  where  he  spent  his  first  year  working 


daughter  of  an  old  Swedish  settler  in  Chicago, 
Mr.  Frederick  Johnson.  This  marital  union  has 
been  blessed  with  one  child,  a  daughter,  Evelyn 
Dagmar.  They  live  at  900  N.  Albany  avenue. 

Mr.  Siljan  is  a  member  of  the  "Young  People's 
Society  Ulabrand,"  of  which  he  was  elected 
president  in  1907;  of  the  Norwegian  Turn  Society; 
the  Sleipner  Athletic  Club;  the  Norwegian  De- 
bating Society;  the  Nowegian  Singing  Society; 
Nora  Lodge  K.  &  L.  of  H.  and  Nora  Lodge 
R.  H.  K. 


Lars  J.  Siljan. 


as  a  machine  hand  with  the  Johnson  Chair  Com- 
pany. 

In  1902  he  secured  a  position  as  clerk  in  the 
advertising  department  of  "Skandinaven",  and 
after  a  year  he  was  promoted  to  the  city  editor- 
ship, which  position  he  held  for  over  four  years, 
when  he  resigned  and  went  to  North  Dakota. 
He  did  not  remain  there  for  any  length  of  time, 
however,  and,  having  returned  to  Chicago,  again, 
in  June  1907,  became  connected  with  "Skandi- 
naven". 

Mr.  Siljan  was  married  to  Miss  Hilder  Johnson, 
of  Chicago,  May  16,  1905.  Mrs.  Siljan  is  a 


LAURITZ  H.  STEENSOHN, 

The  well  known  reporter  and  news-gatherer  on 
the  editorial  staff  of  the  daily  "Skandinaven," 
was  born  at  Lyngen,  near  Tromso,  Norway,  Jan. 


L.  H.  Steensohn. 


31,  1852.    His  father,  D.  C.  Steensohn,  was  a  mer- 
chant  there,  until   his   death,  45  years  ago.     His 


542 


A  HISTORY   OF  THE  NORWEGIANS   OF   ILLINOIS 


mother,  Mrs.  Dorothea  Steensohn,  is  still  living 
at  Drammen  at  the  advanced  age  of  90  years. 

Having  been  educated  in  the  public  schools  and 
confirmed  in  the  Lutheran  Church,  Mr.  Steen- 
sohn at  the  age  of  15  years  secured  employment 
as  a  clerk  with  a  mercantile  house  at  Bodo  and 
later  at  Hammerfest,  the  northernmost  city  in 
Europe.  In  that  position  he  remained  for  about 
ten  years,  when  he  started  in  business  as  a 
merchant  on  his  own  account.  He  also  was  en- 
gaged in  the  steam-ship  and  insurance  business. 

Being  very  much  socially  inclined  it  was  but 
natural  that  Mr.  Steensohn  should  be  called  as 
member  of  a  number  of  societies.  In  several  of 
them  he  was  elected  president  and  in  1880  and 
1882  he  was  sent  as  a  delegate  from  the  Work- 
Sngmen's  Association  to  conventions  in  Christiania 
and  Trondhjem. 

He  came  to  Chicago  in  1884  and  at  first  worked 
as  a  painter  and  paper-hanger.  During  the  last 
twelve  years  he  has  been  engaged  in  the  news- 
paper business,  mostly  with  "Skandinaven",  in  the 
capacity  of  reporter  and  news-gatherer.  Since 
1890  he  has  been  a  notary  public. 

In  Chicago  Mr.  Steensohn  has  been  connected 
with  various  Norwegian  societies. 


this  church  he  has  been  Superintendent  of  the 
Norwegian  department  of  its  Sunday  school,  also 
leader  of  the  church  choir. 

Mr.  Thompson  was  married  to  Miss  Sophie 
Tofsrud  of  Christiania,  Norway.  Of  six  children 
who  have  blessed  the  home  of  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Thompson  the  oldest,  Albert  T.,  has  been  con* 
firmed  in  Our  Savior's  church,  by  Rev.  Juul;  the 
other  five,  Henry  M.,  Thora  M.,  Helena  M., 
Anna  T.,  and  Esther  in  Bethlehem  church,  by 
Rev.  Kildahl.  Mr.  Henry  M.  Thompson  is  a 
professor  at  Pleasant  View  Luther  College, 
Ottawa,  111. 

In  1898  Mr.  Thompson  was  joined  in  the  under- 
taking business  by  his  younger  brother,  Mr.  John 
Thompson.  In  1904  they  opened  another  office 
at  512  N.  California  avenue,  which  building  is 
owned,  by  Mr.  John  Thompson.  Our  subject  who 
lives  on  Ohio  street,  is  in  charge  of  the  old 
establishment  at  122  N.  Centre  avenue. 

Mr.  Hakon  Thompson  has  always  taken  a  very 
active  interest  in  charitable  work  among  his 
countrymen.  He  has  served  on  the  board  of  di- 
rectors of  the  Norwegian  Old  People's  Home 
Society,  as  treasurer  for  the  Norwegian  Orphans' 
Home  Society,  and  for  many  years  as  treasurer 
for  the  Norwegian  Deaconess  Society.  He  has 
also  been  president  for  the  Sick  and  Aid  Society 
of  the  Bethlehem  congregation. 

He  visited  his  native  country  in  1905. 


HAKON   THOMPSON 

Was  born   at  Westre  Toten,  Norway,   February 
6,  1847. 

His  father  was  Thomas  Storsveen  and  his 
mother's  maiden  name  Helene  Christiansdatter 
Ronaas.  He  was  educated  in  the  country  schools 
in  Norway  and  confirmed  in,  Aas  church  by  Rev. 
Magelsen  and  came  to  this  country  in  1867. 

His  parents,  a  sister  and  two  brothers  came  to 
this  country  in  1868,  and  settled  on  a  farm  in 
Winneshiek  county  Iowa. 

In  the  first  year  of  his  settlement  in  Chicago, 
Mr.  Thompson  united  with  the  First  Norwegian 
Lutheran  Church,  in  which  he  remained  until 
1873,  then  transferring  his  membership  to  Our 
Savior's  church,  in  which  he  remained  a  member 
until  1890,  filling  such  offices  as  Sunday  school 
superintendent,  trustee  and  choir  leader.  In  the 
last  named  year  he  joined  the  Bethlehem 
Lutheran  Congregation  of  the  United  Church.  In 


MRS.  IDA  AMELIA  THORP, 

Widow  of  Mr.  Ole  A  Thorp,  whose  sketch  appears 
on  page  223  in  the  first  part  of  this  volume,  was 
born  at  Chicago  June  30,  1865,  to  Andrew  and 
Mathilda  (born  Peterson)  Johnson.  She  was 
educated  in  the  Chicago  public  schools  and  con- 
firmed in  Rev.  J.  Z.  Torgersen's  church. 

At  the  young  age  of  twenty  years  Miss  John- 
son was  married  on  May  23,  1885,  to  Mr.  Ole  A. 
Thorp,  then  a  young  promising  business  man, 
who  later  became  one  of  our  most  prominent 
citizens  in  Chicago  of  Norwegian  birth.  He  died 
Jan.  25,  1905.  This  union  was  blessed  by  four 
children,  all  daughters:  Lovy  Mabel  Ida.  born 
Nov.  21,  1886;  Lulu  Alice  Victoria,  Nov.  8,  1888; 


BIOGRAPHICAL    SKETCHES    AND    PORTRAITS 


543 


Sara  Olive  Elizabeth,  Feb.  3,  1890,  and  Pearl 
Edith  Margerit,  Jan.  31,  1892.  The  two  youngest 
have  died. 

Mrs.  Thorp's  father  died  long  ago,  but  her 
mother,  Mrs.  Mathilda  Johnson,  is  living  with  her 
daughter  hale  and  hearty  at  the  age  of  62  years. 


Mrs.  Ida  A.  Thorp. 


The  family  attends  St.  Paul's  Norwegian  Luthe- 
ran church  on  North  avenue. 

Mrs.  Thorp  lives  in  her  own  fine  residence  at 
59  Columbia  place. 


THE  IMMIGRANT  RUNNERS. 

The  immigrants,  who  had  no  interpreter,  had  a 
very  hard  time  of  it,  ignorant  of  the  English  lan- 
guage as  they  were.    The  "runner  evil"  was  com- 
plained   of    on    all  sides,    because  the  "runners" 
generally  belonged  to  the  same  nationality  as  the 
immigrants,  and  when  not  honest,  which  was  the 
exception,  they    would    tell    the  newcomers  that 
they  would  help  them  out,  secure  good  and  cheap 
lodgings  for  them  and  in  every  way  assist  them 
without  charging  them  anything  for  their  services. 
Honest    to    the   core,   and    believing   that   every 
Norwegian  ought  to  be  built  the  same  way,  the 
immigrants  fell  an  easy  prey  to  the  wiles  of  their 
smooth-talking  fellow-countrymen.    They  needed 
to  change  their  good  Norwegian  money  for  the 
"coin  of  the  land,"  and  that  is  where  the  "run- 
ner" made   his  big  profits.     The  immigrants   did 
not  know  the  value  of  the  exchange,  but  simply 
gave  what  they  had  into  the  hands  of  their  "help- 
some"    countryman,   who   as   a   rule   was   a  man 
of    better    education    and    invariably    a    smooth 
talker.     The  newcomers  admired  his  "cl'eek"  and 
the  ease  with  which  he  could  talk  at  the  money- 
changer's  office;   of  course,  not  understanding  a 
word  of  what  arrangements  he  had  or  made  with 
that    "gentleman."     This   evil    finally   became    so 
great   that   the   transportation   companies   had   to 
send  an  interpreter  with  each  load  of  immigrants, 
in  order  not  to  come  into  conflict  with  the  law. 
Later  on  it  often   happened  that  the  Norwegian 
captains  who  had  brought  the  party  over  followed 
them  to  Quebec,  Chicago  or  Milwaukee  and  saw 
that   they  were   started    right    on    their    further 
journey.  Else,  when  the  "poor  innocents"  arrived 
on  a  railroad  train  at  one  of  the  bigger  centers 
they  would  be  surrounded  by  those  affable  coun- 
trymen and  plucked  of  their  ready  cash,  and  in 
many  cases  the  trickery  and  meanness  of  those 
fellows   were    something   appalling.     The   sharks 
would  warn  the  newcomers  from  having  anything 
to  do  with  Americans,  whom  they  asserted  were 
the  worst  swindlers  on  earth.    This  runner  busi- 
ness went  so  far  that  the  immigrants  became  so 
suspicious  that  they  would  not  even  believe  hon- 
est   people   among   their    own    countrymen    who 
offered  their  assistance  to  them,  but  tried  to  keep 
their  own  counsel.     Later  the  large  immigration 
companies    employed    regular    interpreters,    well 
paid   and   honest,   but   they    were    just   as   much 
suspected  as  the  dishonest  ones.     As  a  rule  the 
traveling  expenses  exceeded  what  had  been  fig- 
ured  out   beforehand,   and   the   result  here   was 
that  the  newcomers  would  see  fraud  everywhere. 


544 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE  NORWAY  RAT. 

It  is  remarkable  that  the  large  Norwegian  rat 
accompanied  the  first  Norwegian  immigrants  as 
far  West  as  Illinois.  That  some  were  brought 
over  to  this  country  'in  the  "Sloop"  was  not 
strange,  but  how  they  managed  to  hide  them- 
selves in  trunks,  chests  and  ^sacks  all  the  way 
over  land  is  harder  to  explain.  In  a  few  years 
they  became  numerous  in  La  Salle  and  surround- 
ing counties.  All  animals  increase  in  proportion 
to  immunity  from  molestation  by  enemies  and 
easy  access  to  their  natural  food.  The  profusion 
of  the  cereal  grains,  all  exposed,  made  this  the 
paradise  of  rats.  Yards  •  filled  with  corncribs, 
standing  for  three  or  four  years,  became  infested 
with  numbers  innumerable.  They  go  and  come, 
sometimes  swarming  like  the  locusts,  and  then 
leaving  for  several  years.  The  black  rat,  com- 
mon before,  disappeared  immediately  after  the 
introduction  of  the  Norwegian  species,  which  is 
a  larger  and  much  more  powerful  and  sagacious 
animal.  Some  succeeding  race  may  exterminate 
the  Norway,  but  that  may  result,  as  before,  only 
in  a  change  of  evils.  The  good  things  of  the 
world  were  not  made  for  man  alone.  Imperious 
man  says: 

"  'See  man  for  mine',  replies  the  pampered  goose.'' 
"  'See  all  things  for  my  use'. 


the  board  of  directors  should   from  time  to  time 
set  aside  money  not  needed  for  running  expenses 
or  necessary  improvements,  together  with  money 
given   specially -for -that  purpose,   and   invest  the 
same    in .  interest-bearing   bonds;    the  .interest    to. 
be  added    to  the    principal    until    the    sum    had, 
reached  $25,000,  and  that  this  $25,000  should  re- 
main as   a  permanent   fund.     At    present    about 
half  the  amount  is  secured. 

Besides  this  fund  provided  for  by  the  society, 
another  fund,  known  as  the  "Dr.  Quales  memor- 
ial fund  for  the  Old  People's  Home"  was  created 
by  friends  partly  outside  of  the  society.  This 
fund,  together  with  an  engrossed  address,  was 
presented  to  the  Doctor  on  the  anniversary  of 
his  75th  birthday  as  a  testimony  to  his  good  work 
for  the  Old  People's  Home. 


International  Order  of 

i 

Good  Templars. 

(Continued  from  page  199,  col.  1,  line  13.) 


ADDENDA. 


The   Norwegian   Old 

People's    Home 

Society. 

To  the  sketch  of  the  "Norwegian  Old  Peoples 
Home  Society"  in  the  first  part  of  this  volume  the 
following  paragraphs  should  be  added: 

In  1903  the  society  decided  to  create  a  reserve 
fund  for  the  protection  of  the  inmates.  A  special 
article  added  to  the  constitution  provided  that 


of  "Tordenskjold";  D.  V.  C.  C.  S.,  Jacob  Hauch, 
of  "Tordenskjold";  D.  P.  C.  T.,  Oscar  Andersen, 
of  "Kamp  og  Seier";  D:  E;  Supt,  Henry  Wear- 
dahl;  D.  Chap.,  Dagmar  Weardahl;  D.  M.,  Otto 
Larsen;  D.  d.  M.v  Thilde  Haugland;  D.  A.  Sec'y, 
Wm.  Ludvigsen;  D.  G.,  Jens  Orre;  D.  Sent,  Jpa- 
kim  Christensen;  D.  Messenger,  Halfdan  Nord- 
seth. 

As  an  adjunct  to  the  I.  O.  G.  T.  among  the 
.Norwegian  speaking  people  in  this  locality,  the 
temperance  club  Nordstjernen  deserves  to  be 
mentioned.  It  was  organized  in  Chicago,  Jan.  1, 
1890,  by  Henry  Weardahl,  at  a  time  when  no 
Norwegian  I.  O.  G.  T.  lodge  was  in  existence 
here.  It  was  based  upon  ritualistic  work  and 
served  as  a  recruiting  ground  for  the  Interna- 
tional, as  was  proven  by  the  organization,  from 
its  membership,  of  the  lodge  Enighed  No.  262. 

And  last,  but  not  least,  I  would  like  to  men- 
tion a  few  of  the  most  active  and  leading  mem- 
bers of  the  present  Norwegian  I.  O.  G.  T. 
lodges  in  Chicago: 

Mr.  and  Mrs.  Wm.  Ludvigsen,  Isaac  Michael- 
son,  Olaf  Renden,  Jonas  Olsen,  Chr.  Ludvigsen, 


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A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS 


Mrs.  Hanna  Weardahl,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  T.  Metzke, 
all  members  of  "Norrjzina,"  lodge  No.  113. 

Richard  Nilsen  and  Olaf  Nilsen  of  "Torden- 
skjold"  lodge  No.  137;  Hans  Lie,  Mrs.  Marie  Lie; 
Ludvig  Hagen  of  "Kamp  og  Seier"  lodge  No. 
157;  Henry  0degaard,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Oskar  Olsen, 
Aksel  Gundersen  of  "Henrik  Ibsen"  lodge  No. 
101. 


dying  in  1873.  He  was  married  to  Mrs.  Isabella 
Richolson  in  1876.  Her  portrait  and  biography 
are  to  be  found  on  another  page. 

Mr.  Matson  was  an  honorary  33-degree  Mason. 
He  was  at  his  death  to  have  been  installed  at 
the  next  meeting  of  Oriental  Consistory  as  one 
of  the  grand  standard  bearers.  At  the  meeting 
of  the  Medinah  Temple,  Mystic  Shrine,  shortly 


The   new  Bethel  church,   Chicago,  now  being  built.     See  page  115. 


Canute  Matson.  . 

The  biographical  sketch  of  Canute  R.  Matson 
will  be  more  complete  by  the  addition  of  the 
following  data: 

*        *        * 

In  the  fall  of  1865  he  came  to  Chicago.  He 
first  entered  the  postoffice  service.  In  1869  he 
was  elected  clerk  of  the  Harrison  street  police 
court.  He  was  re-elected  two  years  later,  and 
in  1875  was  appointed  justice  of  the  peace.  He 
was  again  appointed  justice  in  1879,  but  resigned 
in  1880  to  accept  the  nomination  for  coroner  on 
the  republican  ticket.  He  was  elected,  and  served 
four  years  in  this  office.  Later  he  was  chief  dep- 
uty sheriff,  until,  in  1886,  he  was  elected  sheriff. 
This  office  he  held  four  years,  during  which  time 
he  hung  the  anarchists  who  had  participated  in 
the  Haymarket  riot. 

Mr.   Matson   was  twice   married,  his   first   wife 


before  his  demise,  he  was  re-elected  to  the  office 
of  high  priest  and  prophet,  a  station  he  had  held 
several  years:  In  addition  to  membership  in  these 
bodies  he  was  a  member  of  the  Apollo  Com- 
mandery,  Knights  Templars,  and  a  past  master 
of  Blair  Lodge,  A.  F.  and  A.  M.  He  also  was  a 
member  of  the  Marquette  and  Ottawa  Clubs. 


Mr.   A.   P.   Johnson,  president   of  the   Johnson 
Chair  Company,  died  July  3,  1907. 
*        *        * 

On  page  46  it  is  stated  that  Prof.  R.  B.  Ander- 
son's "First  Chapter  of  Norwegian  Immigration" 
is  out  of  print.  A  new  popular-priced  edition  of 
that  book  has,  however,  been  issued  since  page  46 
was  printed. 


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INDEX 

To   the  Biographical  Sketches 


Page 

Aarrestad,   Rev.  Torleif    258 

Aarvig,  Olai  Martin   258 

Aarvig,    Rasmus    Olson    259 

Abrahamsen,   Andrew 259 

Adams,  Andrew 260 

Anda,   John 260 

Andersen,   Oscar   C 268 

Anderson,  Axel  Harold  261 

Anderson,   A.   G 261 

Anderson,  A.  M 530 

Anderson,   Andrew   N 262 

Anderson,   H.   M.    L 263 

Anderson,  Mrs.  Isabella  A 264 

Anderson,  J.  A 264 

Anderson,  Capt.  John    265 

Anderson,  John 266 

Anderson,    N.    A •  •  • 267 

Anderson,   Owen    269 

Arneson,    Nils    269 

Arneson,    Ole    T 270 

Asbjjzirnsen,  Sigvald    270 

Aygarn,  C.  L 271 

B 

Bagge.    Einar    • •  •  272 

Balken,  Peter  M 273 

Bendixen,  Victor  F 274 

Bendixon,    Ole    W 273 

Benson,   Ole   E 275 


549 


550  INDEX 


Page 

Benson,  Thor.  J 274 

Berg,  Mrs.  Anna   212 

Berg,    Martin    • •  •  - . .  276 

Berg,  Dr.  O.  H 277 

Berg,  T.  O 277 

Berge,  B.  O 278 

Bergh,   Rev.   H.   P 278 

Bjerke,  J.   C 280 

Bi0rn,  Emil   280 

Bj^rseth,  CM 282 

Bj^rseth,  K.  K 281 

Bj^rseth,  Peter 283 

Blegen,    John    283 

Boe,  Dr.  Alfred   N 284 

Bolstad,  K.  0 530 

Borchsenius,    O.    M 530 

Bruun,  Nicolai    285 

Bruun,  Mrs.  U.  F 285 

Bue,   Daniel   D 286 


C 

Callecod,   Lars    287 

Christensen,    E.    C 288 

Christiansen,  H.  S 289 

Christiansen,    W.    F 288 

Christophersen,   Mrs.   Christina   212 

Christophersen,    Elias    S 290 

Christopherson,    M.    H 290 

Colberg,   J.    W 291 


D 

Dahl,    H.    L 292 

Dahl,    P.    K 293 

Daniels,   Oscar    293 

Daniels,    Ulrich 225 

Danielsen,  Christian    294 

Danielson,  Christopher    294 

Danielson,  O.    M 295 

Doe,    Dr.    Anders    296 

Dover,  O.  Th 296 

Dyrhus,  W.  F 297 


INDEX  551 


Page 

Eastegord,  Ole  T 297 

Edmunds,  John   E 298 

Egeland,  Olaf   299 

Eielson,   Aslag    300 

Eielson,    Eilert 301 

Eielson,    John     301 

Eielson,  Joseph    301 

Eielson,   Oscar    300 

Eittreim,   Rev.   K.    0 302 

Ellingson,    Elim 302 

Ellingson,   G.   A 303 

Elvig,  Albart  J 226 

Engebretson,    J.    E . 303 

Enger,   L 304 

Ericson,   B.   C 305 

Ericson,    Otto    C 305 

Erickson,  Alfred  O 306 

Erickson,  Mrs.  Agnete    307 

Erickson,,  Capt.  Christian    218 

Erickson,    Edd    .• . . .  308 

Erickson,    Ernst   A •  • 307 

Erickson,   O 309 

Erland,  H.  H 309 

Espe,   P.   O •-.  310 

Espe,  Mrs.   P.   O 311 

Evensen,  Dr.  H.  O •  • .  . .  311 

F 

Farley,    W.    C 312 

Faye,   C.   E 313 

Finwall,  Rev.  C.  W 313 

Flage,  Anders  Larsen   182 

Flage,    Mrs.    Anders    Larsen    182 

Fosse,   K.   L 314 

Frederiksen,   Prof.   Frederik 315 

Frette, 'Rasmus   R 318 

Fries,    M.    S. 317 

Fruland,  Lars 317 

G 

Gade,  Consul  F.  H 318 

Gerner,  William   319 


550  INDEX 


Page 

Benson,  Thor.  J 274 

Berg,  Mrs.  Anna   212 

Berg,    Martin    • •  •  •  •  •  276 

Berg,  Dr.  O.  H 277 

Berg,  T.  O • •  • 277 

Berge,  B.  O 278 

Bergh,   Rev.   H.   P 278 

Bjerke,  J.   C 280 

Bi^rn,  Emil 280 

Bj^rseth,  CM 282 

Bj^rseth,  K.  K 281 

Bjjrfrseth,  Peter 283 

Blegen,    John 283 

Boe,  Dr.  Alfred   N 284 

Bolstad,  K.  0 530 

Borchsenius,    O.    M 530 

Bruun,  Nicolai    285 

Bruun,  Mrs.  U.  F 285 

Bue,   Daniel    D 286 


C 

Callecod,   Lars    287 

Christensen,   E.    C 288 

Christiansen,  H.  S • 289 

Christiansen,    W.    F 288 

Christophersen,   Mrs.   Christina   212 

Christophersen,    Elias    S 290 

Christopherson,    M.    H 290 

Colberg,   J.    W 291 


D 

Dahl,    H.    L , 292 

Dahl,    P.    K 293 

Daniels,   Oscar    293 

Daniels,    Ulrich 225 

Danielsen,  Christian    294 

Danielson,   Christopher    294 

Danielson,  O.    M 295 

Doe,    Dr.    Anders    296 

Dover,  O.  Th 296 

Dyrhus,  W.   F 297 


INDEX  551 


Page 

Eastegord,  Ole  T 297 

Edmunds,  John   E 298 

Egeland,  Olaf   299 

Eielson,   Aslag    300 

Eielson,    Eilert    : 301 

Eielson,    John     301 

Eielson,   Joseph    301 

Eielson,   Oscar    300 

Eittreim,   Rev.    K.    0 302 

Ellingson,    Elim 302 

Ellingson,   G.   A 303 

Elvig,  Albart  J 226 

Engebretson,    J.    E . 303 

Enger,  L 304 

Ericson,   B.   C 305 

Ericson,    Otto    C 305 

Erickson,  Alfred  O 306 

Erickson,   Mrs.  Agnete    307 

Erickson,,  Capt.  Christian    218 

Erickson,    Edd    .- . . .  308 

Erickson,    Ernst    A •. 307 

Erickson,   O 309 

Erland,  H.  H 309 

Espe,   P.   O 310 

Espe,   Mrs.   P.   O 311 

Evensen,  Dr.  H.  O 311 

F 

Farley,    W.    C 312 

Faye,   C.   E 313 

Finwall,  Rev.  C.  W 313 

Flage,  Anders  Larsen   182 

Flage,    Mrs.    Anders    Larsen    182 

Fosse,   K.   L 314 

Frederiksen,  Prof.   Frederik    315 

Frette,  'Rasmus   R 318 

Fries,    M.    S 317 

Fruland,  Lars   317 

G 

Gade,  Consul  F.  H 318 

Gerner,  William   319 


554  INDEX 


Page 

Johnson,   Andrew   P 368 

Johnson,   Allen 369 

Johnson,   Anton    •  • 369 

Johnson,  Rev.   Charles  J 370 

Johnson,  Mrs.  Cornelia • •  • 371 

Johnson,  Mrs.  Eline  Th 371 

Johnson,  Mrs.  Hedvig   • •  • 372 

Johnson,  Judge,  H.  W 373 

Johnson,  Mrs.  Carrie  Nelson 374 

Johnson,   John   A •-...  375 

Johnson,  Rev.  J.  H 163 

Johnson,   John   W. 375 

Johnson,    L.    H •• 377 

Johnson,  Nels    376 

Johnson,  Ole  A. 377 

Johnson,  Ole 378 

Johnson,   Capt.   Olaus    379 

Johnson,    Peder    381 

Johnson    Peter    (Sandvik) 379 

Johnson,  Peter  Albert 380 

Johnson,  Thorwald 381 

Johnson,  Torris 382 

Johnson,  Capt  William 222 

Johnston,  Charles  F 383 

Josephson,    Elias    536 


K 

Kaasa,   Jens   Olsen 216 

Kallem,  Miss  Hannah  A 384 

Kildahl,  Rev.   H.   B 384 

Kindley,    Bernt    0 385 

Kittilsby,  Rev.  P.  A 536 

Kittleson,   Halvor 386 

'Kling  Brothers   387 

Kloster,   Endre    • 387 

Klove,  A.  M sag 

Klove,   Noah   G 388 

Knudsen,  Rev,  Asle   389 

Knudson,  C.  S 391 

Knudson,  M.  C 391 

Knudson,  Dr.  T.  J 393 

Knutson,    Mrs.    Randvei 390 

Krabol,  Olaus    393 


INDEX  555 


Page 

Lahlum,    E.    S.   A 393 

Land,  Ole   C 394 

Lange,   A.   B 537 

Langland,  James  • 394 

Langland,  Knud 220 

Langland,  Mrs.  Knud 220 

Larsen,  Hans   395 

Larsen,   Tver •  • 224 

Larsen,   Dr.  Ralph  L 395 

Larson,  Adolph    , 396 

Larson,  Lars   (Ness)    397 

Larson,    Lewis    E 398 

Larson,   Ommund    398 

Laugman,   Prof.  J.   0 399 

Lawrence,   Adolph  P 402 

Lawrence,   Mrs.   Annie    400 

Lawrence   Arthur    , 404 

Lawrence,   Dr.    Ivy    401 

Lawrence,  Capt.  S0ren  Peter   401 

Lawson,  Victor  F 402 

Lee,   Mrs.   Hilleborg    404 

Lee,    Louis    J 226 

Lee,    Oscar   John    404 

Lehmann,   Karl   Ludvig    405 

Loberg,    Thor     H 406 

Losby,    Martin    407 

Lows,  H.   C 407 

Lund,    Hans    408 

Lunn,  Dr.  Martin  J 409 


M 

Maakestad,  S.   M 409 

Maland,    Ben   T '. 410 

Malmin,   Lucius   J.    M 410 

Malum,  A.  K 411 

Martin,   Gustav   G 417 

Mathisen,  Rev.   Gustav   411 

Matsen,    Louis 412 

Matson,  Canute  R 219 

Matson,    Mrs.    Isabella    413 

Mauland,   Ole   0 413 

Meland,   H.   C 414 


556  INDEX 


Page 

Meling,  Dr.  Nels  C 415 

Melum,   Anton    A. 415 

Meyer,  Rev.  J.   H 416 

Michaelsen,    Mrs.    Sophie    417 

Michaelson,    Thorstein    183 

Midnes,  L.  S.    418 

Miller,  Hagbert    419 

Mitchell,  Harley   B 419 

Mitchell,  Dr.  James   M 420 

Moland,  Henry  0 421 

Moldstad,  Rev.  John  A 421 

Myrland,  Rev.  E.  L 170 

N 

Nannestad,  Dr.   S.   H 422 

Narbo,    Dr.    Sven    422 

Nelson,   Louis    R 423 

Nelson,    Nels    S 423 

Nelson,  Ole  J 424 

Nelson,  Rev.   O.  N 538 

Nelson,   Robert    S 425 

Newgard,  Henry   - 425 

Newgard,    Martin    426 

Newton,  Charles  E 427 

Newton,  G.   G 428 

Newton,   Peter 428 

Nilsson,  Prof.  A.   K 429 

Nirison,  Herman  B ' 430 

Nord,  Carl  W.  Birch   430 

Nordby,   Rev.   Jorgen    431 

Nordhem,  J.   B 432 

Norstrand,  H.  P.  G 432 

Noss,  Rev.  Henry  T 433 

O 

Ohrn,  Rev.  J.  A 171 

Olsen,   Prof.    C.   J 169 

Olsen,  Prof.  Edward   171 

Olsen,  George  T 434 

Olsen,  Henry 434 

Olsen,    Iver    538 

Olsen,    Jens     435 

Olsen,  O.  C.  S 437 


INDEX  557 


Page 

Olsen,  Peter  A 436 

Olsen,    Peter    B 436 

Olson,  Albert  J 437 

Olson,    Ever    433 

Olson,   Henry  P 438 

Olson,  Jacob  A 439 

Olson,  Knud  B 440 

Olson,  Col.  Porter  C 4ti 

Olson,    Tom    440 

Olson,  Walter   E 441 

Olson,   William    443 

Olstad,  C.  J 442 

Osland,  Birger   443 

Osmon,  Mrs.  Helen   443 

Osmon,  Mrs.  Margrete  Rygh   444 

Osse,  John  C 445 

Oyen,  Dr.  Henry  M 446 

P 

Palmer,  Dr.  E.  B 446 

Paulsen,   Prof.  Alfred    447 

Pedersen,  George  M 447 

Pedersen,   John    M 448 

Pederson,  Adolph   448 

Pederson,  Ole  R 449 

Petersen,  Rev.  O.  P 161 

Peterson,   Bernhard   C 450 

Peterson,   Enoch    451 

Peterson,  Henry  B 539 

Pihlfeldt,   Thomas    G 451 

Prestegaard,  Ole  J 452 

Q 

Quales,  Dr.  N.  T 453 

Quam,  John   A 455 

R 

Rasmussen,  R.  E 456 

Rasmusson,   Sjuat   (Runstad)    457 

Ray,    Olaf   E 539 

Remmen,  Dr.  Nils  E 457 


558  INDEX 


Page 

Reindahl,    Knute    458 

Richolson,   Benjamin   F 459 

Richolson,   Harold   L 460 

Richolson,    Samuel    460 

Richter,   Danchert  J 461 

Ring,  Rev.  Frederick   , 462 

Risetter,   Haakon   H. 463 

Risetter,  Lars  L 464 

Risetter,   O.   A 464 

Rogde,  Jacob  Olson  465 

Rogde,  Martin,  J 466 

Rolfsen,  Olaf  H 467 

Rorem,   Andreas    467 

Roseland,  Ole  J 468 

Ruud,    Dr.    Helga    540 

Ryerson,   Capt.   Mathias   H 468 

Ryerson,  O.   M.  S ' 469 

Ryerson,  Theodore   470 

Ryg,  Jacob  K 470 

Rygh,  Rev.  George  T 540 

s 

Sanaker,  Rev.  O.  J 164 

Sandberg,  Dr.  Karl  F.  M 471 

Sanderson,    Austin    472 

Sanderson,   Samuel   M i.  473 

Sangdahl,  L.  E 473 

Saxon,  William    474 

Schlanbusch,  Arnoldus    475 

Schlanbusch,  Gerhard  B 475 

Schroeder,  Olaf 476 

Scott,   Miss   Carrie    476 

Scott,  Ingvard  M 477 

Seehuus,    Mrs.    Margarethe    478 

Sethness,   Chas.  0 479 

Severson,   Olaf  F 479 

Sherden,   Christ    480 

Siljan,   Lars  J 540 

Simonsen,  Prof.   N.   E 480 

Skaaden,  Peter  Olsen    481 

Smeby,  Seaver  E 482 

Smith,   Mrs.   Bertha  C 482 

Smith,  Jens  L 483 

Soemo,   C.   G 484 


INDEX  559 


Page 

Solberg,  Rev.  Carl  K 485 

Solberg,  Rev.  Charles  O •  486 

Solberg,    E.    S 486 

Stabeck,  C.  O.  R 487 

Stange,    Chr.    L.     B 218 

Stange,  P.  C.  B 488 

Stange,  W.   Jan    489 

Steensohn,    L.    H 541 

Stoltenberg,   Henry  N 489 

Stuhr,  Peter  J.  W 490 

Sve,  Sivert   • 492 

Svendsen,    Svend     491 

Sorensen,   Christopher  M 492 

T 

Tastad,   Edward  J 493 

Tendall,  Ole   L 493 

Tesdal,  Thor 495 

Thomas,  Dr.  Abraham  L 495 

Thompson,    Hakon     542 

Thompson,  John    496 

Thompson,  Thomas  F 497 

Thoresen,  Henning  L 497 

Thoresen,   William    498 

Thoreson,  John    499 

Thorp,  Ole  A 224 

Thorp,   Mrs.   Ole   A 543 

Thorsgaard,  Dr.  Karl  L 500 

Tiller,  Rev.  Carl  E ' 500 

Tobiassen,   Gabriel   J 501 

Tollefsen,  Rev.  J.   C 502 

Tone,  David  K 503 

Torgersen,  Rev.  J.  Z 221 

Torrison,  Dr.  George  A .' 504 

Torrison,  Judge  Oscar   M 504 

Tressing,   Eric    505 

Tufty,   Gilbert   K 505 

u 

Udstad,   Sivert    506 

Ugland,  Salve   507 

Ulvestad,   Dr.   O.   M 508 

Undem,  J.   Leonard    508 

Unseth,  Dr.  Magnus  A 509 


560  INDEX 


Urheim,  Dr.  Jacob  L.  -. 509 

Uthus,   Ole   L 510 

V 

Vigness,  Rev.  Lauritz  A 511 

Varland,    Tobias    512 

w 

Wallem,   Goodman    514 

Waterdahl,  Thos.  E 514 

Weardahl,  Henry  C 515 

Wiersen,  Rev.  O.  A -. 164 

Williams,  Clarence  S 516 

Williams,  Edward   1 516 

Wold,  Alfred  N 517 

Wold,   Berent   M 227 

Wold,  Nels   B 518 

Wold,   Torris    518 


O 

0stberg,  Albert  H 519 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


A  HISTORY  OF  THE  NORWEGIANS  OF  ILLINOIS